Cville Contact Improv Co-op: Contact jams and classes in Charlottesville, VA
A community-owned, cooperatively-organized, not-for-profit, by-donation Contact Improv organization, with facilitated contact jams, classes, and other events in Charlottesville, VA (with dancers from all around Central Virginia: Richmond, Lynchburg, Louisa, Roanoke, Harrisonburg, and out of town visitors from all over!) Come dance and co-create with us!
Since March 2018, we've had 115 dancers participate in 51 classes and jams, with dozens of teachers and facilitators! New events beginning Feb. 24, 2020!
| Email: |
organizers@cvfooilleci.com
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| Facebook: | http://facebook.com/cvilleci/ |
| Upcoming events: |
- 2020 update: Bi-weekly jam series, 2nd & 4th Mondays @ 6pm beginning Feb. 24th, 2020! @McGuffey Studio 20 (FB event)
- Mar. 9th, 2020: Matt will host: With a yoga nidra/guided meditation warmup, a review of various Contact Improv movements/concepts, a lab to explore with rotating partners, and a round robin/jam before closing circle. Please arrive early or on time!
- Get news via our announcements list - email organizers@cvfooilleci.com
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Upcoming events:
Bi-weekly jam series, 2nd & 4th Mondays @ 6pm beginning Feb. 24th, 2020! @ McGuffey Art Center, Studio 20
Our new jams will creatively experiment with a variety of possible shapes (see below). All jams will be by donation, starting at $0, and welcoming to dancers of all levels. Donations for our not-for-profit events go toward hard costs such as studio rental and website hosting.
Please come as you are able and know that we only dance when we dance together. Your presence is important. We encourage everyone to arrive on time and stay through the closing circle.
Upcoming 2nd & 4th Mondays: Feb. 24, Mar. 9, Mar. 23, and more if you keep coming! (FB event)
Park in guest spots behind McGuffy (not against the building). Enter through side door closest to Market St.
Outside doors will be locked, but someone will let people in at side door until 6pm. Late arrivals will need to call the number posted on the door.
Matt will host this Mon. 3/9 @ 6pm: With a yoga nidra/guided meditation warmup, a review of various Contact Improv movements/concepts, a lab to explore with rotating partners, and a round robin/jam before closing circle. Please arrive early or on time!
New, Creative Jam Format
With the spirit of experimentation, the rotating facilitator will creatively tweak the format of each jam, to see what resonates and what?s possible. Each jam will continue to have a designated facilitator, opening circle check-ins, guided warm-up,
closing circle sharing, time for unstructured movement, and work within our shared Jam Guidelines. We will always have someone available to work with newcomers (or others) who want focused guidance into contact improvisation.
Some jam variations may include:
- Labs: We can explore specific skills or aspects of dancing through experiential workshoping, dialogue, and support to intentionally explore new edges together.
- Round robins: A dynamic witnessing circle in which we all learn through the friendly dialectic of observing and being observed.
- One-on-one?s: Dancers are paired and we practice co-learning through giving, receiving, and asking for feedback.
- The Underscore: A light framework we've practiced a few times in the Co-op, to help us focus on the shape and flow of our shared experience within a jam.
- Somatic research: Using visual forms such as writing or drawing to iteratively record, analyze, and share our experience of the dance.
- Blindfold jams: We create a safe container to explore the dance through sensory curation.
- Contact Improv 101: To welcome curious friends and solidify foundational skills.
We need all of us together!
The Cville CI Co-op functions because of the input of each of us in the community. We give as we are able and receive a fabulous community of local dancers and events out of our shared efforts. We need others to support the ongoing health of the co-op and those
of us organizing it. We could use help with:
- Outreach: Share social media events, forward emails, post to calendars you're aware of, invite friends.
- Facilitate a warm-up: Guide a CI or related somatic warm-up to help move the group toward dancing.
- Studio space: Provide access to alternate, financially reasonable studio space, should McGuffy be unavailable.
- Childcare: Occasionally offer childcare during select events so that parents can be accessibly included in dancing.
- Rideshares: Offer rides to/from jams for those who need one.
- Planning: Our last meeting had Matt, Emily, Megan, Brad and Ken. Come join our next one!
Let us know if you are up for any of the above and we will coordinate!
With yes, and...
Megan & Ken
writing for the Cville CI Co-op
Earlier events:
Saturday June 22nd, 2019 10am-1pm:
Global Underscore Contact Jam
Hosted by Emily Wright, Ken Laster, and Megan Renfro
(Read more)
The Underscore brings awareness to the states that occur in the practice of contact improvisation. It follows the stages of arrival, development, and resolution that naturally tend to occur at contact improv jams. By naming the elements and flows of encounters with self and other, we are able to become more resonant with each moment and possibility. After the initial "assembly" of verbal check-ins, the score is danced as an open, focused jam until the final "harvest" time of sharing reflections of individual experience.
The Global Underscore happens simultaneously around the world on the summer solstice each year. Through this shared practice we grow the connectedness of the community in both practice and awareness.
A "talk through" overview of the underscore will happen at the beginning of the event. There are no rules or choreography to learn. All are welcome with the intention to dance with focus from your deepest self.
Open to movers of all experience levels. The event is by optional donation ($5-15 suggested), towards our not-for-profit Co-op's expenses (primarily venue rental). **Invite friends! FB event here.
Saturday June 29th, 2019 10am-12:15pm:
C.I. Class with Brad Stoller: "Avalanche: Dancing Downhill"
(Read more)
The exquisite art of C.I.. Falling one inch at a time into the bliss of freedom and abandon that starts with the smallest release and leaves you breathless and exilerated for more. Is there more? Yes, each level of release opens up another territory of exploration. The form of C.I. reveals itself to the student rather than an accumulation of techniques or steps where truly every student becomes their own teacher. The class will build up from little falls to larger ones so that safety is never an issue, stop when you need, go on as you wish, learn to float, trust in the floor never being farther away than an inch, softly softly softly finding home again again and again.
Since March 2018, we've had 115 dancers participate in 51 classes and jams, with dozens of teachers and facilitators! Watch this space for new events in 2020.
Cville Contact Improv Co-op is a community of dancers who organize regular jams, classes, and other events to build and nurture the Contact Improvisation community in and around Charlottesville.
Email us, or get on our announcements list, via organizers@cvfooilleci.com
Like on Facebook.