Seattle Contact Improvisation Dance

Contact Improv Video

2012-01-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

Contact improvisers with young kids will especially enjoy this video.

SEATTLE FESTIVAL OF DANCE IMPROVISATION CHANGES HANDS

2011-09-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 16, 2011

Contact: Lila Hurwitz, lila@danceartgroup.org, 206/686-7323

After 18 successful years, Dance Art Group is handing over its world-renowned Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation to Velocity Dance Center.

Seattle, WA — Dance Art Group (DAG) announces that Velocity Dance Center will take over production of the annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI).

Over the past 18 years, SFDI has played a great part in gaining and maintaining Seattle’s reputation as a hotbed for the study and appreciation of dance. The week-long internationally-recognized event offers master classes, performances, panel discussions and other activities with local and international dance artists.

A team of dedicated dance lovers have produced SFDI since 1994. In 2002, they formed Dance Art Group, a 501(c)3 organization, to produce SFDI and other related events throughout the year. SFDI has evolved from a three-day event organized in six weeks, into a world-renowned week-long festival with participants traveling from as far away as Ireland, Israel, Japan and Sweden.

While in the past few years many Seattle arts organizations have cut back programs or folded completely, DAG is proud to make this conscientious decision to hand its successful and vital event to a sister organization that shares its dedication to furthering the art form in the region and beyond.

As SFDI turns 18, we are thrilled that the festival will spread its wings under the trusted support of Velocity, our friends and partners since the beginning of both organizations.

[Lila Hurwitz, Administrative/Co-Artistic Director, Dance Art Group]

SFDI is without question one of the world's leading festivals of dance improvisation. We are thrilled to be entrusted with this beloved festival with a stellar international reputation. SFDI brings to Seattle many of the world's leading dance innovators and provides local ground-breakers with opportunities to teach, perform and collaborate with international artists. Now Velocity's summer programs will bring together our Strictly Seattle event and SFDI for four weeks of unparalleled movement intensives, creative laboratories, performances and forums that attract dancers from across our region and beyond, and shape the artistic vitality of our city.

[Tonya Lockyer, Executive Director, Velocity Dance Center]

Velocity will also take over the production of weekly improvisation-based classes that DAG had produced at Velocity since 2007. The newly-named “Investigative Movement Practices” series started September 8.

Dance Art Group’s programs have included SFDI and other events supporting innovative dance research, education and performance. It is funded in part by 4Culture, the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, and individual donors. www.danceartgroup.org

Velocity Dance Center promotes excellence in the field of contemporary dance, inspiring dance artists to reach their maximum potential. Velocity provides opportunities and space for education, dance creation, performance, and national/international exchange. www.velocitydancecenter.org

Seattle Fall Contact Improvisation Class Series

2011-09-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

CONTACT IMPROVISATION
Six-Week Fall Series
The Wisdom of the Spine
Facilitated by Cyrus Khambatta
Every Thursday - Oct. 13-Nov. 17.
6:30-8:30pm
Grassroots Studio - Phone: 206.935.0459

The spine has an infinite wisdom. It can curve in and out, spiral and stack with amazing integrity making Contact Improvisation a joyous experience. Using the intuitive and pleasurable “fitting” technique and spine work for which he has become known internationally, Cyrus will lead a six week series where all levels are invited to experience the pleasurable benefit of this approach to CI. Participants also receive 10% off the Centrum jam Dec. 15-18, 2011

Cost: $100-$240 sliding scale
$25 deposit due by Oct. 8. Remainder due at first class.

More Info/Register: http://www.phffft.org/Fall2011ci.html
Contact: CYRUS (at) PHFFFT.org or call 206-607-7537
Make check out to The Phffft! Company and
mail to 5609 34th Ave SW, Seattle, WA
98126 or call/email for credit card payment
options.

Cyrus has over 20 years of teaching experience on three contimnents and over 20 countries. He has taught and performed at most major Ci festival around the world.

Authentic Movement with Susan Baum

2011-09-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

Authentic Movement Workshops

Saturdays, 2:30-5:30pm
October 22 and December 4

$45 per workshop or $80 for both

In these open level workshops, we will enter together into self-exploration through the practice of Authentic Movement. Finding our way as movers, we will foster the pathways that enable us to listen internally and allow movement to emerge through our bodies. In time a stronger witnessing presence develops as we come to see ourselves in more open and compassionate ways.

Authentic Movement Group for Experienced Movers

Sundays, 11:30am-3pm

Oct 16, Nov 13, Dec 11, Jan 22, Feb 26, March 18, April 15 , May 20, and June 10

$450 for year-long commitment (Payment plan available)

This group is for those with experience in the practice of Authentic Movement, who are interested in deepening their connection to self and others. We will move together, witness one another, and keep refining our language that is both expressive and spacious. Over and over we will enter, open, discover and articulate what arises individually and collectively. And by giving over to what is not yet known, we are moved into authenticity, surprise and deep enjoyment.

Pre-registration required for all groups. To register, or for information about Body-Oriented Psychotherapy, contact Susan Baum at (206) 778-9183 or e-mail her at authenticmovement (at) hotmail.com or visit www.susanbaumtherapy.blogspot.com.

Susan Baum MA LMHC is a psychotherapist in private practice working with individuals, couples and groups. Her approach to Authentic Movement is informed by her training in psychology, and her experience as a mover guides her holistic and body-based approach to psychotherapy. Susan brings her warmth and lively spirit to what she does, and provides an attentive and experienced presence that supports meaningful personal work.

SFDI Dance Performances - Aug 4-5

2011-07-31T14:42:00.000-07:00

18th annual

Off the Cuff:

Dance Innovators in Concert

Thursday & Friday | August 4-5, 2011 | 8pm

Broadway Performance Hall | 1625 Broadway | Seattle

Over 16 innovative and world-renowned dance artists from near and far perform under one roof!

Two different shows: $15/night; $25/both nights

Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/186645

Information: www.danceartgroup.org | info@danceartgroup.org | 206.686.7323

The 2011 Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI) presents Off the Cuff, two evenings of innovative performance with leading dance artists from around the world. Off the Cuff is the only chance each year to see these world-renowned artists gather under one roof in the Northwest.

Slated to perform are some of the shiniest stars of the improvisational dance world, plus special guests:

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4
Sheri Brown (WA)
John Dixon (NC) & former Trisha Brown Co. member Lionel Popkin (CA)
Human Future Dance Corps director DD Dorvillier (NY) & Heather Kravas (NY)

Salt Horse (Corrie Befort, Beth Graczyk, musician Angelina Baldoz) (WA)

Carolyn Stuart & Patrick Gracewood (OR)

Benno Voorham (Sweden)

“Ms. Dorvillier has one of the most audacious imaginations around.” –The New York Times

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5
Scott Davis (WA)

AmyO/tinyrage (WA)

Stephanie Skura (WA) & musician Adam Kozie (WA)

The Cherdonna and Lou Show (Jody Kuehner & Ricki Mason) (WA)
Nala Walla (WA) & Tikka Sears (WA)

Andrew Wass & Kelly Dalrymple-Wass (CA/Berlin)

“It's the fierce originality and brave poetry bubbling up beneath the steps that make her an artist for all time… Skura is a great American experimentalist”

–

Dance Ink

Also featuring former Merce Cunningham Co. & Grand Union member Barbara Dilley (CO) | Carolyn Stuart (OR) | Tamin Totzke (MN) | & others to be announced

Schedule subject to change.

Part of the 18th annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI), July 31-August 7, a world-renowned dance festival offering master classes with internationally recognized faculty, public performances, jams and more. Twenty-two dance artists and hundreds of students from around the world converge upon Seattle to teach and perform a wide variety of improvisational and related dance techniques. See www.sfadi.org for the full week's schedule, including:

Classes, August 1-6: Velocity Dance Center & Century Ballroom

Panel Discussion, August 3: Velocity Dance Center

Faculty Performances, August 4 & 5: Broadway Performance Hall

Student Showing, August 6: Velocity Dance Center

SFDI is produced by DAG (Dance Art Group), which is supported in part by 4Culture, the Mayor's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and generous individual donors. More info at www.danceartgroup.org.

Still Time to Register for the 18th Annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation

2011-07-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

It's coming up fast - the 18th annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation starts Sunday night, July 31. Still time to register - click here. However, the Susan Bauer somatic mini-intensive is full, and there's only three spaces left in Barbara Dilley's intensive, THE RED SQUARE: A PLACE MARKED OUT FOR DIVINATION, a class to strengthen your composing muscles, intuition, and finding of patterns and stories.

Or join us for Benno Voorham's contact improvisation dance intensive or DD Dorvillier's TOUCH MOVE TALK WRITE: OPEN STUDIO PRACTICES. Plus, lots of individual classes with great teachers.

Also, join us for a wine-tasting benefit on Saturday, July 30, 6-8pm, at 12th & Olive Wine Company, 1125 12th Avenue, Seattle. Cost is $15-25 at the door ($5-10 for SFDI students & Strictly Seattle ticket holders!)

West Coast Contact Improvisation Festival

2011-06-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

WCCIF 2011

24th Annual West Coast Contact Improvisation Festival
New Skills, New Directions
JULY 5-10, 2011.
An immersion week of Intensives, Classes, Jams,
Group Research and Performance.

REGISTER or see the full schedule.

July Contact Improv Classes with Karen Nelson

2011-06-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

3 Classes in JULY with Karen Nelson

Wednesdays July 6, 13, 20 from 5-7pm.

at Washington Hall, 153 14th St., Seattle

The space is calling us! I can't wait to round robin in this room!

This big, light, wooden, historic room is light as a feather, fly together?

Why not? We can fall too!

Come learn classic contact images. Beginners/Experienced--no difference!
It's about dancing anyway!

Fee is negotiable, yet requested donation is $15 per, or $35 for all 3. contact Karen 503-740-0523, or show up.

Dance Art Group Survey and Community Meeting

2011-05-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

Dance Art Group is conducting a survey about the role and future of DAG and the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation.

This is your community -- we need to hear from you!

Please click here to complete this survey by June 15, 2011

DAG and SFDI have been pivotal in making Seattle the dance mecca it is today.
Your opinions and feedback are vital.

And please come to the
Dance Community Meeting
June 4, 2-4pm
Velocity, 1621 12th Ave, Seattle

Dance Art Group (DAG) fosters and promotes the study, practice and appreciation of improvisational dance in Seattle. DAG produces the annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI) and other events that encourage and support innovative research and education in dance. DAG is supported by 4Culture, the Mayor's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, and generous individual donors.

Help support DAG by making a tax-deductible donation at http://www.danceartgroup.org/donation.html.

Registration Open for 18th Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation

2011-04-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation
18th annual SFDI! July 31-August 7, 2011

CLASSES . PERFORMANCES . JAMS . DISCUSSIONS

Intensives with Barbara Dilley (CO), DD Dorvillier (NY),
Benno Voorham (Sweden)
Somatic Intensive with Susan Bauer (CA)

Classes with Corrie Befort/Beth Graczyk (WA), Sheri Brown (WA), Scott Davis (WA), Vanessa DeWolf (WA), John Dixon (NC), Cyrus Khambatta (WA),
Jody Kuehner/Ricki Mason (WA), Tonya Lockyer (WA), Amy O'Neal (WA),
Lionel Popkin (CA), Stephanie Skura (WA), Eric Spivack (WA), Carolyn Stuart (OR), Tamin Totzke (MN), Nala Walla (WA) & Andrew Wass (CA/Berlin).

Get all the details and register at Dance Art Group

Orcas Island Contact Improv Jam

2011-03-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

Orcas Island Jam
July 20-24th

Cost: Earlybird discount $220-$260 (sliding scale) w/Dep. before May. 20th

$260-$290 after May 20th || single day $80

Registration: Pay by May 20th for earlybird discount

Send checks payable to Michal Lahav

430 NE Maple Leaf Pl #7, Seattle WA 98115

* Camping fee ($50)
* Work study is available for those who want to help work on the land (garden, chop wood, help with food prep, etc.)

Accommodations
Stunning Gorgerousness. We have 12 acres of meadow and forest, a huge dry sauna, hot and cold plunge pools, an outdoor shower, fire place and bbq fire pit, veggie-herb-flower gardens and orchard to play in. New loft cabin on land! Generously hosted by Catiya Gainor-- this land is incredible. Please bring a tent, sleeping bag and sleeping pad to camp in. Camping is limited to 30 people, so register early!

Meals
Saturday night we will have a big healthy communal feast. All other meals you will be responsible for.

The space
2 spaces this year!
Oddfellows hall (Thurs, Fri morn and Sun) - Beautiful space with smooth maple floors, huge windows, a large deck with sunset views overlooking the water and little Islands. Surrounded by Madrona trees and old growth Douglas fir.

The Island
Swimming! Lush green wonderfulness. Hiking to crystal clear mountain lakes. Beaches. Yum.

Dancing
dancing yes yes! much jamming. Focused 2 hour labs sessions offered by community.

Child Care
New this year - we'll have some options for parents to join in on inexpensive nurturing child care while you dance.

Registration
Contact: Michal Lahav at michalahav (at) gmail.com or 206.818.7440

Dance Art Group Fundraising Raffle

2011-03-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

Get your raffle tickets now for the Hot Diggity DAG! benefit on March 19!

Fabulous prize packages including:

LOVE YOURSELF Package: Hothouse Spa passes, Mode Salon hairdos, Babeland treats & more
GOOD BODY Package: Yoga, Feldenkrais, massage, oh my!
GET OUTDOORS! Package: Kayaking trips, outdoor gear & more to motivate
ARTSY FARTSY Package: Guitar & dance lessons, Henry Art Gallery membership
DATE NIGHT Package: Tickets to On The Boards, Northwest Film Forum, Majestic Bay Theatre
FOOD IS GOOD Package: Vivace coffee, a massive cheese wheel & other tasty treats
SFDI Package: Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation classes, jams, performances & fashion!
and the infamous Ballard Hardware Bucket o' Tools

1 raffle ticket for $2
3 for $5
7 for $10
15 for $20

All proceeds go towards producing this August's 18th annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation, so your money will be well spent all around.

You don't have to be there to win... but it's definitely more fun if you are! (March 19 at Velocity Dance Center.)

To buy tickets, e-mail lila (at) danceartgroup.org, or buy them online now at http://www.danceartgroup.org/donation.html (please write "raffle" in the message area).

March Seattle Laban Movement Classes

2011-02-28T18:27:00.000-08:00

Dance Art Group / Movement Arts Research
Thursdays 6:15-8:15pm
Velocity Dance Center, 1621 12th Avenue, Kawasaki Studio
$15/class; $56/4-class series; drop-ins and all experience levels welcome
Info at Dance Art Group

March 3-31: TARA STEPENBERG / MOVING INTO & OUT OF FORM: LABAN IN THE RAW

Laban Movement Analysis (including Bartenieff Fundamentals) is an elegant comprehensive pathway for experiencing, describing and observing body, and self, in motion and stillness. The "system" identifies FOUR areas: body (what is moving); space (where is movement happening); dynamics/effort (the quality of the movement), shape (how is body relating to itself), and their phrasing relationships. This clear comprehensive movement language can be applied to a multitude of disciplines.

Gifts this material can give your during this series of classes are:

discovering your movement preferences: their limits and strengths;
broadening your range of expression, communication, performance;
sharpening your observation skills;
increasing enjoyment of yourself in motion -- alone and with others.

Tara Stepenberg, Juilliard graduate, founded the dance department at Hampshire College in 1971. In addition to her dance studies she is a long-time practitioner of Authentic Movement and has studied extensively with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. She has been passionately involved with the Laban perspective since 1972, directing the Certificate Programs at LIMS for several years. She has taught at many universities including The Naropa Institute and choreographed and performed extensive in the Northeast. She is on the Conditioning Staff of Pacific Northwest Ballet, has a private practice in Somatic Resonance, and is completing her studies in BodyMind Psychotherapy with Susan Aposhyan. She thoroughly enjoys being a co-journeyer with others.

Coming in April: Amy O'Neal!

:: :: ::

Composing While Dancing: A New Book about Improvisational Dance

2011-02-04T13:02:00.000-08:00

Composing while Dancing: An Improviser's Companion examines improvisational dance and the many approaches to this art form.

By introducing the improvisational strategies of twenty-six top contemporary artists of movement improvisation, Melinda Buckwalter offers a practical primer to the dance form.

Hear about the book in Melinda's own words:

Art-on-the-Fly

2011-02-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

The Seattle International Dance Festival Beyond the Threshold is seeking applications for its 6th edition of the festival’s ART-ON-THE-FLY site specific event taking place June 10 & 11, and SPOTLIGHT ON SEATTLE performance series taking place June 14, 15 & 16, 2011.

Here is the link to the guidelines and applications page:
http://www.phffft.org/sidf-apply.html

DEADLINE: February 28, 2011 at 10pm.

February Class with Karen Nelson - Seattle

2011-01-31T17:08:00.000-08:00

Dance Art Group / Movement Arts Research (DAG/MAR) is a weekly dance class series featuring a different local teacher/topic each month. It's a great way to dip your feet into the joys/mysteries of dance improvisation and related dance forms. Come try a class!

:: :: ::

Dance Art Group / Movement Arts Research
Thursdays 6:15-8:15pm
Velocity Dance Center, 1621 12th Avenue, Kawasaki Studio
$15/class; $56/4-class series; drop-ins and all experience levels welcome
Info at Dance Art Group

February 3-24: KAREN NELSON / CONTACT 'N COMPOSITION
We'll touch-in each class with "essential images" of Contact Improvisation including skeletal balance, muscular release, and momentum of rising and falling, in solo, duet and larger group modes. We'll fine tune: the effort/ease of giving/receiving into one's own/another's center and periphery/space. Then we'll compose improvisations using Contact Improvisation as the basis, and see what we learn about freedom/fortune in improvisation. All levels OK; great for all of us if you can do whole series, but drop-ins acceptable.

Karen Nelson's first Contact Improvisation class came in the form of a letter with stick figure drawings from a friend in 1976. Later that year she'd worked with Nancy Stark Smith, Curt Sidall, Steve Paxton, Danny Lepkoff and Andrew Harwood (who finally helped her to see she wasn't actually giving her center to her partners -- yes, the earth moved). In the mid-1980s, after years of practice, teaching and performing, questions regarding "what is contact improvisation vs. other improvisation" drove her to detailed study of Steve's original proposition. Videos such at "Chute," "Soft Pallet," and "Peripheral Vision" as well as writings published in Contact Quarterly were very supportive. Composition is a natural interest due to a long-time performance practice; collaboration with Lisa Nelson since the mid-1980s has encouraged invention of "senses-based" scores/games for dance-making.

Coming in March: TARA STEPENBERG / MOVING INTO & OUT OF FORM

:: :: ::

Dance Art Group (DAG) fosters and promotes the study, practice, and appreciation of improvisational dance in Seattle. DAG produces the annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI) and other events that encourage and support innovative research and education in dance. DAG is supported by 4Culture, the Mayor's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, and generous individual donors. Click here to help support DAG with your tax-deductible donation.

Donate to the Dance Art Group Benefit Auction and Raffle

2011-01-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

This 16th annual Hot Diggity DAG, benefiting the 18th annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation, will be held March 19, 2011, at Velocity Dance Center. Hot Diggity DAG features dance performances by some of the Northwest’s most exciting and innovative dance artists and musicians, a silent auction, raffle, and reception... which is where you come in.

We are currently seeking donations of silent auction and raffle items as well as food/drink items for the reception. In appreciation of your generous donation, the name of your organization/business will be displayed prominently in the concert program and on the item display placards. Your business can also receive two tickets to the event.

If you are interested in donating, contact Lila Hurwitz at lila (at) danceartgroup.org by February 18, 2011.

All proceeds from Hot Diggity DAG go toward producing SFDI, the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (July 31-August 7, 2011), a world-renowned annual dance festival featuring master classes, performances, panel discussions, and jams with leading dance artists. This is a world-class, internationally-recognized festival that needs and appreciates your support!

Hot Diggity DAG and SFDI are produced by Dance Art Group (DAG), a non-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Contact Improv in Olympia

2011-01-14T18:19:00.000-08:00

Roel Hammerschlag is teaching contact improvisation at Evergreen College in Olympia on Tuesday nights from 6:30pm to 9pm. Roughly the first half of that time is a led warm-up followed by CI skills, and the second half is a more or less unstructured jam informed by the first half.

The class is free of charge, and takes place in room B1107 of the Seminar II building - driving instructions and a campus map are at http://www.evergreen.edu/tour/gethere.htm.

On Thursdays, Josiah Mitchell facilitates an open jam, same time and location. Questions? Email the Evergreen Dance Collective at dancematrixcollective (at) gmail.com, or contact Roel at roel.sky (at) gmail.com or 206-406-7792.

Seattle Contact Improvisation Workshop with Karen Nelson

2011-01-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

Dancing the In Between: CONTACT IMPROVISATION
with Karen Nelson

Sat. Jan. 22 (10am-4pm)
Sun. Jan. 23 (9am-1pm)
Grassroots Studio

The Workshop aims to take the idea of “skill levels” out of the dancing—even if only for this one weekend. What if we approached each partner and improvisation as a completely open, unwritten story? Are we prepared to care for ourselves on such an adventure? How can we learn from everyone we encounter? Drawing from classic principals and skills of contact improvisation, we will explore how we influence each other in the dancing. The workshop is appropriate for both beginning and experienced contact improvisers

Cost: $100-$125 before Jan 10th,
$125-$150 after.
Please write checks to Phffft! Company, Inc.
Mail to 5609 34th Ave. SW, Seattle WA 98126.
Phone: 206.935.0459 - Email: info (at) PHFFFT.org

KAREN NELSON’s 33-year dance and performance practice has been directly influenced by Steve Paxton, Nancy Stark Smith and Lisa Nelson and their respective work in Contact Improvisation, Material for the Spine and Tuning Scores, and through collaboration with many others in venues around the world. She co-founded Joint Forces Dance Co, Breitenbush Jam, Dance Ability, Diverse Dance Research Retreat, and the performance group Image Lab among other projects.

January Class: Louis Gervais / Dancing Energy Systems

2010-12-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

Dance Art Group / Movement Arts Research (DAG/MAR) is a weekly dance class series featuring a different local teacher/topic each month. It's a great way to dip your feet into the joys/mysteries of dance improvisation and related dance forms. Come try a class!

:: :: ::

Dance Art Group / Movement Arts Research
Thursdays 6:15-8:15pm
Velocity Dance Center, 1621 12th Avenue, Kawasaki Studio
$15/class; series discounts; drop-ins and all experience levels welcome
Info at Dance Art Group

January 6-27: LOUIS GERVAIS / DANCING ENERGY SYSTEMS

When we look beyond our visible, physical bodies, we can see ourselves as intersections of energy and information. From this alternate standpoint, we resemble a chain of interconnected centers or chakras that are in constant motion as our life force energy flows in, out and throughout our bodies.

Through improvisation, visualization and somatic exploration, we can create powerful personal relationships with the invisible and ever-changing energetic self. Working with gesture and story, we describe shapes and pathways of these centers. Through rhythm and breath, we can sense the distinctly different qualities of energy throughout the body and beyond. Creative exploration and knowledge of the chakra system not only enhances self awareness & movement quality, it can also vitalize yoga and other somatic practices as well.

Louis Gervais (MFA) is a solo artist, dance educator and choreographer. He brings 40 years of dance experience and creativity to his teaching. Louis has performed with Compagnie Marie Chouinard and the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company among many other professional dance companies. Louis' somatic work combines improvisation with transcendent dance practices and Eastern philosophy within a somatic framework. Louis teaches contact improvisation, yoga and somatics in his own private practice.

Coming in February: KAREN NELSON / CONTACT 'N COMPOSITION

Dance Art Group Video

2010-12-20T20:27:00.000-08:00

Go to the Dance Art Group website.

November 4-18: JEAN HINDLE / SOMATIC RESOURCING

2010-11-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

Karen Nelson Seattle Workshop Dec 10-12

2010-10-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

DAG Winter Workshop:
Karen Nelson
SENSATION & DESIGN: DANCE MAKING FOR PERFORMANCE

December 10-12, 2010
Friday 3-6pm / Saturday & Sunday 11am-4pm
Century Ballroom's East Hall, 915 E Pine St, 2nd Floor, Seattle
Sliding scale $160–180 if paid in full by 11/15/10. After 11/15/10, $185–205 if space is available.

Info/registration at Dance Art Group

Using tools from Tuning Scores and improvisation to investigate "performance," we will create a check list of concerns and desires for experimentation. Tuning Scores, as introduced by Lisa Nelson, illuminate our individual perceptual experience, and use actions and verbal calls to communicate to others and the environment during the improvisation. Sessions will begin with training in sensational awareness and build towards compositional ensemble work. The final session will culminate with an "in-progress" public showing, including a follow-up feedback process for audience and performers.

Karen Nelson's 33-year dance and performance practice has been directly influenced by Steve Paxton and Lisa Nelson and their respective work in Contact Improvisation, Material for the Spine and Tuning Scores, and through collaboration with many others in venues around the world. She co-founded Joint Forces Dance Co, Breitenbush Jam, Dance Ability, Diverse Dance Research Retreat, and the performance group Image Lab among other projects. Image Lab, including Scott Smith, K.J. Holmes, Lisa Nelson and Karen, intensively developed Tuning Scores for nearly a decade in the 1990s. They performed "observatories" in the US, Europe and Asia, spawning other Tuning projects that continue to this day.

TONYA LOCKYER / PROSPERITY FOR ALL

2010-10-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

Dance Art Group / Movement Arts Research
Thursdays 6:15-8:15pm
Velocity Dance Center, 1621 12th Avenue, Kawasaki Studio
$15/class; series discounts; drop-ins and all experience levels welcome
Info at Dance Art Group

DAG/MAR features weekly classes in improvisation, performance, creative process and composition, contact improvisation, somatic education, New Dance techniques and other dance realms, with a different local teacher/topic each month.

October 7-28: TONYA LOCKYER / PROSPERITY FOR ALL

This workshop is about developing tools towards solo performance. Together we'll gather a set of questions, propositions and obstructions. (What if dance is simply being deeply physically engaged in the world? What if we can bring to our performance everything we are, do and know?) We'll improvise, write, experiment and develop strategies for organizing our materials. We'll look for the performance in life and the life in performance. By the time this workshop is over, you will have acquired new tools to engage deeply in your own questions and to observe the poetic systems at play in your work. Drop-ins possible but committing to the entire month is preferred.

Tonya Lockyer is a generator of performance -- solo, collaborative, improvised and otherwise -- a writer and dance artist who has worked around the world; a teacher committed to liberating students into their own direction. "I work interdisciplinarily but dance is always at stake in my work. I am committed to asking questions (personal, social, cultural...) about who we are and what it means to live in the world. I investigate how movement acts on us, and how we impact the world through our actions and presence." Tonya is on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts and holds an MFA with a focus on Live Art and Choreographic Culture since 1950.

Coming in November: Jean Hindle

Contact Improvisation & Meditation Workshop

2010-09-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

with Alicia Grayson & Greg Burdulis

October 2 & 3, 2010, Seattle, WA

This workshop offers new ways to enhance and vitalize our dancing and
meditation practices. With meditation we strengthen our ability to care for
ourselves, open to greater levels of subtlety, and refine how we use our
mental and physical energy. Cultivating the classic mediation skills of
mindfulness, concentration, right effort and metta we create an optimal
environment for creativity and connection to self and others.

With mindfulness as our foundation we explore the principles of
CI by entering into states of deep listening that give rise to safe,
spherical, fluid and delightful movement. We also cover important CI skills,
such as following the point of contact, giving and receiving weight with
ease and using momentum.

We invite you to discover how these two mutually supportive
practices generate clarity, creativity and courage on the cushion, on the
dance floor and in your life.

All levels of experience with contact improvisation and meditation are
welcome.

Workshop Schedule:

Saturday Oct 2, 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday, Oct 3, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Fees for Workshop:

Register before Sep 16: $130 - $250
Register after Sep 16: $170 - $340
Registration: Checks Payable to Phffft

Contact: Cyrus Khambatta
Email: Cyrus (at) Phffft.org

Location:
Grassroots Studio 5609 34th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126
(please park on 35th Ave not 34th)

Alicia Grayson has had a love affair with CI for 22 years and has been
teaching for 16. Her long time practices of meditation, authentic movement,
yoga and Pilates significantly influence her dancing and teaching.
Meditation and movement practices are vital aspects of her daily life. She
teaches CI, yoga and Pilates in Boulder, CO and CI throughout the US and
Europe. She is a member of Tumblebones Contact Improvisation Collective.
www.tumblebones.com.

Greg Burdulis has taught Vipassana Meditation in Burma, Thailand and the US.
After seven years as an ordained monk in Burma he returned to lay life to
share his insights. He practices CI because of its emphasis on listening,
spontaneity, and light effort. He considers it his liveliest form of
meditation. Greg holds an MA in spirituality and has experience as a
chaplain, mountaineering instructor, storyteller and performer and
mindfulness facilitator in corporations. www.gregthemonk.net.

Book: Hope Beneath Our Feet

2010-09-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

Today is the release day for Hope Beneath Our Feet: Restoring Our Place in
the Natural World from contact improvisation teacher Martin Keogh. 53 essays that provide a clear picture of what is going on environmentally in our world. It's for you if you suffer from a depletion of optimism. It's especially for you if you seek your individual way to somehow make a difference.

September Class with Nate Dryden

2010-09-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

Dance Art Group / Movement Arts Research
Thursdays 6:15-8:15pm
Velocity Dance Center, 1621 12th Avenue, Kawasaki Studio
$15/class; series discounts; drop-ins and all experience levels welcome
Info at Dance Art Group

DAG/MAR features weekly classes in improvisation, performance, creative process and composition, contact improvisation, somatic education, New Dance techniques and other dance realms, with a different local teacher/topic each month.

September 9-23 (no class 9/30):
NATE DRYDEN / INNER STATES & OUTER BODIES

How does a dancer negotiate moving from an inner poetic state into physical and energetic partnering with other dancers negotiating the same? These classes will present participants with different releasing practices that may be taken into experimental partnering and/or contact improvisation. Image-guided floor work and hands-on partner studies assist in the easing of tension and energy blockages in the physical self while catalyzing creativity and spontaneous movement. Continuing to cultivate this releasing state, dancers are then guided to shift into forms of improvised partnering. Afterwards, we can open up discussion of the various successes and challenges within such practice. Classes will be facilitated to include varying levels of releasing and partnering experience.

Nathan Dryden is an independent choreographer, director, performer and teacher working in dance, theatre, aerial arts, improvisation and releasing. He is a certified Skinner Releasing Technique instructor and teaches at institutes and festivals in the USA and internationally.

Coming in October: Tonya Lockyer!

:: :: ::

Dance Art Group (DAG) fosters and promotes the study, practice, and appreciation of improvisational dance in Seattle. DAG produces the annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI) and other events that encourage and support innovative research and education in dance. DAG is supported by 4Culture, the Mayor's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, and generous individual donors. Click here to help support DAG with your tax-deductible donation. Find us on Facebook and Twitter!

SFDI Video from City Arts

2010-08-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

THE SOMATICS OF CONNECTION: Fundamentals of Contact Improvisation

2010-08-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

A Weekend PLAYshop with Nala Walla
so•ma•tic (soh•mah•tick) adj. Of or pertaining to the psycho-biological system [from Greek SOMA: "the living body in its wholeness."]

As the pace of techno-industrial society races ever faster, the needs our bodies are often overlooked, creating disconnection from our own flesh and from our communities. This class reaffirms both our basic rights and our innate capacities to feel our bodies deeply. Through a series of simple exercises and games, we will focus on the sensations of healing connection offered by partnering with breath, with gravity, with earth, and with others.

A deep exploration of fundamentals makes this class suitable for both first-timers seeking basic skills in contact dance, and experienced practitioners seeking to deepen their practice, as well as anyone seeking to feel more "in their body."

Please bring comfortable clothing (no sharp buckles, clasps, zippers or spangles) and a willingness to play.

Somatics of Connection: Fundamentals of Contact Improvisation
Weekend PLAYshop
October 2-3, 2010
Saturday 12-3, Sunday 12-3
LOCATION: Madrona Mindbody Institute, Port Townsend, WA
COST: Sliding scale $85 - $65 for weekend--trades are available (arrange with Nala)
PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED: by September 20th at Madrona Mindbody Institute

Fall Authentic Movement with Susan Baum

2010-08-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Authentic Movement is a simple yet profound practice of self-awareness and discovery. Listening to the body, and finding movement from within, we explore the dance of presence, witnessing ourselves and others as awake and open as possible. Find depth and aliveness in and through your body!

Fall/Winter Authentic Movement Groups

Monthly Saturday Group
One Saturday a month, 2:30-5:30pm $270
Sept 25, Oct 23, Nov 13, Dec 4, Jan 15, Feb 12

In this open level group, we will enter together into self-exploration through the practice of Authentic Movement. Finding our way as movers, we will foster the pathways that enable us to listen internally and allow movement to emerge through our bodies. In time a stronger witnessing presence develops, as we see ourselves and one another in open and compassionate ways. This is a wonderful place to begin if you are new to the practice, or to return to over and over again.

Monthly Sunday Group
One Sunday a month, 11am-2:30pm $300
Sept 26, Oct 24, Nov 14, Dec 5, Jan 16, Feb 13

This group is for those with experience in the practice of Authentic Movement, who are interested in deepening connection to self and others. We will move together, witness one another, and keep refining our language that is both expressive and spacious. Over and over we will enter, open, discover and articulate what arises individually and collectively. And by giving over to what is not yet known, we are moved into authenticity, surprise and deep enjoyment.

All groups will be held in Fremont at 226 NW Bowdoin Place. If you would like to register, or for information about Body-Oriented Psychotherapy, contact Susan Baum at (206) 778-9183 or authenticmovement (at) hotmail.com or www.susanbaumtherapy.blogspot.com

Susan Baum MA LMHC is a psychotherapist in private practice working with individuals, couples and groups. Her approach to Authentic Movement is informed by her training in psychology, and her experience as a mover guides her holistic and body-based approach to psychotherapy. Susan brings her warmth and lively spirit to what she does, and provides an attentive and experienced presence that supports meaningful personal work.

SFDI - Off The Cuff - Dance Performances

2010-07-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

7th annual
Off the Cuff: Dance Innovators in Concert
Thursday & Friday | August 5-6, 2010 | 8pm
Broadway Performance Hall | 1625 Broadway | Seattle

Over 17 innovative and world-renowned dance artists from near and far perform under one roof!

Two different shows: $15/night; $25/both nights
Tickets: Brown Paper Tickets

The 2010 Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI) presents Off the Cuff, two evenings of innovative performance with leading dance artists from around the world. Off the Cuff is the only chance each year to see these world-renowned artists gather under one roof in the Northwest. Slated to perform are some of the shiniest stars of the dance world.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5:
K.J. Holmes (NY) | Vitali Kononov (CA) | Rachael Lincoln (CA) | Nina Martin (TX) | "Bessie" Award winner Bebe Miller (OH) | Local favorites KT Niehoff | Christian Swenson | Alia Swersky

"Bebe Miller is a cartographer of human emotions; mapping the landscape of the passions of her dance with luminous intelligence." (The Washington Post)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 6:
Cathie Caraker (CA/Netherlands) | Martha Eddy (NY) | Karl Frost (CA) | Guggenheim recipient Miguel Gutierrez (NY) | Nina Martin (TX) | Local favorites Louis Gervais | Aiko Kinoshita | Degenerate Art Ensemble Co-Director Haruko Nishimura | Aaron Swartzman | Alia Swersky

Also featuring Michal Lahav (Seattle) & Susan Rethorst (NY)

"I make performances that are about things and are things themselves. The things they are about are big: how to live in the world, how to love, how to feel about being yourself. Probably the biggest question I make art about is: why are we alive. I am a dancer. I write poems. I make songs and music with my voice and rudimentary knowledge of instruments. I think that we are all powerful people." (Miguel Gutierrez)

Schedule subject to change.

::

Part of the 17th annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI), August 1-8. More info at Dance Art Group.

Wine Tasting - Benefit for Dance Art Group - July 31

2010-07-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 31, 2010 | 6-8pm

DRINK FOR DAG!

A party/benefit for Dance Art Group... and your taste buds!

Join us for a wine tasting at 12 & Olive Wine Company,
the best wine shop in the whole world.

Enjoy fabulous wines and treats, and help us kick off the
17th annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation August 1-8!

12th & Olive Wine Company, 1125 E Olive
$15-25 at the door
Info/RSVP: info (at) danceartgroup.org | 206/686-7323

Proceeds benefit Dance Art Group, fostering and promoting the study, practice and appreciation of improvisational dance in Seattle. www.danceartgroup.org

Men in Dance

2010-07-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

AGAINST THE GRAIN since 1996 ~ MEN IN DANCE

For Immediate Release
July 02, 2010

AGAINST THE GRAIN / MEN IN DANCE
8TH FESTIVAL * OCTOBER 8-10 & 15-17

(Seattle, WA) The 8th biennial Men In Dance Festival will be held on October 8, 9, 10 and 15, 16, 17, 2010 at Broadway Performance Hall on the Seattle Central Community College Campus.

We have a great line up of choreographers for our 8th festival. We will present new, upcoming voices from Pacific Northwest Ballet, Cornish College of the Arts, and The University of Washington; as well as bring back some of our strongest choreographers from past festivals, Donald Byrd, Gérard Théorêt, Olivier Wevers, and Deborah Wolf. Please save these dates on your calendar! October 8, 9, 10 and 15, 16, 17, 2010. www.menindance.org

Contact Quarterly

2010-06-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

Do you have current issue of Contact Quarterly: http://www.contactquarterly.com/cq/current/tocb.html?

Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation

2010-06-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation
17th annual SFDI! August 1-8, 2010

CLASSES . PERFORMANCES . JAMS . DISCUSSIONS

Intensives with Martha Eddy, Miguel Gutierrez, K.J. Holmes, Susan Rethorst

Classes with Cathie Caraker, Karl Frost, Louis Gervais, Aiko Kinoshita, Vitali Kononov, Michal Lahav, Rachael Lincoln, Nina Martin, Bebe Miller, KT Niehoff, Haruko Nishimura, Aaron Swartzman, Christian Swenson and Alia Swersky.

Early registration discount deadline: July 1, 2010

Information and Registration: Dance Art Group

Dance Art Group Spring Workshops

2010-04-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

Workshops with local teachers and a super-size jam to benefit DAG!

With Nate Dryden | Lila Hurwitz | Cyrus Khambatta | Stephanie Skura

Velocity Dance Center | 1621 12th Avenue | Seattle

Only $100!: All Workshops & Jam
$30: One Workshop; $5 off each additional workshop
$5-15: Jam

Info/Registration: info (at ) danceartgroup.org; 206.686.7323; Dance Art Group

:: :: ::

FRIDAY, MAY 7 | 6-9pm
Upside Down & Backwards: Partnering With All Sides | Cyrus Khambatta

Created with Contact Improvisation practitioners in mind, this workshop will be about exploring upside down and backwards in confidence. A malleable 360 degree use of the spine enables increased ease of pathways through the back/side/frontspace while partnering. This "molding" use of the spine helps navigate options in dealing with gravity in relationship to friction and creates a better intuitive understanding of how to use a partners' architecture as an extension of one's own. By slowing down the process of falling it provides more time to respond and react and more physical confidence in partnering.

Cyrus Khambatta is the Artistic Director of Khambatta Dance Company (formerly Phffft! Co.), fusing contemporary dance and Contact Improvisation. His work has been presented in 12 US states, throughout Europe, in Russia and Latin America. In 2003 he received California's Daman New Choreography Award, and will be teaching this summer at the Freiburg Festival in Germany, in Latvia, Lithuania and France.

SATURDAY, MAY 8 | 10am-1pm
Breath, Suspension & Dynamic Movement with Skinner Releasing Technique™

Through the practice of Skinner Releasing Technique, dancers will explore awareness of suspension and breath in ways that catalyze greater freedom of movement and shifting dynamics, while supporting and sustaining the physical self. Improvisational movement studies with guided imagery engage the participant's creative process and technical skill learning abilities.

Nathan Dryden is an independent choreographer, performer, director, aerialist and teacher from Seattle whose work crosses through dance, improvisation, aerial dance, Contact Improvisation and movement theatre. In 2001 Nathan became a certified instructor of the Skinner Releasing Technique, serving as faculty at the annual Skinner Releasing Institute's summer program in Seattle and teaching in festivals and universities across the USA, Mexico, Ecuador, Turkey, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

SATURDAY, MAY 8 | 2-5pm
The Athletic Voice | Stephanie Skura

Tools to find courage, freedom and specificity. To open the voice -- literally AND figuratively. To trust our inner world as a resource. To find physical manifestations of our ideas in body and voice. Bring paper, pen and drawing materials.

A radical and perpetual innovator, Stephanie Skura received one of the inaugural New York "Bessie" Awards for Choreographic Achievement. She creates with an abiding interest in interdisciplinary process, individual creative empowerment, and a current focus on imagistic language and the athletic voice. She has taught and performed throughout the USA and Europe. She directs a teacher training program called Open Source Forms.

SUNDAY, MAY 9 | 10am-1pm
Feldenkrais® & Friends | Lila Hurwitz

The Feldenkrais Method is a subtle and powerful system of neuromuscular re-education that evokes changes in muscular tone, flexibility, coordination, attention, and the comfort and efficiency of movement. We'll explore using Feldenkrais as a warm-up into an array of fabulous improvisational and perceptual practices including Authentic Movement, Contemplative Dance Practice, and the Tuning Score.

Lila Hurwitz is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner who has been teaching since 1987, including one of Seattle's longest-running weekly Feldenkrais classes since 1995. She likes to think she introduced Portland, OR, to Authentic Movement; learned from and has performed the Tuning Score with Karen Nelson and originator Lisa Nelson; and learned Contemplative Dance Practice from creator Barbara Dilley in 1987. She's performed with Ann Carlson, Nina Martin, Bebe Miller, Lucia Neare, Karen Nelson, Lisa Nelson, Mary Oslund, Stephanie Skura, Crispin Spaeth and many others.

SUNDAY, MAY 9 | 2-5pm
Super-size jam to benefit DAG!

Contact Improvisation Workshop

2010-04-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

with Karl Frost/Body Research

Saturday May 1, 12-6 and Sunday May 2, 11-2
$120-$250 sliding scale
for more information, contact Cyrus at info (at) phffft.org

Human Contact

…reframing of the art of contact improvisation through diving into subtle level awareness of the physics and neurology of two bodies in contact combined with an open sense of the poetics of human beings encountering each other.

A Release Approach to Contact Improvisation

We increase moment-to-moment functional awareness through tuning into proprioception - our physical experience of the body - allowing for greater ease, speed, and power. Through more sophisticated movement intelligence (as opposed to "muscling through") we find a more dynamic perception in time, informed by our accumulated skills but less hindered by attachment to physical habit. Through releasing patterns of hyper-control, we find dense, rich awareness of and participation in human interaction.

Physical Poetics

We look at our sense of meaning in movement… a sense of the poetics of interaction, whether in kinesthetics and physics or in the poetry of sensation, emotion, and experienced image. We play with holding onto themes and frames of reference in the dance in a sense of collaborative art-making that moves us literally and metaphorically. The art that emerges might be experienced visually in the space, but is rooted in the proprioceptive experience of Human Contact.

About Karl
Karl Frost has been practicing contact improvisation, directing experimental theater, and choreographing contemporary dance works since the 1980s. He is an internationally recognized teacher of contact improvisation and innovator in the field of interactive performance work and has performed and taught in over 25 countries. He is currently pursuing an MFA in Choreography and an MS in Ecology at UC Davis.

Beyond the Threshold Dance Program

2010-04-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

June 7th-11th, 2010

Study with national and international artists, including:
Donald Byrd (USA),
Oleg Gorboulev (Russia/USA),
Cyrus Khambatta (USA),
Maika Misumi (Japan),
Jasmine Morand (Switzerland),
David Nicolas Russo (Italy) and
Darryl Thomas (USA).

Two tracks:
1. Contemporary Partnering (great for CI-minded individuals)

2. Dance Technique (International Perspective)

Day Session is $350, 10am-5:15 daily (Intermediate/Advanced)
Evening Session is $125, 5:15-7:15 daily (Beginning/Intermediate)

Both tracks 1 and 2 are available for the day and evening sessions.
Scholarships are available for the day session.

Register or get more information on the Dance Intensive or email abigail (at) phffft.org.

Go to http://www.phffft.org/sidf.html for more info on performances
and the rest of the festival events!

DEADLINES:
Registration and $50 deposit due by May 7th, 2010
Full tuition due by June 4th, 2010

SFDI Registration is Open

2010-03-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

Seattle Somatics Workshop

2010-02-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 20, 2010 with Ed Barrera

Somatics Workshop to Transform the Root Cause of Your Physical Pains … and have some fun in your body!

Standing Stone Healing Arts
10am – 1pm
Seattle

Using simple, natural movements which you create through your own cortical pathways… You can instantly release brain chemicals which soothe, relax and make your pains seemingly and magically disappear.

More information at Gravity Werks.

DAG Spring Benefit - April 10

2010-02-09T21:15:00.000-08:00

April 10, 2010
Hot Diggity DAG!
Annual benefit concert with dance luminaries, a rockin' raffle & tasty treats!
Velocity Dance Center

With performances by:
Louis Gervais
Degenerate Art Ensemble's Haruko Nishimura & Human Jazz innovator Christian Swenson
Radiosonde (dancers Beth Graczyk, Alia Swersky, musicians Tom Baker, Angelina Baldoz, & others)
The A.W.A.R.D. Show! winner Amelia Reeber
UMAMI Performance (Aiko Kinoshita & Aaron Swartzman)

www.danceartgroup.org/seattle-dance-classes.html

February Authentic Movement

2010-02-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

Authentic Movement is a simple yet profound practice of self-awareness and discovery. Listening to the body, and finding movement from within, we explore the dance of presence, witnessing ourselves and others as awake and open as possible.

AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT WORKSHOP

Saturday, February 20, 2:30pm-5:30pm $45

In this workshop we explore our deeper selves through the practice of Authentic Movement. We will open to our bodies, listening internally in new and expansive ways. By giving over to what is not yet known we are moved into authenticity, surprise & deep enjoyment. A wonderful to way to go inside and emerge renewed and connected. Open to all.

...And the next workshop will be on Saturday, March 13, 2:30-5:30pm

To register or for information about Body-Oriented Psychotherapy contact Susan Baum at (206) 778-9183 or authenticmovement (at) hotmail.com or www.susanbaumtherapy.blogspot.com. Pre-registration is required.

Workshop will be held at 226 NW Bowdoin Place in Fremont.

Susan Baum MA LMHC is a psychotherapist in private practice working with individuals, couples and groups. Her approach to Authentic Movement is informed by her training in psychology, and her experience as a mover guides her holistic and body-based approach to psychotherapy. Susan brings her warmth and lively spirit to what she does, and provides an attentive and experienced presence that supports meaningful personal work.

Feldenkrais and More in February

2010-01-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

Dance Art Group / Movement Arts Research
Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm
Velocity Dance Center, Studio 3, 915 E Pine St, 3rd floor
$15/class; series discounts; drop-ins and all experience levels welcome
Info at http://www.danceartgroup.org/velocity-series.html

DAG/MAR features weekly classes in improvisation, performance, creative process and composition, contact improvisation, somatic education, New Dance techniques and other dance realms, with a different local teacher/topic each month.

February 4-25: LILA HURWITZ / FELDENKRAIS & FRIENDS

The Feldenkrais Method is a subtle and powerful system of neuromuscular re-education that evokes changes in muscular tone, flexibility, coordination, attention, and the comfort and efficiency of movement. We'll explore some classic Feldenkrais lessons, do some anatomy review to remind ourselves of the brilliant ways our bodies are designed to move, and delve into issues common to dancers. And we'll play with integrating those awarenesses while dabbling in an array of fabulous improvisational and perceptual practices including Authentic Movement, Contemplative Dance Practice, and the Tuning Score.

Lila is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner who has been teaching since 1987, including one of Seattle's longest-running weekly Feldenkrais classes since 1995. She likes to think she introduced Portland, OR, to Authentic Movement in the late 1980s, and learned from and has performed the Tuning Score with Karen Nelson and originator Lisa Nelson. She learned Contemplative Dance Practice from creator Barbara Dilley while on an ACDFA scholarship at Naropa University in 1987. She's performed with Karen Nelson, Lisa Nelson, Stephanie Skura, Bebe Miller, Ann Carlson, Crispin Spaeth, Nina Martin, Mary Oslund, Linda K. Johnson and many others.

Coming in March: Vanessa DeWolf
Coming in April: Nala Walla

17th annual SFDI! August 1-8, 2010

2010-01-12T20:36:00.000-08:00

Intimacy and Contact Improv

2010-01-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

Thoughts on Gender, Intimacy, and the Contact Improv Community from contact teacher Karl Frost.

Trapeze Arts

2010-01-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

Emerald City Trapeze Arts offers classes daily in the flying trapeze, aerial arts, trampoline and stripper pole. Visit www.EmeraldCityTrapeze.com.

Somatics Workshop - January 23

2010-01-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

Somatics Workshop for the Entire Body
with
Ed Barrera

Yoga Studio Be
1pm-4pm
Kirkland, WA

• Improve mobility, strength and coordination
• Release and reverse neuromuscular pain (chronic and acute)
• Improve posture and appearance
• Eliminate the need to guard to protect injured areas
• Create a new freedom of movement
• Provide a new sense of awareness and control in your life
• Improve Physical Fitness & Athletic Skills
• Ease Breathing

Contact Ed through Gravity Werks

Fremont Feldenkrias Class

2010-01-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

Sense Your Bones...Refine Your Skill...Move With Ease

Ongoing Awareness Through Movement(tm) class with Ethan Hickman

The human structure is capable of moving in 360 degrees with equal ease. Even if range is limited mechanically, the potential quality of our movement is unlimited. How can we experience this freedom? How do we cultivate the skill to be able to move in any direction, at any speed, at any moment? Gentle guided movement sequences will provide a frame for self-inquiry.

Where: Palace Studio, 226 NW Bowdoin Place, Fremont
When: Sunday evenings 6:30 - 7:45pm (starts January 24, 2010)
Cost: $12/single class, $30/3 classes, $45/5 classes

All experience levels welcome. Wear warm comfortable layers. Bring a mat to lie on.

Questions/More Info: ethan.hickman (at) gmail.com, 206.239.8403

NEW! Seattle Wednesday Night Contact Improv Jam

2010-01-04T10:57:00.000-08:00

Great news! There is a new weekly contact improv jam happening at OmCulture in Wallingford every Wednesday from 6 - 8 p.m. If you haven't been to OmCulture yet, the space is fantastic! High ceilings, water views, great floor! It's a beautiful, warm environment, perfect for contact.

The culture at this jam will be a little different than the Sunday jam. There will be a short facilitated warm up/exercise from 6:30 to 7 that will take us into the jam. There may music from time to time and a closing circle at 8, so we can dance right up to the last minute.

The price of this jam will be $5 for the first month or so. Eventually, it will go up to $8 but at that time, you can buy a 10 class card for $49 which is good for any event at OmCulture. The pass is also good for Love and Art! parties and many other events at OmCulture.

First jam is WEDNESDAY! January 6, 2010! 6 - 8 p.m. $5

Check out the OmCulture website for directions. omculture.com

Contact: Louis Gervais - louisgervais (at) hotmail.com

January AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT with Susan Baum

2009-12-21T20:11:00.000-08:00

Authentic Movement is a simple yet profound practice of self-awareness and discovery. Listening to the body, and finding movement from within, we explore the dance of presence, witnessing ourselves and others as awake and open as possible.

AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT WORKSHOP

Saturday, January 9, 2:30pm-5:30pm $45

In this workshop we explore our deeper selves through the practice of Authentic Movement. We will open to our bodies, listening internally in new and expansive ways. By giving over to what is not yet known we are moved into authenticity, surprise & deep enjoyment. A wonderful to way to go inside and emerge renewed and connected. Open to all.

To register or for information about Body-Oriented Psychotherapy contact Susan Baum at (206) 778-9183 authenticmovement (at) hotmail.com www.susanbaumtherapy.blogspot.com Pre-registration is required.

All workshops will be held at 226 NW Bowdoin Place in Fremont

Susan Baum MA LMHC is a psychotherapist in private practice working with individuals, couples and groups. Her approach to Authentic Movement is informed by her training in psychology, and her experience as a mover guides her holistic and body-based approach to psychotherapy. Susan brings her warmth and lively spirit to what she does, and provides an attentive and experienced presence that supports meaningful personal work.

Seattle Dance Workshop with Bebe Miller

2009-11-18T16:10:00.000-08:00

December 7-11, 2009
Workshop with "Bessie" Awardee and Guggenheim Fellow Bebe Miller

FINDING PHYSICALITY: TECHNIQUE & CREATIVE PRACTICE
For advanced dance makers.

Monday-Friday :: 10am-1pm

Information: Dance Art Group

Weekly Feldenkrais with Lila

2009-11-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

Gain immediate improvement in posture, breathing, chronic pain, and flexibility; increase your self-awareness as you move throughout the world.

THE FELDENKRAIS METHOD® of NEUROMUSCULAR RE-EDUCATION
Weekly Class with Lila Hurwitz

Learn to move with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. Know yourself and be your best.

WEDNESDAYS, 6:00-7:00pm
Studio-Current, 1417 Tenth Ave #C (between Pike & Union on Capitol Hill; look for the Sweatbox Yoga signs)
$12; $110/10-class card
No experience necessary; drop-ins welcome anytime

-----------------------------------------------

The Feldenkrais Method is a subtle and powerful system of neuromuscular re-patterning that evokes changes in muscular tone, range of motion, coordination, attention, and the comfort and efficiency of movement. These Awareness Through Movement® lessons will help you recognize habitual movement patterns and discover more comfortable ways to move.

Beyond its applications to physical improvement, Feldenkrais is a fascinating and sophisticated method of developing your skills of attention and self-awareness, directly affecting and benefiting your everyday sense of self in choice-making, interactions and potential.

-----------------------------------------------

Open to all movement abilities and skill levels, from super-jocks to couch potatoes. Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothes.

Lila Hurwitz, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner(sm), has been studying movement and dance for over 38 years and teaching since 1987.

For more info:
206.650.3305 . lhurwitz (at) speakeasy.net . www.feldenkraisteachersinseattle.com

Centrum Contact Improv Jam

2009-10-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Centrum Jam will take place December 17-20 including morning labs and copious amounts of jam time daily.

For full information, go to http://www.phffft.org/centrumjam.html.

Contact Improvisation Workshop - Nov 6-8

2009-10-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

Contact Improvisation Workshop with
internationally-renowned teachers
Eckhard Müller & Daniela Schwartz

SETTLING INTO THE CONSTANT ACT OF CHANGE
a workshop for experienced Contact Improvisors

November 6-8, 2009
Friday 6-9pm :: Saturday & Sunday Noon-5pm
University of Washington Dance Program, Meany Hall Studio 267
Sliding scale $160–180 if paid in full by October 30, 2009. After 10/30/09, $185–205 if space is available.

Info/registration: Dance Art Group

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Engaging us at a body/mind level, this workshop invites us to embrace the unexpected with comfort and acceptance in order to inhabit our body in the present moment, allowing the movement flow to emerge from the dance as we let it take us into the three-dimensionality of space. We will develop the relationship to the ground revealing the strength and possibilities of our structure as we increase a feeling of lightness and freedom and train our ability to modulate the tone of our body as a response to the momentary needs of the dance. For dancers with at least three years' CI experience.

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Eckhard Müller fell in love with Contact Improvisation in 1988. He has collaborated with many improvisers in research and performance groups to develop his understanding of “instant composition” as an art form. He has been teaching CI since 1994 to theatres, dance companies, schools and dance centers worldwide. As a dancer he has worked for choreographers Mark Tompkins, David Zambrano and others. He is co-founder of the dance theatre company Dégadézo in Strasbourg, France, using improvisation to create set pieces. Eckhard has been active in building “contact communities” in Freiburg and Strasbourg, and supporting others all over the world. He is co-founder of the contactfestival freiburg, a major CI event. In 2006 he developed SKIN, an interdisciplinary and interactive performance project occurring in Germany, Argentina, France, Uruguay and Switzerland, in collaboration with Daniela Schwartz.

Daniela Schwartz (Argentina/France) has been a dancer, performer and teacher of Contact Improvisation and Instant Composition since 1998. She graduated in Fine Arts from Ecole Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg, and has taught with Eckhard Müller to diverse companies, festivals and institutions in South America and beyond. She has created several works as a member of the dance theater Cie Dégadézo, and has taught at Theater Pôle Sud, Ecole Municipale de Danse, Theatre National, and CIRA in Strasbourg. Years of fine art studies, video creation, installations, performances and the artistic aspects of the body inform her physical practice and intellectual research.

Louis Gervais / Dancing Energy Systems

2009-09-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

Dance Art Group / Movement Arts Research
Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm
Velocity Dance Center, Studio 3, 915 E Pine St, 3rd floor
$15/class; series discounts; drop-ins and all experience levels welcome

DAG/MAR features weekly classes in improvisation, performance, creative process and composition, contact improvisation, somatic education, New Dance techniques and other dance realms, with a different local teacher/topic each month.

:: OCTOBER 1-29: LOUIS GERVAIS / DANCING ENERGY SYSTEMS ::

When we look beyond our visible, physical bodies, we can see ourselves as intersections of energy & information. From this alternate standpoint, we resemble a chain of interconnected centers or chakras that are in constant motion as our life force energy flows in, out & throughout our bodies. Through improvisation, visualization & somatic exploration, we can create powerful personal relationships with the invisible & ever-changing energetic self.

Working with gesture & story, we describe shapes & pathways of these centers. Through rhythm & breath, we can sense the distinctly different qualities of energy throughout the body & beyond. Creative exploration & knowledge of the chakra system not only enhances self awareness & movement quality, it can also vitalize yoga & other somatic practices as well.

Louis Gervais (MFA) is a solo artist, dance educator & choreographer. He brings 40 years of dance experience & creativity to his teaching. Louis has performed with Compagnie Marie Chouinard & the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company among many other professional dance companies. Louis’ somatic work combines improvisation with transcendent dance practices & Eastern philosophy within a somatic framework. louisinperformance.blogspot.com.

Coming in November: Haruko Nishimura / Butoh: The Fully Committed Body

Contact Improv Class - Sept 9-30

2009-09-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

with Aiko Kinoshita and Aaron Swartzman

September 9 - 30
Wed: 6-8:30pm
Sun: 6-8pm (no class 9/20)
Open Flight Studio (4205 University, U-District at 42nd)
Cost: $70 pre-registration (commitment is good, registration is
recommended even if you cannot make every class)
Drop-ins: $15 (if space is available)

All levels of experienced movers welcome!
**Questions & Registration to: umamiperformance (at) gmail.com

By building on a solid base of fundamentals; listening, rolling,
weight-sharing, spiraling, and following through with momentum, we
will find ourselves falling into flying, in playful partnering, with
plenty of time for open dancing, individual play and questions. We
will look at contact both experientially and performatively, seeking
ways to evoke rich landscapes of sensation and bring those landscapes
out into the visible world.

Aiko is involved in contemporary dance as a choreographer, performer,
teacher, and arts administrator. Aiko’s choreography has been
presented nationally and in Canada,pic Korea and Japan and she has
danced with numerous regional choreographers, performed in her own
work through acornDance, and toured nationally and internationally as
a member of Lingo Dancetheatre (2002-2007). Aiko currently
collaborates with Aaron Swartzman as UMAMI Performance. Aiko teaches
at Open Flight where she is a resident artist and at Velocity Dance
Center where she was Managing Director until 2005. Aiko is grateful
to be able to play with the language of dance and to express her
identity as an artist, citizen, multi-ethnic person, and physical
being, through movement. Her on-going research reflects her interest
in improvisation, natural physicality, dynamic partnering, and
technique.

Aaron is a dancer, father, improviser, Capoierista and educator. He
has danced professionally since 2001, working deeply with LINGO
dancetheater, LeGendre Performance and collaboratively with Aiko
Kinoshita in UMAMI Performance. Aaron has taught contact and other
improvisational dance forms at the Seattle Festival of Dance
Improvisation, Sierra Contact Festival, Burning Man, and Dance Art
Group's Movement Arts Research series as well as extensively while on
tour with LINGO dancetheater. He believes in the richness and practice
of discovering spontaneous beauty and weaving it towards ongoing
artistic transformation.

Purposeful Play with Jenna Bean Veatch

2009-08-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

Dance Art Group / Movement Arts Research
Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm
Velocity Dance Center, Studio 3, 915 E Pine St, 3rd floor
$15/class; series discounts; drop-ins and all experience levels welcome
Info at http://www.danceartgroup.org/velocity-series.html

DAG/MAR features weekly classes in improvisation, performance, creative process and composition, contact improvisation, somatic education, New Dance techniques and other dance realms, with a different local teacher/topic each month.

:: September 10-24: JENNA BEAN VEATCH / PURPOSEFUL PLAY ::

This class is taught from the perspective that fun is not frivolous, but rather, that it is deeply important. Improvisation will be treated here as a playful release, a path to deep connection, and a valuable choreographic tool. We'll explore, learn, and create by playing games, working to awaken both our physical bodies and our creative, productive minds.

Jenna Bean Veatch has been accused of creating "pure, unadulterated, heart-stopping whimsy." She has taught movement to students ages 1-71 and at various times has taken on the roles of dancer, choreographer, performance artist, clown, ukulele songstress, magical fairy, dancing doll, anti-war dance demonstration organizer, and Marshmallow Peep. In addition to performing her own solo work, she and Alysa Haas make up the dynamic dance duo The Tumbleweed Bandits. She also currently dances with Ricki Mason as one of the Launchettes, and works with Lucia Neare's Theatrical Wonders as a performer and choreographer.

AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT/with Susan Baum

2009-08-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Authentic Movement is a simple yet profound practice of self-awareness and discovery. Listening to the body, and finding movement from within, we explore the dance of presence, witnessing ourselves and others as awake and open as possible.

OPEN LEVEL WORKSHOPS
Saturdays, 2:30pm-5:30pm $45 for each workshop
(10/17, 12/5, 2/6, 4/10, 6/5) Attend one or several.
In these all levels workshops we will open to our bodies, listening to ourselves in new and expansive ways. By giving over to what is not yet known we are moved into authenticity, surprise & deep enjoyment.

WORKSHOPS FOR COUPLES
Saturdays, 2:30pm-5:30pm $90 per couple
(11/7, 1/9, 3/13, 5/15) Attend one or several.
Through the practice of Authentic Movement we find a framework for fostering genuine presence, feeling and expressing ourselves deeply as we are with another. This is a wonderful way for couples to explore how they see, feel, and interact by attending and following the deeper layers of experience. Aliveness, depth and genuine compassion grow.

ONGOING GROUP FOR EXPERIENCED MOVERS
One Sunday a Month, Sept-June 11:30am-3pm $500
(9/27, 10/18, 11/8, 12/6, 1/10, 2/7, 3/14, 4/11, 5/16, 6/6)
During the year we will explore the practice in ways that expand our sense of both personal and collective process. This ongoing group is a wonderful way to connect with oneself and others.

To register or for information about Authentic Movement or Body-Oriented Psychotherapy contact Susan Baum at (206) 778-9183 www.susanbaumtherapy.blogspot.com.

Susan Baum MA LMHC is a psychotherapist in private practice working with individuals, couples and groups. Her approach to Authentic Movement is informed by her training in psychology, and her experience as a mover guides her holistic and body-based approach to psychotherapy. Susan brings her warmth and lively spirit to what she does, and provides an attentive and experienced presence that supports meaningful personal work.

SFDI Performances!

2009-08-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Tickets on sale now!
Off the Cuff
Dance Innovators in Concert

Part of the 16th annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI)

Friday . August 7 . 7pm
Saturday . August 8 . 9pm

SFDI student shows: Friday 8/7 at 9pm, Saturday 8/8 at 7pm

Broadway Performance Hall . 1625 Broadway . Seattle
$15 faculty show; $8 student show; multiple show discounts
Tickets: Brown Paper Tickets

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"Lachambre is a stimulator, a magician, a creator of disturbing images and his work questions the accepted forms of representations in dance... Discovering him is like peering behind the clapboard facade of a Hollywood set and finding Albert Einstein at work." (Dance Theatre Journal)

The 2009 Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI) presents Off the Cuff, two evenings of innovative performance with leading dance artists from around the world. Off the Cuff is the only chance each year to see these world-renowned artists gather under one roof in the Northwest.

Slated to perform are some of the shiniest stars of the improvisational dance world: "Bessie" Award winners Benoit Lachambre (Montreal) and Stephanie Skura (WA); Contact Improvisation pioneer Nita Little (CA); NYC's Movement Research Co-Founder Daniel Lepkoff (VT); Alicia Grayson (CO); Delia Brett (Vancouver, BC) Margit Galanter (NY); Jack Magai (NY); Karen Schaffman (CA); Susan Schell (ME); Gretchen Spiro (CO); Brad Stoller (PA); local favorites Aiko Kinoshita, Maureen Freehill, Cyrus Khambatta, Tonya Lockyer, Alia Swersky; and many more. Schedule subject to change.

"It's the fierce originality and brave poetry bubbling up beneath the steps that make her an artist for all time... Skura is a great American experimentalist." (Dance Ink)

Friday 7pm:

Maureen Freehill . Cyrus Khambatta . Daniel Lepkoff . Nita Little with Rosemary Hannon . Karen Schaffman with Leslie Seiters . Brad Stollar

Saturday 9pm:

Delia Brett . Margit Galanter . Alicia Grayson . Aiko Kinoshita . Benoit Lachambre . Jack Magai . Susan Schell . Gretchen Spiro . Alia Swersky

Also featuring Tonya Lockyer, Stephanie Skura and special guests.

The Friday 9pm and Saturday 7pm shows feature dance works by SFDI students from around the world.

::

These concerts are part of the 16th annual SFDI (Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation), August 2-9, a world-renowned dance festival offering master classes with internationally-recognized faculty, public performances, jams, and more. 17 dance artists from around the world and the state converge upon Seattle to teach and perform a wide variety of improvisational dance techniques.

SFDI is produced by DAG (Dance Art Group), which is supported in part by 4Culture and the Mayor's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation

2009-07-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

2009 Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation
16th annual SFDI! August 2-9, 2009

CLASSES . PERFORMANCES . JAMS . DISCUSSIONS

5-Class Intensives: Benoit Lachambre . Daniel Lepkoff . Nita Little

4-Class Somatic Intensive: Susan Schell

Plus classes with Delia Brett . Maureen Freehill . Margit Galanter . Alicia Grayson . Cyrus Khambatta . Aiko Kinoshita . Tonya Lockyer . Jack Magai . Karen Schaffman . Stephanie Skura . Gretchen Spiro . Brad Stoller . Alia Swersky

Information at Dance Art Group

Beyond the Threshold - Contact Improv Workshops

2009-06-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

Beyond the Threshold: Seattle International Dance Festival includes contact improv workshops with Mirva Birgitta Mäkinen (Finland) and Claire Filmon (France). Contact Cyrus Khambatta for information.

DAG Memorial Day Weekend Dance Extravaganza

2009-05-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

BARE BONES!
Memorial Day Weekend Dance Extravaganza

Have a staycation this Memorial Day Weekend! Join Dance Art Group for a weekend of dance workshops, the 15th annual Bare Bones Benefit performances and party, and a big fat dance jam to finish it off.

WORKSHOPS :: FRIDAY, MAY 22 :: Fremont Abbey, 4272 Fremont Ave N

10am-1pm :: BUTOH: CONNECTING THE DOTS with Jyl Brewer
The beauty & strength of Butoh lies within the "MA," "the space between." The dance itself is the vibrant energy field which holds together & contains the movements. We will enhance this energy field through awareness using physical tools & breath, contacting personal intent, & using images which allow the mind & body to let go of conscious & unconscious limitations & judgments. Free yourself into a more creative, vibrant dance which naturally integrates into daily life.

Jyl Shinjo Brewer has been a Butoh dancer for 20 years training in Japan under Kazuo Ohno, performing extensively in Japan, Europe & America. She lived & trained full-time in Sogenji Zen Monastery in Japan for 11 years.

2-5pm :: DANCING TOGETHER with Sheri Cohen
We will use touching, listening & vision exercises to warm ourselves deeply, attune our senses & stimulate our imaginations. Through witnessing & other partner forms, we will bring our internal images out to be seen & shared. Group dancing scores will give us an opportunity to share our images & experiences with others through clear actions, & to make dances together.

Sheri Cohen is an award-winning choreographer, improviser and performer. She has taught at Cornish College, Oberlin College, Evergreen University, & in many other grassroots-organized workshops since 1992. She also teaches hatha yoga & is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner(cm).

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WORKSHOPS :: SATURDAY, MAY 23 :: Open Flight Studio, 4205 University Way NE

9am-noon :: THE GRADUATED DROPOUT with Scott Davis
Take a soft, connected ride to the floor. We will build on basic Contact Improvisation techniques toward a place where we can trust a shared release to the ground. We'll focus on keeping our centers connected even during a descent. We'll move step by step away from bumps & disconnections to soft, controlled, melting dropouts.

W. Scott Davis is a Seattle-based artist with an eclectic background in contemporary dance, improvisational dance & physical theater performance. His work includes seven years with Lingo dancetheater & multiple collaborative projects with LeGendre Performance, Phfffft Dance, Acorn Dance & Loon Soup Theater Troupe.

1:30-4:30pm :: RELATING TO with Jurg Koch
This workshop will explore the time & space relationship through solo, partnering & group work, through scores oscillating between improvisation & set work, specific parameters & open play.

Jurg Koch (MA LCDS London, Faculty UW Seattle). Working with CandoCo with disabled & non-disabled performers, dancing in contemporary repertory & choreographing inform Jurg's artistic and pedagogic outlook. He is currently working with Lyn Goeringer (new media) & dancers Alia Swersky & Joseph Anderson on ab:from/to, a dance performance installation for On the Boards' Northwest New Works Festival.

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15th annual BARE BONES BENEFIT for Dance Art Group!
SATURDAY, MAY 23, 7pm
Performances . Auction . Party
Hosted by the dazzling Jasper McCann of the Atomic Bombshells,
with performances by Paige Barnes, Scott Davis, Maureen Freehill, Beth Graczyk,
Kristin Hapke, Aiko Kinoshita, Jurg Koch, and more!
Annex Theatre, 1100 E Pike St

::

WORKSHOP & JAM :: SUNDAY, MAY 24 :: Fremont Abbey, 4272 Fremont Ave N

10am-12pm :: CONTEMPLATIVE DANCE PRACTICE with Alia Swersky
Contemplative Dance Practice (CDP) was developed by Barbara Dilley of Naropa University. CDP is a three-part form consisting of sitting meditation, personal warm-up, & open movement space. This practice allows for deep connection to the language of your own body, offers an opportunity to witness, & a rich open space of improvisational play.

Alia Swersky is a movement artist, improviser, performer & teacher. She creates work & collaborates with many Seattle artists, taught at University Prep for six years, is an adjunct faculty member at Cornish College of the Arts, teaches yoga, & is a Co-Artistic Director of Dance Art Group.

1-4pm :: SUPER-SIZE BENEFIT JAM
The long-running weekly dance jam at Velocity Dance Center relocates for the day to the Fremont Abbey for this special extra-long jam to benefit Dance Art Group!

:: :: ::

REGISTER at Dance Art Group

$125: All Workshops, Contemplative Dance Practice, Jam
$35: One Workshop; $5 off each additional workshop
$25: Contemplative Dance Practice
$5-15: Jam

Beyond the Threshold - Seattle International Dance Festival

2009-05-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Festival Calendar Overview:

PERFORMANCES
June 13-14 // Seattle Center // (206) 684-7200
Installation piece Shiver opens at 12noon Sat. June 13th and closes Sat. June 14th at 6pm.

International and local dance and musical artists perform from 12 noon until 5pm Sat. and Sun. June 13th & 14th: dance artists including Astad Deboo (India), The Phffft! Company (Seattle) along with others and musical artists Moraine, Reptet and Deep Sleep Narcotics Co.

For more info. on festival performance, go to www.phffft.org/sidf.html.

June 19 & 21 // Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center // (206) 684-4757

4 companies/groups and one dance video Friday June 19 at 8pm and Sunday June 21 at 7:30pm:
Astad Deboo (India) and company, Tasneem Rangwala, Divya Rangarajan and Archana Kumar
Mirva Makinen (Finland) with Trinidad Martinez (Spain/Seattle) and Cyrus Khambatta (U.S.)
Cyrus Khambatta and The Phffft! Dance Theatre Company (Seattle)
Claire Filmon, Stephane Els/ Company Asphodèle Danses Envol (France)
Dance fim by Paige Phillips and Przemek Pardyak (U.S./Poland)

WORKSHOPS with international artists:
June 15-20 // Grassroots Studio & Camp Long // (206) 935-0459 //
5200 35th Ave. SW (W. Seattle)

Mirva Makinen (Finland) teaches Details in Dance on June 20 from 11-4pm
Claire Filmon (France) will teach "CI and Underscore" and "CI and speaking," inspired by her work/performing with Simone Forti Monday June 15, 16 & 17 from 1-4 and 6-9pm.

For more information on both workshops or to sign up, go to www.phffft.org/sidf-workshops.html.

Meet the Artists

Astad Deboo pioneered Modern Dance in India merging Graham and Limon technique studied at the London School of Contemporary Dance with Kathkali and Kathak traditional Indian dance. Based in Mumbai, the city of Slumdog Millionaire fame, Astad is truly a one-of-a-kind artist not to be missed. He arrives in Seattle two weeks early for a unique collaborative project to be performed with local dancers versed in Indian/Modern crossover at Seattle Center on June 13 & 14 at 12 noon (see below). Then his group will perform a split-bill, along with the companies listed below, at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center on June 19 & 21.

Mirva Mäkinen is a Finnish dance artist from Helsinki working with the Zodiak Center for New Dance, Karttunen Kollectiv and Circo Aereo. Having received her MA and studied Modern Dance at the Theater Academy of Finland her work fuses contemporary technique and improvisational dance modalities into a passionate performance amalgam. Mirva will be joined by Spanish artist, Trinidad Martinez, most recently seen in Pat Graney's House of Mind, and Phffft! Company Artistic Director, Cyrus Khambatta for a three-country collaboration. The artists will create the piece in different countries and spend one week assembling them in Seattle before the festival. Another exciting adventure in art not to be missed. Performances are June 19 & 21 at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center.

Cyrus Khambatta, Artistic Director of The Phffft! Dance Theatre Company, is compelled to create partnering movement that contains precise synchonicity inside intensely organized chaos. "I like to see how many split-second moments the audience can catch with the eye." says Mr. Khambatta. Fed also by the intrinsic qualities of each of his powerful cast of dancers, the company will present the premiere of Interview with The American Dream. Based on a sound-track created by calling one person in each state in the U.S., the piece explores how Americans notion of the "American dream" has/has not changed with recent events. You don't want to miss this company's split-second timing and intricate partnering finesse. Performances are June 19 & 21 at Langston Hughes.

Claire Filmon and Stéphane Els (France) are Company Asphodèle Danses Envol. "Asphodèle" is a small blue or white flower, the subject of a Matisse painting, that only grows on mountain tops. The Greek origins of the word mean "the flower of the forgotten." And like this flower, Claire, who performs frequently with Simone Forti, presents a performance style both delicate and nuanced. 8 mn 08 precisely," the piece she and Staphane will perform is a sensitive and precious little piece art you will want to take home in your pocket.

Dance Artist, Paige Phillips and Polish film Director, Przemek Pardyak teamed up to create a dance film, As Was Said, based on Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov's novel, Master and Margarita. The sensuous and mysterious film hosts a battery of quirky characters, intriguing plots and subplots with the feel of a secret society of misfits, akin to the underground world of Alice in Wonderland. The film was shot entirely in Seattle and includes Phffft! dancer of three years running, Chris McCallister among its cast. The festival presentation will be the world premiere of the film.

In addition to performances at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, Beyond the Threshold Site Specific will present over 50 artists and groups performing music and dance at Seattle Center's Center House on June 13 & 14 from 12-5pm. The events circle around an installation by Cyrus Khambatta entitled "Shiver" in which 5,000 tiny pieces of tissue suspended above the audience, "shiver" at the frequency of the Earth's orbit of the Sun. Dance artists, including Astad Deboo performing in person (his company performs June 19/21), Cyrus Khambatta/The Phffft! Dance Theatre Company along with numerous others, and musical artists, Moraine, Deep Sleep Narcotics and the Nextdoor Neighbors. Check the website as artists are still being added.

Buy Your Raffle Tickets - DAG's Bare Bones Benefit

2009-05-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

get your raffle tickets quick for DAG's Bare Bones Benefit coming up May 23.

we're raffling off fabulous prize packages including:

:: indulgent spa visits
:: tickets for theater, dance, live music, movies
:: books and music gift certificates
:: yoga, dance, and martial arts classes
:: massages and bodywork
:: dinners out on the town
:: Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation classes, performances and fashion!

and loads more.

1 raffle ticket for $2
3 for $5
7 for $10
15 for $20

as some of you can attest from past years, winning a huge wheel of cheese or a big bucket of tools is just about the best thing ever.

and all proceeds go towards producing the 16th annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation this summer, so your money will be well spent all around.

you don't have to be there to win; we'll let you know if you do. but it's definitely more fun if you're there!

let me know what you want, i'll hook you up...

Lila Hurwitz
Administrative Director
Dance Art Group
lila (at) danceartgroup.org

May 4-25: Sheri Cohen / Revealing Presence

2009-05-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

Dance Art Group / Movement Arts Research
Mondays 6-7:30pm
Velocity Dance Center, Studio 3, 915 E Pine St, 3rd floor
$15/class; series discounts; drop-ins and all experience levels welcome
Info at http://www.danceartgroup.org/velocity-series.html

DAG/MAR features weekly classes in improvisation, performance, creative process and composition, contact improvisation, somatic education, New Dance techniques and other dance realms, with a different local teacher/topic each month.

May 4-25: Sheri Cohen / Revealing Presence

We will use touching, listening and vision exercises to attune our senses and stimulate our imaginations. Through witnessing and other partner forms, we will bring our internal images out to be seen and shared. Group dancing scores will give us an opportunity to share our images and experiences with others through clear actions, and to make dances together.

Sheri Cohen is an award-winning choreographer and dance teacher. She has taught at Cornish College, Oberlin College, Evergreen University, and in many other grassroots-organized workshops since 1992. She is a hatha yoga teacher and a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner(cm).

And coming up:
June 1-29: Kristin Hapke / Only You: Solo Play

Dance Art Group

Lasqueti Island BC - Contact Improv Workshop and Jam

2009-05-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

JULY 25 - AUGUST 1 2009

CONTACT IMPROVISATION WORKSHOP + INQUIRY & JAM
with Carolyn Stuart

July 25-26 Workshop
CONTACT CONFIDENT
$150 (cdn)

Everything you need to know for safe and satisfying dancing.
The principles are simple, the practice infinite.
Beginners welcome. Participation is divine.
Come as you are, begin from there.
Bring your curiosity.

July 26 - August 1
CONTACT INQUIRY & JAM
$280 (cdn)

State of Inquiry: How does inquiry inform our dancing?
What is? What are we doing? What else is possible?
What unfolds as we embody our curiosity, physically and verbally?
We gather in inquire, or ourselves and each other.

Carolyn Stuart - Explorer of C.I. since 1984, calling her thread of inquiry the Touchmonkey path. She realized hundreds of performance projects with Patrick Gracewood in the 90's, spent years teaching and performing world-wide and is now based in Portland,OR. Her events emphasize inquiry and exploration as the origin and life blood of the form. All are invited to research and contribute to the paradigm of contact improvising, on and off the dance floor!

WORKSHOP $150 cdn / INQUIRY&JAM $280 cdn /
FULL 8 DAYS @ $380 cdn
Camping, food and childcare provided.
Tasty vegetarian meals w/ wheat-free, vegan and non veg. options.

Non-refundable deposit of $100 is required, with total due July 1.
Workshop is limited to 25, the Inquiry & Jam to 50.
Last year we filled fast so send a deposit to save your space.

To register send cheques to-
Mark Young
123 Sesame Street
Lasqueti Island, BC V0R 2J0

or contact Mark at markyoung (at) lasqueti.ca for further information regarding registration and logistics.

For more information on the content of the event please contact Carolyn touchmonk (at) yahoo.com or 503-282-2938.

Call for Artists for Beyond the Threshold Festival

2009-05-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

Call for Artists for Beyond the Threshold Festival Site Specific
Deadline: May 14, 2009
Event Date: June 13 & 14, 2009
Event Location Seattle Center (site specific)
To apply, go to website: www.phffft.org/sidf-artists.html

On June 13 and 14, Beyond the Threshold International Dance Festival will take over Seattle Center’s Center House, with a site specific installation by Cyrus Khambatta, entitled Shiver, with 5,000 small pieces of tissue hanging above the audience “shivering” to the frequency of the earth’s orbit.

We are requesting applications from local choreographers, dancers and dance companies for innovative projects in and around this installation to be included in the festival alongside international artists from India, Finland, France and the U.S.

Memorial Day Weekend Dance Extravaganza

2009-04-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

Dance Art Group presents...

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND DANCE EXTRAVAGANZA

Join Dance Art Group for a weekend of dance workshops,
the 15th annual Bare Bones Benefit performances and party, and a big fat dance jam to finish it off.

Visit Dance Art Group for full workshop descriptions and bios.

FRIDAY, MAY 22 :: Fremont Abbey, 4272 Fremont Ave N
10am-1pm :: BUTOH WORKSHOP with Jyl Brewer
2-5pm :: IMPROVISATION WORKSHOP with Sheri Cohen

SATURDAY, MAY 23 :: Open Flight Studio, 4205 University Way NE
9am-noon :: CONTACT IMPROVISATION WORKSHOP with Scott Davis
1:30-4:30pm :: IMPROVISATION WORKSHOP with Jurg Koch

7pm :: BARE BONES BENEFIT FOR DANCE ART GROUP! Annex Theatre, 1100 E Pike St
Performances . Silent Auction . Party
With Paige Barnes, Scott Davis, Maureen Freehill, Beth Graczyk, Kristin Hapke, Jurg Koch, and more special guests to be announced.

SUNDAY, MAY 24 :: Fremont Abbey, 4272 Fremont Ave N
10am-12pm :: CONTEMPLATIVE DANCE PRACTICE with Alia Swersky
1-4pm :: SUPER-SIZE DANCE JAM to benefit Dance Art Group!

::

$125: All Workshops, Contemplative Dance Practice, Jam
$35: One Workshop; $5 off each additional workshop
$20-40: Bare Bones Benefit
$25: Contemplative Dance Practice
$5-15: Jam

:: :: ::

Dance Art Group (DAG) fosters and promotes the study, practice, and appreciation of improvisational dance in Seattle. DAG produces the annual Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI) and other events that encourage and support innovative research and education in dance. DAG is supported by 4Culture, the Mayor's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, and generous individual donors. Help support DAG by making a tax-deductible donation.

Partner Yoga - April 26

2009-04-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

Partner Yoga with Alia Swersky and Sheri Cohen
Sunday, April 26, 1:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Discover how you can support and be supported by a partner by moving together playfully, in exploration and trust in modified yoga postures. Easily find new depth in your strength and flexibility through gentle weight-sharing, counter-balancing, and resistance with a partner.

All levels of experience welcome. Come with a curious and open mind. Bring a partner or come on your own. Please pre-register.

Alia and Sheri have long histories performing and teaching dance, including Contact Improvisation. We're exited to share our love of sensation and discovery through the ancient movements of hatha yoga.

$24 / Lotus members $20
Lotus Yoga, 4860 Rainier Avenue South
206.760.1917, Lotus Yoga