This is a 5-day Contact Improvisation intensive led by Sarah Young and Angela-Mara Florant. Sourcing research from Nancy Stark Smith, Steve Paxton, and our own decades of practice in the form, we build on practical physical studies and ways of tuning our awareness towards spontaneous dance-making.

Summer is a wonderful time to dance with others. There’s a lightness; something fresh. Whether it’s sunlight glimmering off the pond or a dance that takes a surprising turn, we catch the flickering moments and ride the mystery. 

Each day we drop into subtle physical choice-making with the Feldenkrais Method®, Contemplative Dance Practice, and Body-Mind Centering® with guest teacher, Saliq Savage. We dive into studies of momentum, gravity, weight-sharing, rolling, spiraling, and falling; our reflexes at work in Contact Improvisation. In the evenings, we continue with jams and group scores, and dip into CI history. An Underscore with live music concludes the intensive (with a talk-through on Thursday afternoon). There’s time throughout for enjoying delicious meals, swimming, and walks in the countryside.

This intensive is for those wanting a facilitated focused study of Contact Improvisation and is best suited for those with some previous CI jam and/or class experience. You should already know how to reach your hands towards the floor when falling and be responsive to your own self-care needs. We ask that you come ready to contribute positively and collaboratively to the group dynamic.

“Don’t forget the sparkle.” ~ Nancy Stark Smith, Martin Keogh’s interview of Nancy Stark Smith (2019) (00:46)


Image design: Gabi Altevers; Photos: Ludger Storcks, Sarah Young and www.pixabay.de