The Elemental Body
PROCESS OF CREATING A PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE IN NATURE
A MEETING BETWEEN THE WORK OF ANNA HALPRIN, DOHEE LEE AND NATURE
This training is based on the Life Art Process®, a contemporary artistic approach to healing that draws on the work of American choreographer Anna Halprin and the expertise of Dohee Lee. A specialist in improvised dance, voice, performance, and nature-based rituals, Dohee Lee reinterprets the concept of healing by integrating our personal and collective histories through the creation of rituals conceived as artistic performances.
An artistic and somatic approach to exploring being
The Life Art Process® invites you to explore the relationships between the physical body, emotions, thoughts, and imagination, using the diverse tools of movement, dance, drawing, writing, and voice. This artistic approach allows us to reclaim our intimate and shared narratives, grounding expression in the body and creation.
Dohee Lee: Between Ancestral Traditions and Contemporary Creation
Originally from Jeju Island in South Korea, Dohee Lee studied dance, percussion, and voice according to Korean traditions, particularly those imbued with shamanism. Her artistic practice fuses these ritual heritages with contemporary forms to restore broken connections between humans and the earth, and to heal individual and collective histories.
Healing as a Creative and Ritual Act
Healing is approached from an ancestral and shamanic perspective: it involves restoring balance and dialogue between the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and relational dimensions of being. Participants will have the opportunity to identify the root causes of their imbalances through somatic, artistic, and nature-based introspection, and then transform these experiences into a ritual performance embodying the desired changes.
This training takes place in 4 non-linear phases.
1. Connect
Using the Elemental Body Practice and the Singing Body Practice, participants explore—in the studio and in nature—a map connecting the six elemental energies (Tree, Fire, Air, Metal, Earth, and Water) to the body, its internal organs, its emotions, and the stories associated with them. This exploration reveals each participant's key themes and personal challenges.
2. Reflect
Through this phase, participants examine the stories that emerge from their explorations and the interaction between nature and their bodies. Through guided reflection, they discover how their personal histories and collective narratives are reflected in ecological and bodily processes. These stories are then mapped across the temporal dimensions of past, present, and future, creating a bridge between individual experiences and the larger cycles of life.
3. Collect: The Ritual Creation Process
This phase involves gathering and merging narratives, movements, vocal expressions (Singing Body), and written prayers to shape a coherent ritual performance. The emphasis is on creative composition as a transformative process, where storytelling becomes a powerful tool for giving form and meaning to the ritual.
4. Perform
The ritual performance is presented as a communal and healing act. It embodies a living offering, where art and personal narratives are transformed into collective medicine. Participants express and share a renewed vitality, thus demonstrating their commitment to a process of healing and renewal.
Our Objectives
1
Master the tools of the Life Art Process® to create ritual performances connected to nature.
-
Experiment with and apply movement, dance, voice, drawing, and writing techniques as tools to reveal personal narratives as resources for artistic composition.
-
Use the Elemental Body Practice, based on the six elemental energies (Tree, Fire, Air, Metal, Earth, Water), and the Singing Body to structure an artistic and somatic exploration in the studio and in natural environments.
2
Designing and structuring a ritual performance as an artistic and communal act
-
Gathering and integrating narrative, vocal, gestural, and visual elements to compose a coherent ritual performance, employing storytelling and creative composition techniques.
-
Articulating personal and collective narratives with ecological and temporal processes (past/present/future) to create an original and engaged artistic language.
3
Integrating ritual and performative practices into an artistic approach
-
Experimenting with creative methods to design structured and intentional ritual performances.
-
Creating a performance as a collective artwork, using tools of composition, improvisation, and spatial arrangement to explore the relationships between body, nature, and artistic expression.
Dohee Lee
Multi-award-winning performance artist
Senior Core Faculty at the Tamalpa Institute
She was born on Jeju Island in South Korea. There, she studied Korean dance, Korean percussion, and vocal music, rooted in Korean shamanism. In her artistic practice, she seeks to integrate these traditional forms of ritual with contemporary elements to heal the broken connections between humans, the land, and urban environments, and to mend the histories between individuals and their communities.
She works at the Tamalpa Institute as a teacher, at Asian Refugees United as the Director of Arts and Healing, and is the founder and artistic director of PURI Arts.
She has received the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Doris Duke Impact Award, the Hewlett 50 Music Commission Award, the Creative Capital Award, and the Herb Alpert Prize, among many others.
She has collaborated with Anna Halprin, Kronos Quartet, InkBoat, Degenerate Art Ensemble, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Pauchi Sasaki, Amara Tabor Smith, and others.
Her work emphasizes the mythical, experimental, ritualistic, theatrical, historical, and healing aspects of music, dance, and performance installations, which she articulates through reflections on vital themes such as identity, politics, nature, and spirituality.
IN PRACTICE
25 hours of professional training
Residential training in Bolozon from August 27th to 30th, 2026
Arrival scheduled for August 26th from 7 pm
Departure on the evening of the 30th or the 31st before 10 am, at the trainee's convenience
Accommodation in shared rooms: flat rate of €125 per stay
Possibility of bringing your own tent
Vegetarian meals for lunch and dinner: price to be determined
(allow up to €150 per stay)
To join the training :
-
Complete the registration form
-
We will notify you of your acceptance and finalize your registration
- Join the Elemental Body training
The cost of the training is €400.
Various payment plans are available to suit your needs.
Please note that participants are responsible for their own travel, accommodation, and meal expenses.
Registration must be completed no later than 15 days before the start of the training. For more details, you can download the General Terms and Conditions of Sale.