Scar Talk with Nicole Bindler and a Performance by China Rain

FREE Workshop in the Agony in the Garden Chapel | Friday, February 6, 2026 | Start: 6PM | Free to Attend

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

Scars are often referred to as disorganized fascia that adheres tissues and disrupts movement pathways. But what do the scars have to say about this? Nicole Bindler has developed a performance practice in which she animates her scars as characters, allowing them to do the talking. Their stories and opinions can often be quite surprising. In this presentation, she will share her findings from years of listening to her scars, and sharing their joys, traumas, and desires with audiences. She will offer techniques for attendees to develop their own scar-talk practice if they wish. Everyone is encouraged to bring their tender parts, imagination, and sense of play.

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR

Nicole Bindler–dance-maker, Body-Mind Centering® practitioner, writer, and activist–has practiced contact improvisation since 1997. She is a registered Master Somatic Movement Therapist through The International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association. Her work has been supported by numerous grants and fellowships, and presented on four continents. Recent projects include curating an evening of Palestinian dance films; somatic research on the embryology of the genitalia from a non-binary perspective; a workshop on neuroqueering embodiment; co-producing the Consent Culture in Contact Improvisation Symposium at Earthdance; and a solo dance, The Case for Invagination, in which her scars speak candidly about trauma and desire. Notable performance projects have included touring as a choreographer with the Bethlehem-Based Palestinian company, Diyar Theatre; a Pew-funded performance residency in Japan including Butoh training with Yoshito Ohno; and performing Deborah Hay's I Think Not at Unidad De Vinculación Artística in Mexico City. She is co-editing a book, Gathering Sparks: Jewish Arts and Somatics that will be published by punctum books. nicolebindler.com