Contact Improvisation Dance Intensive with Martin Hughes
Location
Hosted by
Contact Improvisation Bellingen
About
Waiting and Weighting, Trusting and Flowing
Steve Paxton, considered the founder of Contact Improvisation (CI), classically described CI as a dance 'based on the communication between two moving bodies that are in physical contact and their combined relationship to the physical laws that govern their motion—gravity, momentum, inertia'
Typically, we experience gravity, momentum, and inertia as weight: our weight in relation to the things that support it–the floor, a chair, our internal structure, and other people. We also experience weight as something we are supporting.
Another element of this experience is time (or timing). In stillness, we wonder: how long to wait? In movement, we wonder: how fast to go?
We also experience our weight in 'falling'–being off-centre, allowing our balance to give way to our weight. Catching and releasing your balance. Finding ways into and out of the floor and/or another person.
Sounds all very complicated and, perhaps, a little scary, but we will use simple (not necessarily easy) physical practices and tools that underpin all of this, helping us to find or clarify where Trust and Flow exist.
For those who are just beginning to explore CI, this class will provide a rich place to start. For those with more experience, there will be plenty to chew on.
The structure of the weekend
Friday night 5.30-8.30pm: Session 1 (includes welcome jam)
Saturday 9.30am--5pm: Session 2 (includes lunchbreak)
Sunday 9.30-2: Session 3 (Rolling Kata-see below)
Friday night 5.30-8.30pm: Session 1 (includes welcome jam)
Saturday 9.30am--5pm: Session 2 (includes lunchbreak)
Sunday 9.30-2: Session 3 (Rolling Kata-see below)
Sunday 2.30-3.30pm: Forum: 'Let's talk CI teaching' with Martin
Booking options
Sessions 1-3 (whole weekend), sessions 1+2 (Fri+Sat) or Session 3 only (Sunday). Early Birds are available for some ticket types. Catered Saturday lunch is available by pre-order, see details when you book your sessions. All are welcome to attend the Sunday afternoon forum for teachers and aspiring teachers of the form, please use the booking form..
Newcomers are recommended to have attended at least one C.I class before attending Friday night and Saturday. Classes run here in Bellingen with teachers Catriona Davies and Hamzah Mas Tuesday nights and Sundays. Dancers from other modalities, and those with an interest in somatic conditioning and movement pathways are welcome to attend Sunday only for the 'Rolling Kata' training (Sessions 4 and 5) Please get in touch with Catriona if you have any questions about your suitability for any aspect of the weekend.
Martin Hughes
Martin trained as a contemporary dancer and worked with dance, theatre, and street theatre companies in Australia and overseas. He started learning CI in New York in the late 1980s where he was taught by Steve Paxton, Nancy Stark Smith, Daniel Lepkoff, Nita Little, Karen Nelson, KJ Holmes, and Nina Martin. Back in Melbourne (Naarm) he co-founded the CI teaching and performing group State of Flux who started the Melbourne CI Jam (still going after 30 years) and ran the first residential jams in Australia. He also founded Cecil Street Studio, a centre for improvisation in Melbourne for 21 years and has co-led several Australian Contact Improvisation Convergences. Martin taught dance at the Victorian College of the Arts for roughly 20 years and has taught CI throughout Australia and internationally, in many different contexts. For nearly 40 years, CI for Martin has been a source of intriguing investigation, excitement, and fun! He enjoys nothing more than sharing that fun and excitement and digging into that interest with others.
'The Rolling Kata'
'Kata' (noun) – a term used in Japanese martial arts to describe a detailed, choreographed sequence of movements practiced to perfect technique and build muscle memory.
“The Rolling Kata” is a sequence of rolls that Martin gathered during his CI studies in the US. It started with workshops with Steve Paxton, KJ Holmes, Karen Nelson and Nina Martin, who clearly thought rolling was serious business. Then it got really interesting with State of Flux who helped him unpack the somatic importance of each roll as it applies to Contact Improvisation. It was also Flux that gave this sequence its name (it was a bit of a joke at the time).
Each set of rolls develops specific skills in Contact Improvisation that help coordinate the levers, pulleys, and weights of the body into and out of the floor and other partners.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION:
Partial or full refunds and ticket transfers are at the discretion of the organiser.
Whilst we encourage a diverse range of ages, backgrounds and abilities, this dance intensive assumes a reasonable degree of physical and mental health so that you can work and play within your own limits of comfort and wellbeing.
By participating in sessions you agree that:
-You are 16 years old or over;
-You will come to all sessions with a good standard of personal hygiene and appropriately dressed to roll and slide on the floor and with others (long comfortable stretchy clothing, hair tied back, short nails, no dangly jewellery, no strongly scented deodorants, perfumes etc;
-You will bring a change of clothes and a small towel so that if needed you can refresh your clothing if you get sweaty, for the comfort and well-being of your co-dancers;
-You will stay hydrated through the weekend;
-You are entirely responsible for your own body and choice to participate in activities throughout the course of the weekend; resting and watching are more than welcome if you need to step out for any reason. Good self-care benefits everyone.
-You are willing to be included in group photographs that may be used for publicity for Bellingen Shire Contact Improvisation (personal/ close-ups will NEVER be published on social media without your express permission);
-You will not take photographs or film during the weekend without written permission from the organiser.
--You will arrive on-time or early to all sessions as a courtesy to the teacher and the group.
Our team of experienced Contact Improv teachers are here to support you to have a fantastic experience! Get in touch early if you have questions or concerns, Catriona can be reached on 0408259403.
By purchasing a ticket you agree to receive information about the Event by email from the Event Organiser. We SO look forward to dancing with you!
