Spring into Contact
with VEGA & HUGH
Portugal / Tavira / Quinta Braz
19. - 24. April ‘24

We invite you to join us for a week immersed in Movement and Nature, on wonderful farmland in Algarve, Portugal.
Quinta Braz is lovely farmland with outside dance-dome, fig trees, spaciousness, camping site, housing, swimming pool, kitchen on land, dogs & cats, local food, fireplace, restful nature hide-outs to take time for yourself...

We are offering different perspectives and approaches to C.I. and will find, together with the group, a deeper understanding and embodiment of principles that are at the heart of our practice.
Contact is a continually evolving form. Both in the dance itself, and in the facilitation of workshops and classes. In this week we will be focusing on taking the time to delve into what is most present for the group.

In this way we wish to hold a space that serves the wishes and needs that arise and move fluidly with the journey. Just like in the dance.Through this approach, we aim to give more time and space for integration, both for the body and the group.

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VEGA LUUKKONEN
Dancer, Performance-Artist
I am dancer, performance-artist and bodyworker made in Finland.
I have studied dance- and theatre pedagogy in Finland, Helsinki- in Theatre Academy of Finland, from where I got my master´s degree 2008. Though – I would say my dearest high-school and university in contact-improvisation has been the finnish contact community, where I have learned so much from my collagues, friends and fellow dancers, by sharing the dance and rolling point over 20 years…

HUGH STANIER
Hugh is a Contemporary Dance Artist specialising in Contact Improvisation. He has over 15 years of teaching & performance experience. He began dancing when he was 15, training in Break dance and Contemporary. He went on to train at Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD), graduating in 2008. Since then he has worked with companies such as 2Faced Dance, Tom Dale, STAN Won’t Dance, and most recently Wim Vandekeybus/Ultima Vez.
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ABOUT OUR MATERIAL
We work with a variety of different methods including explorative exercises, experiential anatomy and specific technical material, or ‘phrases’ of movement. We will begin by playing with gravity and momentum, focusing on the ideas of falling and flying- both in solo movement, and in contact. Starting close to the ground and building up through levels, we develop confidence in our own abilities, building trust in the body.
By researching in our solo movement the subtle mechanics of ‘small dance’, suspension & reaching, we progress towards using momentum and spirals to learn, fluid ways to lift one-another through ‘catching a ride’. Working with the frame and structure of the arms, we find ways connect to space and find counterbalance in the body, providing frames to both lift and be lifted, and offer structures to be explored. We will focus in on the details and technique of body tone, alignment and small points of contact, that help with finding lightness in being lifted and efficiency in lifting.

LOCATION
Quinta Braz / Algarve / Portugal
We invite you to an original country side house nestled in typical Portuguese farmland at the Algarve coast close by Faro. The home of many wonderful Contact and Somatic event.