The Ethics of Somaesthetics: Lex Shcherbakov’s Inclusive Somatic Practices

An Interview with Liza Futerman

Abstract

This interview features Lex Shcherbakov, a Russian-born psychologist, physical theatre director, and inclusive arts educator who recently relocated to Israel. He has worked extensively across Europe, including in Berlin, Poland, and the Czech Republic, developing cross-cultural projects and leading somatic-based performance workshops in diverse educational and community settings. With over twenty years of experience spanning psychology, somatic movement, and inclusive performance, Shcherbakov’s work offers fertile ground for exploring the philosophical and methodological contributions of somaesthetics. A central focus of his career has been working with mixed-ability communities, integrating people with visible and invisible disabilities into creative, performative, and somatic processes that centre agency, care, and shared authorship.

The interview was conducted in person in a semi-structured format and focuses on Shcherbakov’s personal and professional evolution: from early volunteer work in sociocultural rehabilitation programmes for neurodivergent youth to directing somatic-based theatrical productions, and more recently, co-facilitating mixed-ability Contact Improvisation projects and community workshops in Israel. It also touches on his integration into the Israeli arts scene and collaborations that bridge language, identity, and movement.

The conversation explores themes in somaesthetic enquiry: the body as a site of social inclusion, the ethics of embodied presence, and the development of sensory awareness as both relational and political acts. Shcherbakov proposes that somatic practices function not merely as artistic tools, but as “life practices” that embody an ethical stance—enabling deeper interpersonal understanding and the co-creation of more inclusive, permeable communities.

Interview questions included: How does your somatic background shape your artistic and pedagogical practice? What values do you associate with somatics? How do somatic practices influence social inclusion? How do you envision a somaesthetic future for inclusive arts?

Ultimately, the interview offers a transdisciplinary and praxis-oriented contribution to somaesthetics, highlighting the entwinement of embodiment, empathy, and performative inquiry in community and artistic contexts.