Diving into the fabric of touch

About this event

This workshop is a dive into the fabric of touch that is key to our relational practices in the movement of Contact Improvisation – and for many of us, in the living of life itself. The material will be steeped in somatic communication. This adventure into our movement life begins within ourselves, but moves outwardly, to where selfhood refuses to be stable, set and limiting. Instead, its instability is key to its creativity, the play that appears when our relational communication is fluid, movement scores throughout our time will make this connection. We will form and reform what we know as touch, exploring how this touch translates into the flow of movement. We increase the strength of our moving together with the human and the more than human worlds we also are. Creative, thoughtful, heart based, skill based, our learning will be anchored in the core principles of Contact Improvisation, such as: how to move weight like water – actions of cascading. The details of touching within weight exchange. The rising and hanging of the body – each mode significant to communication. How attention lives in the very small. Extending to form surfaces that arc. Learning to trust the physicality of our extended intelligence that underlies reflexive action. The availability of many forms of temporal engagement. Our movement practices will include lots of dancing both as skills building and exploration, although, in many cases these will be the same thing. Nita Little is one of the earliest instigators of the Contact Improvisation dance form, investigating alongside her then professor at Bennington College, Steve Paxton. Schedule: Thursday, June 4, 6-9pm Friday, June 5, 10am – 1pm & 2:30 – 5:30pm Saturday, June 6, 10am – 1pm & 2:30 – 5:30pm Sunday, June 7, 10am – 2pm This work will build on itself, responsive to the participants, as the workshop progresses. As such, we encourage participants to join in as much of the workshop as possible, as early on as possible. Those joining Saturday will be brought into the fold, by the existing participants, with care. – There will be no pre-prepared food or group meals offered during the workshop. If you need to bring food we suggest preparing your own food ahead of time and using the kitchen for light prep or reheating food. You are welcome to store small items in the communal kitchen refrigerator. Option to stay overnight at WildHeart before or after – come early or stay late. Reach out to us at contact@wildheartcenter.art to confirm your stay. Who is this for? Appropriate for Intermediate and Advanced Contact Improvisation practitioners, and/or advanced practitioners of an adjacent movement form, such as contemporary dance, martial arts, etc. Please inquire to learn more about whether this workshop is right for you.