Meet the team of

Organization

Kai Ehrhardt | he/him
Founder, managing director, course & seminar leader, curator.

Founded Village.Berlin in 2016 and the Somatic Academy Berlin in 2012, where he is administratively active in the management, develops events and training courses and curates and runs the STRETCH and BODY IQ festivals. As a somatic educator, he teaches the Experiential Breath and Continuum and is licensed as a non-medical practitioner in psychotherapy. In 2002 he founded Authentic Eros – an offer for gay, bi and trans group processes around intimacy and touch, communication and personal development.

Eric Lerouge | he/him
Founder/Director of Instinct Art Berlin & Co-Fonder of we are village

Eric Le Rouge is one of the co-founders of we are village. Eric Le Rouge is one of the co-founders of we are village. He is also the director of Instinct Berlin, an artistic project focused on local and international queer artists, as well as providing an artist residency since 2015. Formerly being involved with creative works in the fashion and marketing industry, Le Rouge has taken an active role in social causes related to the AIDS epidemic and queer and gay rights as well as the feminist movement since the 1990s. Currently, his organisational work at the Stretch Festival and we are village and his curatorial practice at Instinct is making an impact on the contemporary queer culture of Berlin.

Kaey | she/her
Event Coordination & Communication w Members and Partners

Kaey originally studied fashion design in Berlin and then worked for 10 years as an editor at Siegessäule Magazin. She is a performer and regularly graces the stages of this city. She has been a trans* activist for more than a decade, organizing everything from festivals to demonstrations. Since March she has been supporting we.are.village with her talents as an office and event coordinator.

Anna Bauer|she/her
Communication manager

Anna hat Kunst- und Medienwissenschaften studiert und bisher in verschiedenen Kontexten im Kunstbetrieb gearbeitet.
Seit Mai 2023 unterstützt sie we are village im Bereich Kommunikation.

Florian Filtzinger | he/him
Somatic Educator, Activist, Village.Berlin Rental Coordination

Florian studied anthropology and communication science and has been working on various projects in queer Berlin since 2013. Throughout his experience, he saw how most of the time our bodies needed to be of use or needed repair when they were sick or not functioning well enough. In 2017 he engaged in the study of somatics at the Somatic Academy Berlin and now offers courses to uplift the body as a true resource for wisdom, joy and depth in our lives.

Daniel Plettenberg (Didinne) | he/she
Think-Tank & Project Development

Daniel/Didine ist seit über 30 Jahren als Performer und Aktivist in der LGBTIQ*-Szene tätig (International Queer Filmfestival Hamburg, Rote Flora) und berät Unternehmen und Organisationen. Er ist Inhaber einer Parfümfirma und hält Vorträge in Philosophie. Didine ist Mitgründer*in von Feminité das Weiblichkeiten Museum auf St.Pauli

Hanna Lidman | she/her
Social Media

Hanna is an LGBTIQ* activist with a passion for digital communication. She believes that people can change something in society if they want to and work together with others. She has a background in communications and works in PR and media communications, specializing in social media strategy and marketing.

Martin Lorenz | he/him
Workshop and Festival Customer Care, Anti-Racism Committee

Martin is a German indie R&B singer-songwriter with jazz influences and an a cappella background. As an artist and activist, he is committed to de-colonial and anti-racist initiatives and the empowerment of BIPoC. He met Village.Berlin and Stretch in 2016 and has since played an active role in the community, helping with customer care and communication.

Thomas Schallhart | he/him, they/themd
Queer Matters Fundraising, Queers For Future, Anti-Racism Committee, Facilitator

Thomas does activism and educational work in different European countries. As part of the Berlin collective Critical Queer Solidarity, he is currently developing an online reflection tool on safer dating for people using gay dating apps.

Meet the team of

Course and event facilitators

Axel Pedersen-Nielsen | he/him
Facilitator, body worker

Axel lives in Berlin and does bodywork using the Pantarei approach and Embodied Counseling. He has roots in the left/trans/queer activist scene in Copenhagen and is interested in the connection between social justice and embodiment. His work focuses on supporting groups and people on their journey to a life of strength, compassion and resilience.

Coral Short | they
Facilitator, Activist, Anti-Racism as a Daily Practice

Coral Short is a white settler living in the undisputed place of settlement of the Kanien’kehá:ka, Anishinabe, and Haudenosaunee – the island of Tiohtià:ke in Turtle Island, known colonially as Montréal, Québec, Canada. Coral has Irish heritage, but also Welsh, Romance, German and Scottish roots. They actively unlearn their racism by attending workshops, organizing anti-racist book groups, and engaging in anti-racist activism, learning, and teaching. They currently work as an artist and professional gardener. You are in training to become a True North Insight and Somatic Experiencing teacher.

esmat ahmadian |she/her, no pronouns
Embodied Consent

yohoo! my background is performance, trauma work, sexological bodywork, exploration of queer community. I am white, currently not disabled. I’m super excited to see what we can do together, with our voices and bodies – how we can set up our processes in such a way that they overlap with the liberation from all oppressive social systems at the same time. one intention i have as a facilitator is to give confrontation and disorder space and a hearing. I’m pleased..!

Harvey Rabbit | he/him
Embodied Consent

Harvey Rabbit is a queer trans filmmaker, artist and bdsm practitioner who primarily believes in the healing power of creativity and laughter. Berlin has been his home for almost a decade. During this time he has developed an extensive practice around the topic of “mutual consent” (Consent), which consists of group discussions and body-oriented games. You can learn more about his artwork at his website www.harveyrabbitphoto.com and read about his latest film here: captainfaggotron.com

Jens Dube | he/him
Acroyoga

Jens Dube is a physiotherapist, Thai massage & Acroyoga teacher and therapeutic flying practitioner. As an acroyoga teacher for more than 10 years, he finds acroyoga to be a great opportunity for people to connect and experience something potentially wonderful while playfully exploring fears and boundaries.

Jochen Kleres | any pronoun
Facilitator, Queer Contact Improv Laboratory

Jochen is a sociologist, is training to be a dance therapist and is an alternative practitioner for psychotherapy. He is passionate about improvisational dance (Contact Improvisation, Instant Composition, Gaga) and plays the bassoon. In the Village he is one of the facilitators of the Queer Contact Improvisation Lab & jam/distance.

Jo Koppe
Facilitator, Somatic Educator, Dancer

Jo Koppe is on a continuous journey to connect and share a multitude of different experiences, practices and perspectives. He studied dance as well as sociology and gender studies, and has worked as a performer and dramaturge, anti-bias trainer, tantra masseur, personal assistant for people with so-called disabilities and as a terminal companion. He was initiated into the “natural religion of being trans,” which (according to Anohni) “almost automatically turns you into a witch.”

Jochen Stechmann | they/them
Esalen Massage, New’s Year Retreat

Jochen arbeitet als Bodyworker (Pantarei Approach) und angehender Traumatherapeut (Somatic Experiencing) in Berlin – in Einzel- und Gruppenarbeit hauptsächlich mit queeren Menschen. Er hat Mathematik, Zeitgenössischen Tanz (BA) und Theater (MA) studiert und ist 15 Jahre in den Niederlanden als Tänzer und Choreograph tätig gewesen.
Bei seiner Arbeit fasziniert ihn immer mehr die Fähigkeit des Körpers und des Nervensystems, sich intuitiv und fließend dauerhaft selbst zu regulieren. Mit grosser Empathie und Freude am Neuen erforscht er die Rolle, die achtsame, wertfreie emphatische Berührung dabei spielen kann.

Maevon Canter
Bodyflow Massage, Soul of Skin Training

Maevon has been researching spirituality and movement for over 30 years. In 2009 he began studying somatic practices at Authentic Eros and was certified as a Sacred Intimate in the Body Electric Tradition. He currently teaches BodyFlow massage as part of the Village’s Soul of Skin program and contributes to the Stretch Festival.

Marcelo Alves | any pronoun
Curator of Village Movie Night, Village Anti-Racism Committee

After living in New York for 20 years, I moved to Berlin to study production design in Babelsberg and now work in this field. Since I see life as a queer, third-cultural POC, I am involved in community organizations such as GMHC, Friends in Deed, Berlin AIDS Help and the Berlin Chem-Sex Network. I’ve been involved with Village.Berlin since the first Stretch Festival. Today I am part of an anti-racism and inclusion initiative and can share my passion by organizing the monthly film night.

Marco Astolfi | he/him
Village Heart Circle, Book Club, Writers Group

Marco Astolfi is a literary translator, writer and fairy from Italy. He lives in Berlin, is a co-organizer of the Village Heart Circle for GBTQ men and runs the Book Club evening every two months. He is a regular at Creative Writing and can occasionally be found modeling for Life Drawing classes. He attended the One Year Training in 2018 and led the Cock O’Clock workshops at Easter Stretch Festival 2019 and Private Talk at Stretch Imagina 2020.

Michael Rolnick | he/him
Facilitator, One Year Training, Life Drawing, New Years Retreat

Michael trained at the Royal Ballet School in London before embarking on a diverse career in dance, theater and opera. His somatic training includes dance, Gyrotonic®/Gyrokinesis® and Pilates as well as therapeutic bodywork (biodynamic craniosacral therapy and Thai yoga massage). Michael currently offers 1:1 bodywork sessions and is active in both the performative and visual arts.

Peter Pleyer | he/him
Queer Contact Improv Laboratory

Peter ist ein Choreograph und Lehrer für zeitgenössische Tanz und Körper-Techniken in Berlin. Seit dem ersten Stretch Festival vermittelt Peter regelmässig einen spielerischen tänzerischen Umgang mit dem eigenen und fremden Körpern. Contact Improvisation, Trio-Hands-On-Bodywork, Trio-Fake-Healing, Male Breast-Feeding und Slow-Raving sind Beispiele von Gruppen-Scores, die er für Stretch-Village in den letzten Jahren unterrichtet hat.

Steffen Taubert | he/him
Body-Centered Meditation

Steffen Taubert, graduate psychologist, training in integrative, body-oriented psychotherapy (according to the Alternative Practitioners Act), further training in “stress management according to Kaluza”, autogenic training, hatha yoga (certified by statutory health insurance companies according to §20 SGB V). Various meditation retreats in Southeast Asia and Germany, mainly in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism. Since 2005, initially scientific project manager, now head of the consulting department at the German Aidshilfe.

Tchivett | they/them
Queer Contact Improv Laboratory, Village Inclusion & Diversity Committee

Tchivett is a Berlin-based dancer, improviser and performer. He comes from France and is trained in contemporary dance, butoh, performance art, somatic practices and martial arts. Since 2011 he has been creating his own solo pieces and workshops and has toured throughout Europe in alternative scenes and festivals. He also participates in various constellations of creative dance group processes and research collectives that aim to develop artistic and political practices around dance, improvisation, self-organization, queer culture and feminism.

Thilo Keller | he/him
Monday Yoga, Yoga for LGTBQA+, Breathe!

I am interested in developing physically, mentally and spiritually and supporting people in this. The goal is that you become an ever better version of yourself in your life and in your body. My yoga background is based on Hatha (Sivananda Yoga Acharya), Ashtanga and Katonah Yoga combined with elements of spiral dynamics and coaching. And of course I know a lot about nutrition and what it can do for your well-being.

Torsten Bless | he/him
Village Heart Circle

Torsten Bless lives in Berlin and works as an editor and copywriter. He found his way into the Authentic Eros/Village community at the 2015 East Stretch Festival, completed the 2016 One-Year Training and has co-hosted the Village Heart Circle since Summer 2017.

Wanja Warscheid | he/him
Boxing, Bodywork & Balance

I’m Wanja Warscheid and I’ve been teaching boxing for 11 years. My cornerstones are self-confidence and movement. In my years as a coach, I’ve learned that everyone has a different approach to movement. That’s why I show my students an honest way to discover and express themselves. Boxing is our medium. A combat situation brings our true selves to the surface and opens us to others and most importantly to ourselves. That’s what I do.

Andrew Marshall | he/him
Facilitator, Writer, Writer’s Group

Andrew is a marriage therapist and communication coach with over thirty years of experience helping couples and individuals improve their relationships. He has a practice in Berlin. He is the host of The Meaningful Life with Andrew G Marshall podcast and has written 20 books that have been translated into 20 languages.

Markus Kaufmann | he/him, they/them
Massage Exchange, Festival Volunteer Coordinator

In his work as a health coach, Markus supports chronically ill people in coping with everyday life. The work Markus offers is best described as a space where psychology meets spirituality. Markus is a trained systemic coach, alternative practitioner psychotherapy, yoga therapist and energy worker.

Jorge De Hoyos | he/him
Facilitator, Queer Contact Improv Laboratory, Outdoor Events

Jorge De Hoyos is a Southern California contemporary dancer, performer and choreographer based in Berlin since 2012. He recently completed the master’s degree “Solo/Dance/Authorship” at the Berlin University of the Arts. He is currently re-enrolling in a permaculture certification course he completed 10 years ago in San Francisco. In late 2020, he began training in Kung Fu and Tai Chi, revolutionizing his approach to dance and grounding.

Yin Haolong | he/him
Facilitator, Queer Contact Improv Laboratory

Yin Haolong is a Berlin-based dance artist and somatic bodyworker. He asks questions and works with bodyminds and improvisation as tools to explore the layers and depths of being in relationships and in the world. He teaches contact improvisation and yoga at universities, festivals and workshops.

Henrik Sahlen | they/them
Queer Authentic Dating

Henrik hat einen Bachelor-Abschluss in Psychologie und arbeitet als zertifizierter transformierender Lebenscoach, Hatha-Yoga-Lehrer und Energieheilungspraktiker. Er widmet sich der Erweiterung des Bewusstseins, der Ausrichtung und der Selbstliebe. Henriks Sitzungen, Workshops und Retreats konzentrieren sich auf Präsenz, Verletzlichkeit und authentischen Selbstausdruck. Ihr Ziel ist es, Menschen von Scham und Unterdrückung zu befreien und Vertrauen sowie Selbststärkung zu fördern.

Mischa van Dullemen | he/him
Partner Yoga

Mischa teaches (partner) yoga, contact improvisation and Thai Yoga Massage.

He was a dancer for many years and has been teaching dance and yoga since 1990.

Partner yoga is a playful and intimate form of yoga, in which you explore the poses together in a variety of ways, like leaning into or stretching away from each other, assisting your partner, or even climbing onto each other in various ways. Together you stretch and strengthen while learning to tune into your own and the other man*’s body. You are verbally and physically communicating about needs and boundaries, as well as sweating and laughing.

Daniel Salamon | he/him
Outdoor Events, Partner Yoga

Daniel has enjoyed Nature and the outdoors since a very early age, has had a yoga practice since the late 1990s, and a growing interest in therapeutic and sensual touch. He has been involved in various ways with the Village, and the Radical Faeries (globally) since 2013. He lives in Berlin, has a garden in furthest Brandenburg, and can be found adventuring in other places mostly in Winter.

Julian Emile Schnorr | he/him
Volunteer Coordinator, Member Care

Hello, I’m Julian. I am a queer trans man currently working as a teacher. I have experience in movement and energy work and in cooking. I have a very strong connection to nature.♡ It is my place of inspiration, rituals and recharging. I grew up in a small village where I experienced a strong community. I want to bring the positives of that – the support and the sense of connection – to the Village to make it (even more) a place where everyone feels welcome just the way they are.

Meet the team from

Instinct Art

Eric Lerouge | he/him
Founder/Director of Instinct Art Berlin & Co-Fonder of we are village

Samuel Perea-Díaz | he/him, they/them
Instinct Team

Samuel Perea-Díaz (born 1988) is a Spanish architect, curator, and artist. Samuel has lived in Berlin since 2011. His practice incorporates exhibition scenography, curating, and sound. Samuel’s artwork blends and moves between sonic activism, architecture, and virtual sonic landscapes, creating installations and sound-focused objects which engage with sonification, relocation of sound, field recording, and virtual reality. His creative practice intertwines artistic and academic research, which focuses on mapping sonic environments and queer practices. He has taught different seminars at Humboldt University about Urban Culture, Sound Studies and Curating. His curatorial research includes exhibitions such as ‘Listening to Listening’ at 48 Hours Neukölln (2021) and ‘Ocaña. Der Engel, der in der Qual singt‘ at the Schwules Museum in Berlin (2022).

Kasra Rahmanian | It/Its
Instinct Team

Kasra Rahmanian is a Berlin-based artist and curator from Iran.

Pierre Emö | he/him
Instagram Village und Instagram Instinct, Curator Team Instinct

Originally from France, Pierre Emö currently lives in Berlin, where he explores the possibilities of film, theatre, performance and modeling. His cinema appearances include Yann Gonzalez in KNIFE + HEART, Bruce La Bruce in IT IS NOT THE PORNOGRAPHER THAT IS PERVERSE… and most recently in Henrika Kull’s film BLISS. On stage he performed with the group Nilsson Eicke in DECAMERON and THE VALKYRIE. It was part of the exhibition WINDOW TO THE KLO: PUBLIC TOILETS & PRIVATE AFFAIRS by Marc Martin in the Gay Museum in Berlin. He is currently touring with Matthieu Hocquemiller’s performance THE ETHICS. He is also part of the Pornceptual collective and a member of the curatorial team surrounding Instinct.

Meet the team of

Volunteers

Alexey Bragin | he/him
Studio Caretaker, Volunteer Team, Green-thumb Garden fairy

1954 to now: Born, school, university, Pskov, Saint-Petersburg, Berlin. Mathematics, hydrogeology, life. Child, pupil, student, street cleaner, scientist-researcher, translator, dishwasher, bar manager, bar owner, volunteer, cleaner, thinker, pensioner.

Markus Kaufmann | he/him , they/them
Massage Exchange, Festival Volunteer Coordinator

Fabian Fleckenstein | he/him
Volunteer Coordination, Village Potluck

“Fabian is a wonderful person from Berlin who loves people
get together!”