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Wanna come play, and soak in some Contact skills to add to your grab bag, allowing more confidence, comfort and playfulness in your CI dances?Well you're in luck! Me and Brandin Steffensen will be co-teaching a 3-part Playshop for all levels of experience.
Let's tap into that well of curiosity and play that we so often stifle.
Contact Improv Playshop
November 14-16
Fri, 11/14 6p-9p (6p-6:30p arrive/meet/ground, 8:30p-9p space to talk)
Sat, 11/15 10a-1p
Sun, 11/16 10a-1p
at Performing Dance Center
3310 S 2700 E
Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah
Come to any class or sign up for all 3!
Each class will be different. Here are some things we plan to teach/guide:
- playing with coming in and out of Contact
- falling well and safely, and finding the joy in it
- learning cues that will allow for effortless counterbalances and easy lifts
- making friends, if not lovers, with the floor (it is your first partner!)
- exploring different ways to connect, noticing the composition of the room, the people.
- modulating tone of the body in a dance, and playing with it
- splitting the group in 2 so one of us can teach more advanced skills to one half, while the other will guide more foundational skills to the other half.
What we teach in these classes will be informed by you the participant. So come with your curiosities and questions!
Sliding Scale:
Individual class: $20-$35
All 3 Classes: $50-$90
Benefactor: $100 - this pays for your 3 classes, and allows someone in need to join the Playshop for free.
Venmo @leahnelsonlmt to reserve your spot (we will cap this class so we all have enough space!)
Scholarships: Please inquire if funds aren't allowing you to join.
Me (Leah) and Brandin Steffensen are excited to offer this playshop. With over 20 yrs of combined experience teaching CI, we believe you're in good hands :).
About Leah:
I love to express myself through movement. In my previous life I was a modern dancer in NY, dancing for various companies and performing my own work. I found CI 25 years ago and started teaching it 15 years ago. Teachers who helped shape my CI practice include: Nancy Stark Smith, Chris Aiken, Ray Chung, Kirstie Simson, and Kathleen Hermsdorf.
I realize contact improv is an amazing tool for life, not just dancing or movement. It brings awareness to boundaries, reminds us to not take ourselves too seriously, allows for play time (we need this more than you know!), and helps us engage in pure improvisation (isn't that what life is?!).
Needless to say, I'm a huge fan and am blessed to be able to teach this beautiful, challenging, and fun practice.
About Brandin:
Dance artist and educator Brandin Steffensen happily returns to Utah after 20 years away. 2000-2005 he danced with Ririe Woodbury Dance Company. In New York City, he played Dr Kellogg in Emursive’s “Life And Trust” and MacDuff at the McKittrick Hotel’s “Sleep No More”. His work with Deborah Hay, Nancy Stark Smith, Liz Gerring, and Keely Garfield prominently inform his process as a dance maker. His relationship with Nancy and their contact improvisation performances lead to “The Glimpse Project” and other experiments with her “Underscore” over the course of a decade. Prior to his return to SLC, he spent years teaching dance at University of Oklahoma. Brandin loves the game of chess and the poetry of Gertrude Stein. MFA, University of Washington; BFA, University of Utah
We look forward to dancing and playing with you!
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Performing Dance Center, 3310 S 2700 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84109-3087, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
