My greatest curiosity in Contact Improv is when two dancers come to know each others abilities and without warning ‘explode’ into the air. Neither dancer has a plan or intention. Somehow it is known how fast and with how much force the dance will have without any prior agreement. It is so spontaneous that there is a perception that both dancers will leave the ground, both supporting the other although neither is touching the ground. I have no idea how to teach this. But let’s try to work it out.
The following quote is of Steve Paxton when discussing The Stand. I want to use a significant amount of The Stand in this workshop. “..if anything of it would get lost, it’s the stand. The seeking for the tiniest unit of time the consciousness can follow would stop. In the duet form, when you attune together, not with any ambition to get the dance started but really taking a moment to just connect- 20 muinute has always seemed to me a decent amount of time- there could be a dance of such feathery lightness and such absolute security, absolutely beautiful.”
I also want to use a score called ‘pass the dance’ so we can learn each others patterns and habits by direct experience. ‘Pass the dance’ is similar to ’round-robin’, we take turns joining the duet replacing one person. A faster pace than round-robin with rapid changes, no trios, the reflexes get faster. The perimeter circle is actively watching, ready to jump in spontaneously so that the duet never remains more than 10seconds. I want to use this score at the end of each class leading to a jam.
This week is for experienced dancers with a strong curiosity for elevations in Contact Improv and the spontaneity that comes when the form is practised well. We will finish each class with an exercise called ‘Pass The Dance,’ similar to round-robin however the transitions are faster. This exercise evolves to a jam with the whole group. We will work all week with the small group we have, jamming three times per day, each evening will be ‘The Underscore.’
Along with classes in lifting and supported aerials we will work with the foundation exercises(crescent, spiral and aikido roll). These foundation exercises are proven to increase body-awareness that leads to being lighter, more agile and responsive with faster reflexes. Participants should be experienced Contact dancers in great shape, free of pre-existing injuries.
The daily schedule will include morning vinyasa-yoga from 7-8am. Participants are committing to working with the group agreeing to arrive on time for morning class at 10am and afternoon class at 3pm. Classes are two hours each. Participants are given plenty of time in the studio outside of class to work out their dilemmas in Contact Improvisation with a colleague. The evenings will be a 3hour Underscore as taught by Nancy Stark Smith. For those unfamiliar with the Underscore, it will be taught and reviewed each day.
Mark Young has been doing Contact Improvisation since 1997. He also began a serious study of Tai Chi and Vipassana meditation around the same time, the foundations of Contact Improvisation.
He has studied C.I. with Nancy Stark Smith, Ray Chung, Karen Nelson, John Faichney, Alicia Grayson, and Andrew Harwood and attended numerous conferences with the originators of the form at Breitenbush Hot Springs retreat centre. Also, he has attended numerous Contact Improv jams at Earthdance retreat centre in Massachusetts over the past 15 years.
In 2000 he committed all of his resources to the creation of Leviathan Studio, a dance studio committed to the study of Contact Improvisation. Leviathan Studio operates during the summer months hosting the best teachers for long workshops for those who want to advance their skills in Contact Improvisation. Leviathan Studio on Lasqueti Island, B.C. has become an international destination for the serious study of C.I.
This video has some fantastic CI inspired choreography. We will be breaking down some of this work.
$425($360US)includes all meals, camping/dormitory, workshop and transportation on Lasqueti. To register go to Contact Us on the right side of the screen and send an email with ‘July19’ in the subject line.
