𝑇𝑂𝑊𝐴𝑅𝐷𝑆 𝗖𝗜𝟱𝟮
9-𝑊𝐸𝐸𝐾 𝐹𝑂𝐶𝑈𝑆𝐸𝐷 𝐽𝐴𝑀
- space for the practice of Contact Improvisation with an emphasis on improvisation and performance -
February, March, April, 2024
Koh Phangan, Thailand

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺:
3.5 hour jam 6 days a week for 3 weeks of each month. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔, only facilitated warm up/tuning intro. Once per week there will be ‘Sharing the Dance’ open performance evening.

The 9 weeks focused jam is an 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 dedicated to Contact Improvisation, encouraging focused practice, continuity of attention, mutuality, collaborative attitude and creativity.

Throughout the 9 weeks of jam there will be a program of various short and long durational workshops. The jam will serve as a space for integration of the explored material.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Donations firstly will go towards supporting the scholarship program for Towards 𝗖𝗜𝟱𝟮 International Contact Improvisation Conference in Thailand, June/July 2024, Chiang Mai & Chiang Dao. Secondly, towards space rental and basic organizational costs of the 9 week Jam. This is a non-commercial event.

This is an initiative of Towards Foundation, a project of 𝗧𝗢𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗦 - 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 / 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮.
The scholarship program is for emerging and professional artists, facilitators / teachers, and those committed to the study of Contact Improvisation whose financial circumstances would otherwise not allow them to participate in the Conference.

The Foundation's objective is to support accessibility, community development, artistic exchange; to create an inspiring, collaborative environment for personal and collective insight, growth and transformation.
https://towards.contact

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄:
If you are looking for sensuality, sexuality orientated tantra and/or similar minded practices, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 for it.
This focused jam is not for complete beginners.
This is 𝗮 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗷𝘂𝗮𝗻𝗮, you cannot attend the event being under the influence.
It is possible to attend the full 3 weeks of each month or on a weekly basis. Daily pass / drop-in is not possible.
At the end of the event description you will find definitions of Contact Improvisation that reflects the mind of the space and its intentional qualities.

𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲:
6 - 27 February
4 - 25 March
1 - 22 April
Daily schedule coming soon

𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲:
February: JARANS https://jaransphangan.com/
March & April: THE SOURCE KOH PHANGAN https://www.thesourcekpg.com

𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
It is possible to attend the full 3 weeks of each month or on a weekly basis. Daily pass / drop-in is not possible.
The maximum group size of this event is 50 people. Each application will be reviewed and if accepted you will receive a confirmation no later 10th December. Priority of acceptance will go to those attending the Towards Program. Registration opens 1st October.
Along with the 9 week Jam, there will be short and long durational workshops. See the Towards Program: https://towards.contact. More events for February will be announced soon.
Beside of the program, there will be other CI events happening on Koh Phangan, including regular classes and jams.

𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀:
Sasha Dodo & Dolores Dewhurst Marks
𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜: towards.contact@gmail.com
Here are definitions of Contact Improvisation that reflect the mind of the space and its intentional qualities, made by 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘅𝘁𝗼𝗻 (the originator of CI):

"Contact Improvisation is an evolving system of movement initiated in 1972 by American choreographer Steve Paxton. The improvised dance form is based on the communication between two moving bodies that are in physical contact and their combined relationship to the physical laws that govern their motion —gravity, momentum, inertia. The body, in order to open to these sensations, learns to release excess muscular tension and abandon a certain quality of willfulness to experience the natural flow of movement. Practice includes rolling, falling, being upside down, following a physical point of contact, supporting and giving weight to a partner.

Contact improvisations are spontaneous physical dialogues that range from stillness to highly energetic exchanges. Alertness is developed in order to work in an energetic state of physical disorientation, trusting in one's basic survival instincts. It is a free play with balance, self-correcting the wrong moves and reinforcing the right ones, bringing forth a physical/emotional truth about a shared moment of movement that leaves the participants informed, centered, and enlivened."
—1970s

”The exigency of the form dictates a mode of movement which is relaxed, constantly aware and prepared, and onflowing. As a basic focus, the dancers remain in physical touch, mutually supportive and innovative, meditating upon the physical laws relating to their masses: gravity, momentum, inertia, and friction. They do not strive to achieve results, but rather, to meet the constantly changing physical reality with appropriate placement and energy.”
—1979

"The reason its called contact improvisation because there is a 3rd entity that arises in this state. Hopefully you get to a state of agreement between the two of you that neither one of you is leading. It doesn’t become leaderless, it is the two of you who are together leading."
—2015
‍
"It is not a dance about you, or your partner. It is a dance about its movement."
—2022