MOOR than Contact

MOOR than Contact

A week intensive with Zoë Solomons and Hugh Stanier.

5 days of Contact Improvisation, Dancing in Nature, Eco-somatics, Song, Bodywork and mOOr….

Fell Edge, West Yorkshire Moors. 25th-30th October 2024

On the threshold of the darkening year we gather to share dance, song and contact.

We seek in the wild places, listening for stories that will weave us through winter.

The warmth we cultivate in company will germinate the seeds of creativity we plant into the coming year.

What we will do:

Contact Improvisation

Contact improvisation is a practice that offers us a grounded, tangible way to move our bodies in relationship: in relationship to ourselves, the ground and other bodies.

These practical skills for weight distribution, sharing and weight bearing (lifting), serve us to strengthen our physical body, but also to generate resilience of attention, presence and play, which serve us in our outdoor dance- both on the moor and in life outside.

Body work

Both Zoë and Hugh are quailifed body therapists who know the deeply supportive power of touch.

Working with touch supports us to process and integrate the movement, nature and collaborative work. As well as to continue to settle more deeply into our bodies- the place from which rest and creativity can spring.

Body work forms part of the restorative aspect of this intensive.

Each winter is a chance to remember how to let go, and be reborn again. Restorative practice, or resting, will be a chance to grow in that practice with the support of others. In the sauna, by the fire, on the dance floor and with the land.

Axis Syllabus

Specific tools for specific tasks: the axis syllabus is a body of information regarding human movement function. We will draw on this resource to explore the function of our bodies in locomotion: walking. In order to step into ourselves more fully as we walk the moors.

The heritage of our bi-pedal ancestry meeting the rock, mud and grit.

Land practice

This year you will have the opportunity for a day long solo nature exploration. We will offer the time and space to - if you wish - to discover the land at your own pace, in your own way. At the end of the day we will come together to harvest & share our personal experiences in the group. The land surrounding Fell Edge is rugged, powerful & beautiful and is home to Englands’ largest collection of prehistoric rock carvings.

The weather can change very quickly- sometimes you can see for miles, and the next moment you’ll be immersed in clouds, the wind can be very strong and the light is epic as it moves over the hills. The land practice is the chance to confront this landscape alone, at your own pace.

Suitable for all levels of experience from beginner to advanced.

Food, Accommodation & amenities:

• Fully catered with 3 vegetarian meals per day.
• Beautiful warm dance studio with views across the valley
• Base price Accommodation is in a shared dorm, alternatively you can bring your own tent or van.
• Private rooms available in the Farmhouse for at extra 40£ per night. (Subject to availability)
• More luxurious B’n’B options also available (to be booked separately)
• There is a Hot Tub and Sauna that we can enjoy on alternating evenings over the week.

Prices:

Extra special discount due to Match Funding support from Intercultural Roots, only until 11/06.

£250! (Accommodation in Dorm or own tent Van)

Private room in Farmhouse £200 (£40 pppn)

Prices after 11/06:

Early Bird (Until 31/07) £380

Normal Price (£440)