The West Coast Contact Improvisation Festival (WCCIF) celebrates 20 years of dancing, moving and making contact this summer, July 3-8, 2008, at the 8th Street Studios in Berkeley (2525 8th St.). This year’s landmark festival boasts 29 faculty members offering 50 different classes, skill labs and discussions, all under the theme “Transformation: Honoring Our Roots, Dancing into the Future.”

Festival goers will find a range of classes to suit multiple skill levels, including a five-day “Contact Fundamentals” program and a mixed-ability facilitated jam. More advanced dancers may choose to follow thematic tracks in extreme physicality and somatics.

Festival participants get free rehearsal space and time and the opportunity to work one-on-one with faculty members. Full festival tuition runs on a sliding scale $350-$500. Those registering before May 15 receive an early registration rate of $310. Check www.wccif.com for rates on single day attendance, class combinations and jam sessions only. Additional inquiries may be made through contact@wccif.com or 415.789.7677.