About

Katja Kolcio, Ph.D. is Chair, Dance Department and Associate Professor of Dance, Environmental Studies; Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies; and Education Studies; specializing in somatics and movement research, at Wesleyan University, CT.

Kolcio studies the role of the body in resilience, psycho-social health, and social change utilizing somatic methods. Somatic methods combine movement with reflection, sometimes called mind-body work. Her driving questions are “What is the role of the body in resilience, motivation, and active engagement in our world?” Her current regional focus is Ukraine, where she works will local partners to research somatic methods and their impact.

Kolcio’s current research Vitality Project Donbas is a collaboration with Ukrainian NGO Development Foundation/Community Self-Help, to develop and assess impact of somatic methods of movement awareness for generating resilience and agency during the current Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since 2015 Kolcio has lead workshops in somatic resilience for war relief workers in Ukraine, working with activists, volunteers, the National Guard, Ukrainian Armed Forces, and veterans. This program has been developed into a field manual and a book, The Force of Breath: Skills for Psychological Recovery, co-authored with Kovalova, Marta; Magdasiuk, Lyudmila; Melnik, Antonij; Pyvovarenko, Marta, published in Ukrainian language by Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University, Ukraine (Fall 2022).

Kolcio presents workshops and performances utilizing somatic methods including breath, voice, partner work and group movement to raise awareness on topics including Ukraine, human potential, individual and community empowerment, the environment, with the goal of fostering engagement and transformation. 

Kolcio was born and raised on a farm on the banks of the Erie Canal outside of Rochester, NY. Her work is a continuation of her family legacy. Her German grandmother on her mother’s side, Apolonia Mauer Töpper, was a midwife and nurse in Warsaw. Her Ukrainian grandmother on her father’s side, Halyna Lopuchowyzc Pylyshenko, was a feminist, activist and member of Prosvita, a Ukrainian organization that brought news of current events and politics, Ukrainian language, books and culture, to rural and largely non-literate Ukrainian audiences through theatrical performance. Her Ukrainian grandfather, Wasyl(ko) Pylyshenko, was in the Black Sea Navy, a member of the Ukrainian Rada in 1917 before his arrest by the Bolsheviks. Katja Kolcio’s parents, who migrated to the US during World War Two, were artists and professors, active in local and international politics. The political and cultural potency of the body and performance are embedded in Katja Kolcio’s family and upbringing.