Founded by Germana SicilIani and Francesco Zita in 1993 in Ostuni, Puglia, South Italy, Casina Settarte is a residential centre for creative development and somatic education alongside the practice of sustainability, a place of research and experimentation surrounded and influenced by nature.

From the beginning until 2010 ,Casin Settarte organized international seminars inviting teachers and practitioners coming from all over the world to share knowledge about different scenic arts like theatre, physical theatre, clowning, singing, contact improvisation, dance improvisation, Butoh dance, martial arts.

Most of these arts have a common starting point: the ‘ Somatic’ work, that refers to the whole person, bringing awareness to the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual.

The somatic field include both very ancient eastern practices (chi kung, massages, yoga, meditation, Tai chi) and western practices  developed from 1920 onward (Feldenkrais, Alexander, Body Mind Centering, Rolfing, Authentic Movement, Biodinamic Craniosacral).

The seminars took place in the countryside and created a world where nature and creativity lived side by side.

The association Casina settarte, in collaboration with institutions (Comune di Bari, Alberobello, Ostuni, Regione Puglia, University of Bari), other associations and public theatre organized performances, produced documentary, dance video , dance video festivals, performances with special need people and health education projects for teachers and students in local public schools.

This was an opportunity for  “Regione Puglia” to promote and valorize the architectonic and landscaped patrimony of the territory, performing in special places like ’piazze’, ‘chiostri’, ‘masserie’ and in nature, creating a synergy among local associations, theatres , musicians and artists coming from all over the world.

In 2004 Germana e Francesco purchased a 4 hectare  property in the Itria Valley, between  Ostuni and Cisternino, where they could settle down deep root, building a house, developing the land and creative life of Casina Settarte to realize more of their dreams of living and working sustainably.

In 2010 the association created a new  framework  where it was possible to live all year long, be in continuity with their previous interest and start collaborating with permaculture facilitators to develop the land and create projects and trainings in this area.

Today Casina settarte is also a home for promotion, experimentation, meetings and discussion about permaculture.

We believe strongly in a holistic approach to life whereby caring for Mother Earth, the personal development  of the individual and their relationship to all existing organisms goes hand in hand and have equal  value.

In the past years, from 2010 onward, beside the somatic  workshops we have organized seminars of water management, soil management, gardening, designing and implementing a  food forest and a full Permaculture PDC by the British Accademy of Permaculture.

We also host many laboratories, ranging from natural colors, making recycled paper, natural rubber stamps, zen drawings, ceramics, illustration, wood carving, cocciopesto, cob work.

Healing the earth, healing the self, sharing resources equally.

 

TEACHERS  INVITED IN CASINASETTARTE FROM 1993-2016 (THEATRE-PHISICAL THEATRE-CONTACT IMPROVISATION-SOMATICS-MARTIAL ARTS

ADALISA MENGHINI (Contact improvisation, Feldenkrais, somatics, Neuro-Physiological Psycology of Chester( UK ). Berlin.

ASAF BARACH ( Contact Improvisation, Rolfing, Somatics, practice of cognitive neuroscience). Paris – Israel

ATSUSHI TAKENUCHI( Butoh dance, choreographer, founder of Jinen Butoh). Italy-Japan

BARIS MIHCI ( performer, Axis Sillabus )Turchey

BRIGITTE CIRLA’ (actress, singer and founder of association Voix Polyphoniques ,)France

DAVID ZAMBRANO (performer,choreographer,founder of ‘Passing through’ technic)Amsterdam-Bruxelles-Venezuela

DIDIER SILHOL (performer, contact improvisation,choreographer and teacher at CNSMD de Paris). France

ELAISA SARDELLA ( singer )Bari-Italy

ENRICO TOMEI ( Tai chi, Kung fu YMMA )USA

FRANCESCO ZITA (performer, somatic, craniosacral therapist, Tai chi teacher )Ostuni-Italy

FRANCK DINET ( clown, director of school ‘Le Samovar’ –Paris-France)

FRANCK VAN DE VEN ( performer ,  founder of Body weather)Amsterdam

FRANCK BEAUBOIS ( performer, contact improvisation)Bruxelles

FRANCESCA PEDULLA’ ( performer, axis syllabus, afro dance)Berlin-Italy

FREY FAUST (performer, founder of Axis Syllabus )Berlin-USA

GABI MORALES (performer, contact improvisation)Argentina

GABRIELLA MAIORINO (performer, choreographer) Amsterdam-Italy

GUNDECHA BROTHERS ( singing, Dhrupad music)India

HIROKO KOMIYA (musician )Japan-France

INGEMAR LINDT ( director Institutet for schenkonst )Sweden

IVAN WOLF ( feldenkrais, performe, movement research). Switzerland

IZTOK KOVAC ( choreographer, dancer, founder of En-Knap dance company)Slovenia

JAQUI WAN (acro-yoga –London/Hong Kong)

JORDI CORTEZ MOLINA (dancer, DV8 Phisical Theatre , choreographer, founder of  Alta Realitat group) Barcelona

JULIE STANZAK ( choreographer, teacher, dancer Pina Baush cie )Wuppertal-Germany

KIRSTIE SIMSON ( performer, associate professor at Illinois university-)USA

KIRA KIRSCH ( movement artist, somatic )Berlin-Germany

KJ HOLMES ( performer, movement research, Body Mind Centering, Yoga, Contact improvisation )New York

LEILANI WEIS (performer, Contact Improvisation, tango  -Spain)

LISA NELSON ( pioneer of Contact Improvisation,  founder of Tuning Score-Image Lab, performer , writer, co-editor of Contact Quarterly magazine) Vermont-USA

LORENZO GASPERONI (musicista, compositore –Milano-Italy)

MARIALUISA CAPURSO (singer – Bari-Berlin-Italy-Germany)

MATHIEU GAUDEAU ( performer, Alexander technic, Somatic,Contact improvisation )Paris-France

MIKE VARGAS ( musician, composer )USA

MPAZ BROZAS (performer, professor at Leon University )Leon-Spain

MAURO TIBERI ( singer, canto armonico )Roma –Italy

NANCY STARK SMITH (Pioneer of Contact Improvisation with Steve Paxton, editor of Contact Quarterly ) Massachusetts-USA

NICO TEDESCO ( singer, naturalist )Italy

ORNELLA D’AGOSTINO ( performer, director Carovana SMI – Cagliari –Italy)

PATRICIA BARDI (voice- movement, International Somatic Movement & Therapy Association)Amsterdam

PAOLO  FASCIANO-TOURO ( capoeira)Italy

RICK NODINE ( performer, Contact Improvisation, teacher at London Conteporary Dance School) London-England

ROBERT ANDERSON (contact improvisation – London- England)

ROGER ROLIN (actor , Institutet for schenkonst )Sweden

RUTH  ZAPHORA ( director and founder of Action Theatre )USA

SANDRO BELTRAMO ( painter, scultor )Genova-Italy

SARITA BERAHA ( performer, Body Mind Centering , filmmaker)Paris-France

SIMONETTA ALESSANDRI ( performer, Feldenkrais , choreographer, Laban and Goldsmiths University )London-Rome

SIMONE SANDRONI( performer, founder of Dejà donné physical theatre company) Italy

THOMAS KAMPE ( performer, Feldenkrais teacher at Bath University )London-England

TED STOFFER (performer, choreographer, teacher) Bruxelles- Belgium

URS STUFFER ( performer, Body Mind Centering)

 

VIDEO PRODUCED BY CASINASETTARTE

SARA POZZOLI AND GERMANA SICILIANI “THE POETIC OF TOUCH” Portrait on Nancy Stark Smith, pioneer of Contact Improvisation (2006)

KIRSTIE SIMSON, KATRINA MCPHERSONS,SIMON FILDES  “ ENERGY SCULPTING” (2005)

ANTONIO POLITO, FRANCESCO ZITA, YUKO OTA “FANTASMI D’AMARE” (2005)

AMBROGIO PALMISANO, FRANCESCO ZITA “DONN’ D’ BASTON” (2004)

 

PERFORMANCES  CREATED IN CASINASETTARTE (1993-2016)

ORNELLA D’AGOSTINO GROUP “ TEMPI E RITMI DI UNA CITTA’:BARI” (1997-1998)

FRANCESCO ZITA “ TADADATTA’” (1998)

FRANCESCO ZITA, GERMANA SICILIANI, ASSOCIATION ‘INSIEME’ WITH SPECIAL NEED PEOPLE “OOPLA’”2000”

COLLECTIVE CREATION WITH  PERFORMERS COMING FROM ALL  EUROPE – Andrea Kaitz(Berlin);Susanne Martin(Berlin), Kay Grothausen(Berlin)Dani Swaharz(Germany), Francesco Zita (Italy),Germana Siciliani (Italy), Yves Candau (France),Gionatan Surrenti (France), Leilani Weis (Barcelona), Africa Navarro (Barcelona)dancers; Pippo D’Ambrosio, Felice Mezzina, Nicola Pisani, Faraualla-Gabriella Schiavone, Terry Vallarella,Gaetano Partipilo, Federico D’Ammacco, Mario Volpe (musicians from Italy) “IN REAL TIME” (1998-2006)

KIRSTIE SIMSON GROUP “GROUP IMPROVISATION”  (2000-2014)

FREY FAUST  SOLO “TIME PAINTING” (2003)

JULIE STANZAK- GROUP CREATION “SOLO DEL CUORE” (2003-2016)

ATSUSHI TAKENOUCHI, HIROKO KUMIYA “STONE”, “SKIN”, “TENMON”, “ZERO”, “BUTOH “, “GINKAS” ( 2003-2009)

DIDIER  SILHOL  BIG BAND  “ZOO MUSIQUE” (2003-2004)

RICK NODINE AND SIMONETTA ALESSANDRI “LITTLE DANCE-BIG DANCE” (2004-2016)

JORDI CORTES MOLINA, GABRIELLA MAIORINO,FRANCESCO ZITA( performers), PIPPO D’AMBROSIO, GAETANO PARTIPILO (musicians) “HIGHTENED REALITY” (2005)

KIRSTIE SIMSON  with Sylvie Robert(Reunion-France), Alvaro Morell(Spain), Marika Rizzi (France), Jacky Miredin   (Martinique-France),Luka Kito(Japan), Megan Boyd (USA), Marion Ramirez (Puerto Rico-USA), Mei Li Kuang (Taiwan), An-li Sun (Taiwan), Xenia  Themeli(Greece), Christos Stinopoulos (Greece), Sdenka Svitekova (Slovakia), Andrea Buckley(UK), Vidal  Mark(Germany), Lorenzo Dalia (Italy), Chris Lechner (India), Gil Clarke(UK), Francesco Zita (Italy), Germana Siciliani (Italy),Susanna Recchia (Italy)     “RESEARCH PROJECT IMPRO”  2005-2011

PATRICIA KUYPERS , FRANCK BEAUBOIS, FRANCESCO ZITA (dancers) GABRIELLA SCHIAVONE , TERRY VALLARELLA(singers)“DELAY” (2004)

GUNDECHA BROTHERS “DRHUPAD CONCERT” (2013-2014)

GABRIELLA MAIORINO “ ALONE, AGAIN” 2016

 

PERMACULTURE AND NATURAL BUILDING TEACHERS INVITED  FOR SEMINARS FROM 2010-2016

ANDREA LO PRESTI (TAMARA INSTITUTE MEMBER –Portugal, ADVANCED PERMACULTURE, WATER  HARVESTING,LANDSCAPE DESIGN )Portugal

CECILIA MARINO( PERMACULTURE FOR CHILDREN)Italy

DONATO GALLO ( DESIGN AND BUILDER OF  GEODESIC DOMES)Italy

GIUSEPPE SANNICANDRO ( INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE )Italy

HELDER VALENTE (FOUNDERS OF ATLANTIS FOOD FOREST AND NEW SCHOOL PERMACULTURE.  THEACHER OF SOCIAL PERMACULTURE, WATER HARVESTING, FOOD FOREST)Portugal

LUCIANO FURCAS ( PERMACULTURE, OMEODINAMIC ) Spain

MARCO FANTUZZI ( TEACHER AND RESERCHER AT MUSEO COLORI NATURALI DI LAMOLI(PU),NATURAL COLOR)Italy

MARK MEER ( PERMACULTURE  TEACHERS IN ECO-SOMATIC PROJECT ‘TUNING INTO THE WILD’,FOOD FOREST)Italy

MILL MILLCHAP ( PERMACULTURE PDC) Spain

ROD EVERETT ( MEMBER OF BRITISH PERMACULTURE ASSOCIATION, Teacher of PERMACULTURE PDC, WATER RIGENERATION )England

FROM 2010 TO 2016 WE PLANTED MORE THAN 2000 PERENNIAL PLANTS IN A FOOD FOREST.

WE BUILD :                                                                                                                                                                                            3 DIFFERENT DESIGN GEODESIC DOMES                                                                                                                                     OUT DOOR ROCKET STOVE                                                                                                                                                            SELF BUILT SOLAR  WATER HEATING                                                                                                                                            WAIST WATER RECYCLING                                                                                                                                                               SELF BUILT WATER FILTERS BASED ON ACTIVE CARBON                                                                                                             TERRA PRETA                                                                                                                                                                                 COCCIO PESTO