Constellating The Senses

From December 29th to January 4th, join us in a new year retreat
in Contact Improvisation Dance with Manuel Rochette.
The retreat will include a harmony of classes, jams, solo exploration,
potlucks, saunas and a new year celebration. 

This retreat will be taking place on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Western Canada.

~~:~~:~~:~~ Description ~~:~~:~~:~~

In this world, as in Contact Improvisation, there are thing we know we know,
there are things we know we don’t know, and there are things we don’t know we don’t know. 
What exist at the event horizon of our capacities, of our courage, and of our desires, can be a source of fear or a well of exciting possibilities. 
Our active presence, humility, daring nature and curiosity can be a nourishing nest for worlds to crack open in our dance. 
As we bask into the gifts of our knowings, while actively surrendering to the unknowings,
we can sometime discover what is hidden from our perception. 

In this 6 day immersion, we will dance with these questions in mind:
How can allow my body and mind to safely visit unknown spaces? 
How can I transcend from optical vision into corporeal vision? 
How does my attention and the attention of others shape my movement choices? 
Where do impulses begin and how can I be more responsive to them?
How can I best support my partner(s) into deepening?
What is the meaning of control in contact improvisation?

Physically, we’ll be investigating into the back space, spirals, spinal mobility,
flight and falls, eye-body relations, inversions, and dancing in disorientation.  
We will be bringing in modalities such as authentic movements, blindfolded research,
and dancing for the camera as a mean of learning from our movements. 
This retreat will be aimed at a yin/yang balance to access both inner and outer worlds of our dance. 
While the focus will remain on learning, many jams will be included in our time together. 

The overarching intention of this retreat is to make steps towards greater levels of expressible movements, increase our vocabulary in technical contact improvisation, grow awareness of our personal narrative, dialect and limitations and learn to expand with them.
And, in our sensing bodies, to come together as a group and feel a sense of belonging to investigate this form as a constellation.

BEFORE YOU SIGN UP:

This retreat is for dancers with a grasp of the fundamentals of Contact Improvisation. If you have doubt on your abilities, please reach out. 
Please be aware that this retreat will include extended moments being blindfolded as well as some extended time in a non verbal space. 
It will include moments of being witness by a camera as part of our movement research.
 

~~:~~:~~:~~ BIO ~~:~~:~~:~~
Manuel Rochette is a dancer, facilitator, and host of Salt Spring Island Contact Improvisation Festival in Canada. With nearly 20 years of experience with the form of Contact Improvisation, his personal studies got him in touch with teachers such as Martin Keogh, Angelika Doniy, Alicia Grayson, Karl Frost, Ray Chung, Scott Wells, Vega Luukkonen, Kira Kirsch, Paul Singh, Andrew Harwood and more.
His facilitation approach is at the nexus point where skills, states, play and spontaneous composition merge. 
His dancing style aims at creating ever-changing pathways, opening to novelty, modulating patterns, and the use of momentum and release. 
Curiosities of the moment: Accessing poly-centricity, how to increase availability & generosity with the body, opening the backspace, falling together, and continuity of movement. He has explored and facilitated on many continents with different communities; he has harvested gems from all of them. He is an avid jammer while he continues to deepen the practice in classes and workshops. 
Manuel is also a DJ and a gardener from which he sources inspirations and metaphors. 
https://www.contactimprovisationsaltspring.com/

~~:~~:~~ INFO AND REGISTRATIONS ~~:~~:~~

Tuition

(Includes some food, see details below)
$490 - Economically deprived, students and underemployed.
$540 - Economically challenged: artists, farmers etc..
$590 - Professional rate: Happily sustained, supports the art

Deposit of 250$ upon registration required to save your spot.
Paid by email transfer to ssicontactfestival@gmail.com
International student can use Paypal at the same address.

Payment to be completed by December 15th
Deposit refundable (-$40 admin fee) until Dec 1st
Non-Refundable after Dec 1st.
In case of cancelation of this gathering for natural reasons, all deposits will be refunded minus $40 for admin fee.

~~:~~:~~ THE TIME FORMAT~~:~~:~~

-Days will start at 10am and will go into the evenings/night.
-Three days of investigation and dancing (Dec 29-30-31)
-New year eve celebration party on the 31st at night.
-New year day: rest day, laundry day, nature day. 
-Three more days to deepen the material (Jan 2-3-4)
Other Activities will include nature exploration, saunas and potlucks.
The new year celebration will be open to the community and will include music with louder music while remaining a CI container. 

FOOD:
6 lunches & 3 dinners will be provided. Participants take care of their own breakfasts.
Some evenings will be potlucks. We'll have tea and coffee and snacks to provide all day. 

ACCOMMODATION:
If you have a friend on island, we recommend you contact them. We make an effort to find a place for every dancers.
We have a few local people who will be offering small spaces, futon, common space accommodations for a reasonable price.
We are also presently looking for a big rental house that could host many dancers.
Let us know what is your preference and budget but plan for $30-$60 per night. 

VOLUNTEER:
We kindly ask that every dancers do 1 or 2 volunteer shifts in the kitchen. We are including this as part of the practice however it it non mandatory. We will have a sign up sheet. No dancing will be missed.
Also, a few discounted tuitions for more major help in the retreat are offered. Inquire if interested. 

We acknowledge and are thankful for the lands and waters of Salt Spring Island which have been and continue to be home to Coast Salish First Nations and Metis peoples.  We are grateful to the Cowichan Tribes, Saanich Nation, Tsawwassen First Nation, Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group, and the Hwlitsum Claim for this land to be danced on, in utter respect for its inhabitant and the ecosystem that nourishes us.