Symbiotic Danscapes 2026 The Air Between Us workshop

The Air Between Us

The Air Between Us explores breath as something we share — an invisible commons moving between bodies, places, and social realities. In a time shaped by ecological, health, and social crises, the workshop looks at breathing not only as something that keeps us alive, but also as something relational, political, and creative.

Together we ask:

What does it mean to share air — and vulnerability — with others?
How can breath help us sense our connection to other bodies and environments?
What happens when we listen to breathing as a collective rhythm rather than something individual?
How can shared breathing practices support awareness, regulation, and community presence?

Through accessible perception exercises, breath scores, and gentle movement practices, participants explore breath as a form of dialogue — with themselves, with others, and with the environments they move through. The work takes time and moves with care, allowing space for sensing, improvisation, and reflection.

Moving between softness and intensity, playfulness and depth, the workshop approaches breath as both artistic material and social practice — a way to experience interdependence through the body.

Bio

Chris Leuenberger is a Swiss breathwork facilitator, dance artist, and yoga teacher based between Bern and the Italian Alps. He works across somatic practice, performance, and nature-based artistic research, exploring breath as a meeting point between body, environment, and collective experience.

Since 2008 he has worked as a freelance performer and choreographer in the independent dance scene. Alongside his artistic work, he facilitates breathwork sessions, retreats, and residencies for somatic and artistic research, often in natural environments. His practice brings together movement, breath therapy, and participatory formats, treating breath as both an artistic material and a shared social resource.

At the centre of his work is the idea that breathing together can create awareness, care, and connection, reminding us that bodies, ecologies, and communities are already linked through the air we share.

Practical info

Dates: June 22 – July 19, 2026

Part of Symbiotic Danscapes 2026

Location: Paleohori Eco-Art Space, Lefkada

Shared accommodation & 3 full daily meals are offered

Register here!

Interview with Chris Leuenberger For Symbiotic Danscapes 2026

Can you describe how breath became central to your artistic work?

About fifteen years ago, alongside my artistic practice, I was also teaching yoga. I became very interested in pranayama and how breathing techniques influence the body, mind, and nervous system. But even before that, in my early choreography, I was already exploring repetitive movement and altered body states — trembling, shaking, sustained physical focus. Looking back, I think that was actually the beginning of my breath research, even if I didn’t name it that way yet.

One early piece involved performing simple movements while keeping the mouth wide open and allowing inner trembling to emerge. Now I know that breathing like that for long periods isn’t healthy, but the piece was very influential for me. It shaped my interest in how subtle physiological states can transform presence on stage.

When did breath shift from personal practice into performance material?

A big turning point came when I started collaborating with other artists, especially sound artists. We became interested in how breath sounds affect other bodies. There’s research on somatic mimicry — how when you hear someone breathing, you unconsciously respond. I noticed that as a spectator myself: when I watch dancers breathing heavily, my own breathing changes.

From there, breath became less about individual expression and more about connection between bodies. We started exploring collective breathing — how people tune to each other through breath.

You worked with breath in a crematorium performance. What was important there?

That was in 2023. The space was very intense — it’s a place connected to death and transformation. The acoustics made breath extremely present. The audience was invited not just to listen, but also to contribute with their own breathing sounds.

At the same time, we were reflecting on the pandemic — how breath suddenly became something dangerous. We wanted to re-experience breath as connection rather than threat.

How do you transform breath practice into performance structure?

In recent works, we mostly use scores — simple rules or frameworks. For example, participants stand in a circle and each proposes one breath combined with a simple movement that can be repeated and gradually transformed over time. Everyone repeats it in their own way. It’s not about precision — it’s about shared attention.

Sometimes multiple breathing rhythms happen at once. People can join, step out, or observe. The performance becomes something collective and flexible.

We also use very accessible exercises, like passing breath around a circle like passing a ball. This makes it easy for anyone to join, even without performance experience.

How did working in public space change the work?

In The Air Between Us, which I made with Benjamin Sunarjo, we worked in a public space along the river in Bern. The landscape shaped the dramaturgy — city noise, river sound, forests, paths, bridges.

Sometimes passersby became accidental participants. For example, we created what we called a “breath road” across a bridge — people moving while expressing different breathing rhythms. Joggers had to move through us. It created spontaneous interactions between everyday life and performance.

Why does this work feel important now?

I think because the world is full of crisis, fear, and separation. Breath is something we all share. We all depend on the same air.

Working with collective breathing helps people practice listening — to themselves, to others, and to the space around them. It’s very simple, but also very powerful. It reminds us that we are connected, whether we want to be or not.