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RIGPA: 8-Day Silent Contact Retreat7–14 July 2026 · Sintra, Portugal
Hosted by ASSEMBLY at Quinta Ten Chi
https://www.assembly.contact/rigpa
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RIGPA is a container designed to deepen our relationship with Life through Silence, Nature and Dance.
There will be no teacher but there will be teaching. That is to say, there will be no traditional class/workshop formats. Instead we will all be students while Silence and the Dance will be teaching.
Beyond non-talking, Silence is an act of generosity that we can give to ourselves and each other. Throughout the days, we are invited to a deeper quiet, an inner quiet, where-in the subtleties of the Body-Mind can be fully heard and the Dance can emerge from within and in-between.
RIGPA is a word borrowed from Tibetan language that literally means “knowing” or “awareness”. “Knowing” in this case is not an abstract, analytical nor conceptual experience but a direct, unmediated, clear knowing. Knowing of What?
In the Dzogchen tradition, it refers to “Primordial Awareness.” When That which is Aware knows Itself. In our case - as we are inspired by but not closed within any religious tradition - it also refers to directly inquiring and learning through becoming intimate with the immediacy of our own experience.
A clear daily schedule supports a sense of safety and collective rhythm. We propose three key practices that support the cultivation of “listening states” and facilitate access to embodied insight. These practices are:
Meditation - Cultivating calm abiding (Samatha) and clear-seeing (Vipassanā)
Authentic Movement - Rooted in Dance, Healing and Mysticism, A.M. invites awareness and revelation through movement while cultivating witnessing.
Contact Improvisation - Our relational, embodied laboratory of listening. CI is the ground of the retreat, opening a space where we can meet ourselves in physical relationship with others.
Introduction and instructions to the practices will be given before we enter the non-verbal period. Participants will also receive a PDF before arrival offering a general overview of the practices.
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DAILY SCHEDULE
(from 8-13th)
07:00–08:00 Meditation
08:00–09:00 Breakfast
10:00–13:00 CDP into CI Jam
13:30–14:30 Lunch
16:00–18:30 Authentic Movement
18:30–19:30 Dinner
20:30–22:00 Score Jam
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WHO IS THIS FOR?
Previous experience in Contact Improvisation is required.
Basic understanding of meditation is recommended (not mandatory).
Partial participation is not possible. We’ll begin and end together.
Being in Silence and engaging in physical touch for 7 days can be intense, especially for people with unstable mental conditions.
Participants must complete a descriptive form and acknowledge their readiness to participate in this container.
Apply here:
https://www.assembly.contact/rigpa
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INSPIRATION
The inspiration for RIGPA comes in part from the Silent Contact Retreat created by our dear friends Ann-Kristin Holton, Mario Blanco, and Alessandro Rivellino.
We have been touched by the simplicity and clarity of their structure — Morning Jam, Authentic Movement, and Evening Score — and by the depth of practice they hold. Their work has been a meaningful reference point for us.
This year they are hosting the 8th edition of the Silent Contact Retreat in Norway from August 16–22. If the Norway retreat is more accessible for you, we wholeheartedly recommend their work.
You can learn more here:
https://silentcontactretreat.dance
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💛 CONTRIBUTION
To keep this project accessible, we ask for a basic cost covering food and space rental.
This does not include payment for the organizers.
Basic Cost (food + space)
~ 230 € per week
(accommodation not included)
At the end of your participation, you will be invited to support the organizers with a donation.
Suggested donation: 100 – 1000 €
If finances are a challenge, please reach out directly. We will do our best to find supportive solutions.
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📍 LOCATION
Quinta Ten Chi
Sintra, Portugal
A place dedicated to cultivating embodied wisdom and supporting humanity’s transformation toward harmony, cooperation, and peace.
More info: quintatenchi.org
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🏡 ACCOMMODATION
Own tent / van: from 7 € per night
Shared dormitory: from 11 € per night (limited availability)
Nearby Airbnbs available for private rooms
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🥗 FOOD
Three vegan / vegetarian meals per day included.
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📩 QUESTIONS / INFO
Website:
https://www.assembly.contact/rigpa
Email:
[email protected]
WhatsApp / Telegram:
+351 927 789 929
+351 937 003 401
🌿 THE ORGANIZERS
Alexa Papa
Nikolai Denz
Reimar Wen Shen
Sandra Fleishman
Francisco Borges
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Event Venue
Quinta Ten Chi, Rua Moinho Gato 1, 2710-661 Sintra, Portugal, Sintra
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