Falling into flying - Dancing Contact with precision and joy

Dancing CI - and in particular flying and moving on top of a partner – to me is primarily based on the ability to organize my body in a functional way in any moment of the dance, so that I can meet each situation, however disorienting, strange, scary, exiting, familiar or seemingly stuck it may be, with creative joy and the sense of being safe. In this intensive, rather then by learning specific movement patterns that can only be mastered by a few of us, this ability is gained by understanding core principles and practising some basic skills, that you, as you continue to use and study them, can easily modify and adapt to any situation in your Contact-dance. The focus on different body systems will offer you tools to increase your ability to sense what is going on in your body, in your kinesphere and the space beyond and to move precisely with a soft body and an open mind, when you are dancing solo and in Contact with others. These body systems are: different layers of the skin and the connective tissue, the pelvis and the hip joints and the eyes. Specific exercises will guide you to exploring slow weight shift and momentum, growing out of the floor and melting into it and to play with balance and off-balance as you constantly listen to gravity. In structured improvisations you can integrate the new knowledge into dancing and learn from each other on different levels. You can enjoy the pleasure of experimenting and making mistakes in a safe and supportive environment as you experience flying and falling through levels and space as well as disorientation being part of your dance, and dance beside, on top and underneath your partner, moving in and out of contact …. To be continued at the next jam …. Gesine Daniels: I am a choreographer, dance teacher and performer living in Germany and in Wales (UK), dancing, creating and teaching internationally. I have been dancing since I was a child, studying and practicing many forms of dance and movement from Ballet and Gymnastics to New Dance and Contact improvisation, as well as Improvisation and theatrical approaches to performance. Since 1985, CI together with improvisation is my passion, which has a great influence on my teaching and artistic work and does enrich my whole life. My way of dancing and teaching Dance, Contact improvisation and Performance is energetic, playful and sensitive. Exploring the physics of the human body in movement fascinates me a lot and the question of “how do we communicate in and through dance?” is an ongoing exploration for me. I have been dancing and creating in a wide range of events and places from opera to street performance, solo and group works. As a teacher I have been working in social ghettos and theatre schools, I taught children in primary schools as well as educated dancers. In 2000, I founded the SomeBodyElse Dance Company, which works with Improvisation and Contact Improvisation in their site-specific dance pieces. Fee: With early registration fee (70 Lt) paid: before 20th of March – 160 Lt before 5th of April – 185 Lt before 17th of April – 215 Lt later – 250 Lt 1 Lt = 0,29 EUR registration: improv_lt@yahoo.com