MIRVA MÄKINEN
“HORIZONTAL FALL”
Contact Improvisation is based on the communication between two moving bodies in physical contact, and their relationship combined with the physical laws governing their movement: gravity, momentum, inertia.
The body, to feel these sensations, learns to release excessive muscle tension and abandon a certain quality of will to experience the natural flow of movement. In this workshop, we will explore rolling, falling, inverted positions, supporting and giving weight to the partner.
We will focus on studying mobile supports and the technique of smooth flying. We can also call all this Horizontal Fall.
VEGA LUUKKONEN
“LITTLE WINGS, BIG WINGS”
Let’s give more love and attention to our arms, to our beautiful wings, which can take us to graceful flights and effortless lifts!
We can paint and brush, swing and reach!
We can expand our kinesphere through our wings:
they continue all the way to the sky.
The arms are an extension of our heart.
They are connected to the solar plexus, the chest, the spine - rooted in our core and the earth.
Through the arms, we can navigate directions, reach, counterbalance, lengthen.
We can suspend and hang in the air, we can stretch time.
The shoulder joint is a complex creature, the most mobile joint in the human body, opening in all directions.
It is connected to our core with many different structures: bones, ligaments, cartilage, muscles...
We can initiate wonderful spirals and multidimensional movements through the connection through our arms.
We can invite directions and manipulate the other, like an aikido sensei!
By regulating the tone in our arms, the "frame of the arms," and around our scapular waist, we can support different forms of lifting the other, moving dynamically through space. By twisting our torso and directing our wings - we can facilitate a variety of spiral shoulder lift paths!
The arms are a great tool, when understanding how to use them. An excellent way to create connection with your fellow dancers!
We will use different methods to learn about our arms - exploratory bodywork, experiential anatomy, imaginary landscapes, specific technical information on the functionality of lifts and mobile support, paths, patterns, and magic!
Let's discover more about our wings!
AVITAL BAR ZURI
"FLUID STABILITY - NAVIGATING UNCERTAINTY IN CI"
Many times we find ourselves desperately trying to find the ground. But what if we start imagining that the "ground" can be found even in the most unstable places?
Stability and mobility are a dual theme (originated in the Laban Bartenieff method) that I am always curious about.
Nature is full of examples where this duality comes to life: the canopy of a tree moving over the stable trunk, or the solid root of seaweed always in motion. Even a very solid rock has tons of atoms in motion inside it.
In CI, we often seek symmetry, moments of grounding where it is clear who is below and who is above.
In this intensive, we will start to unfold other options that can help us find stability and grounding on one hand, and fluid mobility on the other: let go of our balance.
We will exercise dynamic grounding and play with balancing in motion, using floor work and the Laban Bartenieff method to help us better embody this duality. Additionally, we will play with contact, touch, flights, and swings.
Hopefully, by the end of the intensive, we will realize that seeking certainty and balance in life is a waste of time because all good things are found on our way to the next stable point...
ALICIA SOLER
“THE POWER OF MY ATTENTION”
The concept of layers of attention is very broad, sensitive, and trainable.
The more awareness I have of where my attention is and the more I can modulate with it, as part of the writing of my movements, my presence, and compositional capacity grow in quality and precision.
We will start with the basics of CI, to then travel to work with attention, presence, and gaze.
A somatic and contact journey.
ILDA Y MARÍA
“ROLLING IN, ROLLING OUT”
The fascia is a connective tissue found beneath the skin that surrounds muscles and organs. It helps support and separate structures in the body, allowing tissues to glide over each other. Additionally, it plays an important role in transmitting forces and contributes to the structural integrity of the body.
During this class, we will explore the fascia as a sensitive organ capable of interpreting and communicating information between moving bodies.
We will expand the concept of 'information,' transitioning from subtle levels to those where shared flow involves a common structure and weight.
This dialogue between moving bodies will lead us to enter and exit contact, in a 'rolling in and rolling out' of that common structure, weight, and flow.