About The Institute
Mission
To train skills of physical attention in order to generate new knowledge and foster connectivity through somatic research practices.
To support the research, community & practice of somatic embodiment & communication in a variety of applications, to the extent that humans enjoy expanded levels of connectivity.
Vision
Purpose
to expand human capacities for interpersonal and group resonance, and coordination through advancing expertise in somatic communication.
to encourage, advance and rethink knowledge of embodied attention.
to support the value of embodied knowledge as intrinsic and emergent through dance-based and other mindbody research practices.
“My dream is for dancers to become valuable for what they can do, not just the show they can put on” Nita Little
The Institute for the Study of Somatic Communication (ISSC) is an organization founded by dancer Nita Little with the goal of enriching human relational practices by exploring and advancing the field of somatic communication. The ISSC views the body as integral to communication and focuses on understanding how humans coordinate and communicate nonverbally, particularly through embodied attention.
The ISSC operates through a network of research laboratories called CoLaboratories (CoLabs) located internationally. These CoLabs, comprised of dancer/researchers skilled in improvisation and Contact Improvisation, investigate somatic communication using scores to guide their movement exploration. The research emphasizes exploring the relationship between physical attention and the environment, going beyond normative cultural modes of attention to understand how micro-actions contribute to communication.
The ISSC collaborates with experts from various disciplines, including anthropology, cognitive science, and neuroscience, to develop a multicultural theory of embodied communication and practical training programs applicable to diverse fields. This includes creating programs with movement scores, somatic exercises, and group experiences designed to enhance coordination, interpersonal resonance, trust, and self-organization. The ISSC's long-term objective is to establish dance as a recognized research discipline that contributes to understanding and improving human interaction.