We, too, name and acknowledge that the attacks committed by Hamas are crimes that further exacerbated a long-existing conflict. We fully recognise the pain experienced by the victims of the October 7th attacks and their families, and we hold this truth alongside the understanding that these events emerged from decades of systemic oppression, displacement, and occupation carried out by the Israeli state. We believe that no act of violence - past or present - can justify the collective punishment of nearly two million people.

As a community rooted in somatic intelligence, that shares a culture of care, inclusivity, and accountability, we feel it is our urgent responsibility to break the silence. We recognize that cultural activities are currently at risk of becoming a form of escapism, and we wish to counteract this tendency by allowing our spaces to also address that which is uncomfortable: the elephant in the room - or as in our case, the elephant on the dancefloor.
Now more than ever, the political dimensions of our practice are revealed and undeniable. Our dancing and communal spaces are not neutral, nor separate from the political contexts from which they emerge.

We recognise Germany’s harrowing history with the Holocaust, and we acknowledge this memory with deep respect. To truly honour this memory is to act on the lessons it demands - standing against any action that violates international law and insisting that all individuals, including those in power, are held to the same ethical and legal standards.

Since October 7th, 2023, we have witnessed a growing pattern of institutional repression targeting and punishing Palestinian solidarity within Germany’s cultural sector. Many institutions, organizations, venues, and individuals remain silent - not necessarily out of indifference, but out of fear, as their very financial sustainability often depends on state or federal funding.

As inhabitants of central Europe we are aware that capitalist culture with its inherent doctrines of neo-colonialism, racism, authoritarianism, exploitation of living beings and resources, plays a central role in many of today’s global injustices. We acknowledge the privileges that have come from these systems and we are aware that the comfort we enjoy is entangled and complicit in the ongoing harm.

Contact Improvisation, as a largely self-organized and financially independent practice, offers an unique and powerful space with relatively low risk - yet vast potential - to shift the paradigm.
Inspired by the thought that every voice has the power to unlock another’s and echoing other CI communities worldwide who spoke before us (namely, the Greek CI Camp and CI Philly), we raise our voices in solidarity with Palestine, hoping to join our hearts, minds and bodies to this global uprising.

We are grateful for the chance of moving together, of meeting across borders, of sharing this living practice. And with that gratitude comes responsibility. We are aware of how CI is not immune to the dynamics of privilege, exclusion, and avoidance that exist beyond our studios. If we do not address these realities, our spaces risk reinforcing, rather than dismantling, the systems we hope to change.
Thus, we invite fellow CI community members - locally and internationally - to name the ongoing genocide and to welcome, within our shared spaces, the vital question: "In what ways can our practice not only foster self-liberation but also support us in courageously addressing the political injustices and uncomfortable truths of our time?
We invite everyone to re-imagine what it could mean to use our spaces as a way to move towards justice - to join or create groups and find creative ways to manifest solidarity and social change. To articulate thoughts, dances, grief, resistance, and dreams. Together. 

Let our practice remain deeply human.

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FIRST SIGNATORIES

The Berlin CI facilitators ( in alphabetical order):

Mireia Aragones
Manuela Bosch
Javier Cura
Gesine Daniels
Jeremiah Day
Jorge De Hoyos
Josh Dyffort
Maria Elste
Liz Erber
Volker Eschmann
Dan Farberoff
Gosia Gajdemska
Yin Haolong
Ana Jordao 
Moss Beynon Juckes
Eszter Kaloz
Kira Kirsch
Heike Kuhlmann
Collin Edina Leach
Vega Luukkonen
Jonas Marx
Adalisa Menghini
Mathilde Mensink
Valentina Menz
Jiska Morgenthal
Peter Pleyer
Karthik Rajmohan
Gabriele Reuter
Ka Rustler
Maria Rutanen
Holly Sass
Elske Seidel
Mela Seidenari
Rosalind Holgate Smith
Hugh Steiner 
Laura Stokes
Dino Spiri
Christina Theisen
Tchivett
Barnaby Tree 
Tere Wiecko
Sarah Young
Alex Zampini
Jenny Zimmermann