Yun Yi

FUjian, China

中 国 · 福建

Chronology of Somatic Inquiry

Professional Milestones & Community Leadership

  • 2025: Deepened the path of internal awareness through Vipassana Meditation (S.N. Goenka tradition).

  • 2024: Participated in the Koh Chang Water CI Festival and the Chiang Dao CI52 Residency (Inspiral), exploring the fluid boundaries of aquatic and terrestrial movement.

  • 2022 – Present: Core member and Community Facilitator of the Dali Contact Improvisation Community, fostering regional growth and collective practice.

  • 2020: Immersed in the Koh Phangan CI Community (Thailand), researching the dynamics of established nomadic somatic cultures.

  • 2019: Explored Fire Flow by integrating the structural aesthetics of Traditional Chinese Opera; attended the Goa CI Festival in India.

  • 2018: Facilitated Improvisational Movement and Meditation workshops at Xiamen Huaizhong Psychology and various group settings.

  • 2016: Initial encounter with Contact Improvisation, initiating a lifelong somatic inquiry.

Advanced Somatic & Neurological Research (2023 – Present) Committed to a science-based understanding of the body, she has completed intensive studies in:

  • PRI (Postural Restoration Institute): Focusing on human asymmetry and postural patterns.

  • DNS (Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization): Researching developmental kinesiology and core stability.

  • Pelvic Floor & Autonomic Nervous System: Investigating the neurobiological foundations of the body.

  • Brain Science: Applying neuroscientific principles to Awareness Through Movement, bridging the gap between cognitive knowledge and embodied experience.

Improvisational Dancer & Somatic Researcher

Artistic Roots & Professional Foundation A practitioner of Fire Flow and an artist trained in the "Dao Ma Dan" (martial female role) tradition of Peking Opera. Her foundational journey began at the age of 11, undergoing rigorous classical training at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts (NACTA), specializing in the Performing Arts.

Crisis and Transformation: From Performance to Healing Years of high-intensity, traditional training led to complex physical compensations, structural torsions, and chronic neuropathic pain. Following her graduation in 2017, she embarked on a profound path of self-restoration. This inquiry evolved from dance meditation and psychological somatic work into a grounded practice rooted in Human Science and Neuroscience. This transition marks a pivotal shift from academic performance training toward the field of Somatic Movement Rehabilitation.

Current Research & Synthesis Currently a practitioner of Vipassana (Insight Meditation), she learns through the observation of somatic reality and nuanced unconscious movements. Her research is a synthesis of three pillars:

  • Objective Human Mechanics: Exploring the fundamental laws of bodily operation.

  • Western Human Science: Utilizing contemporary anatomical and neurological insights.

  • Traditional Chinese Martial Arts (Gong Fu): Integrating ancient internal power methodologies with modern functional movement.

For me, Contact Improvisation is an infinite tool for deconstructing the self and recalibrating my relationship with the Other. It operates like the primal forces of Yin and Yang—a constant dialogue between the interior landscape and the external world. It is a practice of unlearning, a way to dissolve the rigid patterns we carry, allowing us to re-perceive our place within human society and our kinship with nature.

The directions one can explore through varying states of consciousness are endlessly fascinating. Through the body, we can stand on the bridge between the objective physical world and the deeply subjective realm of emotion. I remain profoundly curious about this project, committed to a process of continuous "updating"—posing new questions and sharing the unfolding harvest.

I often find myself contemplating the nuances of energy: how we perceive and open ourselves during physical contact, and how we navigate the diverse psychic projections of those we meet. How do we make the "right" choice to engage? What defines true clarity? And how do we maintain a steady center while dancing in the heart of chaos? I am interested in how the depth of our conscious presence fundamentally alters the somatic and psychological experience—both for ourselves and for our partners. And on a structural level, I seek the wisdom to move without compensation, learning to protect the body from chronic injury even as we pursue the most daring of movements.

Photography courtesy of Yun YI