C.I. Summer Training. Berlin

7 days of Contact Improvisation, Improvisation and instant composition practice.

This year our annual Summer training will be at the beautiful Dock 11 Eden, in Pankow.

The training is aimed at people with an existing knowledge of Contact Improvisation and experienced  movement practitioners from 

other forms looking to develop and deepen their knowledge of Contact.

The course will be in 2 modules of 3 days, with a morning Jam & rest afternoon in the middle

1st Module

The 1st module will be focused upon Softness & Subtlety.

We will invest ourselves into slowing right down. From this space we aim to discover the subtle nuances that allow for clearer & deeper communication within the dance. The gentle sliding of fascia that indicates direction of movement, tuning to a partners’ breath to hear their intention and waiting in stillness together to allow the dance to arise from your shared connection are a few of the ideas and principles we will explore in this time. A space  of allowing and giving trust to yourself, our dancing partners and feeling more the nature of improvisation.

There will be clear technical elements to this research such as where best to place weight in under dancer/ over dancer situations, how to transition smoothly with a partner from Up to down and how to find more softness the body by releasing muscle tension.

The overall direction of the 1st 3 days is to give more space to listen and to allow the dance to evolve from with you and your partner/s.

4th Day.

We will have a morning Jam focused around the Underscore. Sharing, digesting and integrating the work from the 1st 3 days.

The afternoon will be for resting and recovery. However the space will be available for self organised dance dates & Bodywork excahnges etc.

Also the gardens at Eden are very beautiful and a wonderful place to let time slip by

2nd Module.

The 2nd module will have 2 main focuses, The morning session will focus on more technicalities of  Falling & catching, lifting and being lifted, and the afternoons will be focused towards group awareness practices and jamming skills.

We will begin by playing with gravity and momentum, focusing on the ideas of falling and flying- both in solo movement, and in contact. Starting close to the ground and building up through levels, we develop confidence in our own abilities, building trust in the body.

Falling & catching, lifting and being lifted:

By researching in our solo movement the subtle mechanics of ‘small dance’, suspension & reaching, we progress towards using momentum and spirals to learn, fluid ways to lift one-another through ‘catching a ride’. Working with the frame and structure of the arms, we will explore ways connect to space and find counterbalance in the body, providing frames to both lift and be lifted, and offer structures to be explored. We will focus in on the details and technique of body tone, alignment and small points of contact, that help with finding lightness in being lifted and efficiency in lifting.

As well as these specific focuses, there will also be time given to more free exploration, to integrate the material into the dance naturally and organically.

Group awareness practices and jamming skills:

Contact is a group practice. A continually evolving and changing space held by the attention of the movers present. Coming together to discover, enjoy and witness ways of moving, interacting and being.

In this module we will focus attention more towards how we sculpt space as a group, open our collective perception and look at how we move as an interconnected whole. How we frame dances by watching, giving space, feeling when to move, and when to be still. We will work with structures and scores to frame improvisation, and specific techniques for  working in trios and larger groups.

A dance score can be viewed in a similar way to a score of music. A score can have specific focuses and guidelines to give structure and direction to improvisation.

We focus on cultivating a deeper awareness of listening, breathing, giving, receiving and timing.

On the last day we will close with an afternoon Jam.

The intended outcome of this week is to leave feeling nourished and enriched in your moving body and dancing mind, and with a deeper connection to the ever evolving practice of Contact Improvisation.

Eating & resting:

Food and accommodation is not provided with this course.

Please prepare your own food for the lunch breaks. There is a lovely cafe at Eden that serves soup, coffees, teas and cakes. Also in the surrounding area there are many options for food.

There are accommodation options available on site at Eden through: https://dock11-berlin.de/en/raeume

There are also many options of hostels, flat shares or short sublets always available in Berlin. We will add the details of a few of Facebook groups to help you find something, on the event page.