About this Event
Join The Castro Room for a playful evening of contact improvisation. This class will be taught by Cathie Caraker with live jam music by Daniel Berkman. The event is hosted by Merrick Jacob.
A guided pre-jam class will be from 8:00 - 9:00p and then will flow directly into a jam until 10:30p.
In class, we’ll explore themes of weight-sharing, counterbalancing, signaling, listening, and everything in-between. The jam that follows is an opportunity to continue researching your movement & relational curiosities that sparked from class. First-timers and experienced dancers are all very welcome!
*Class 8:00-9:00pm taught by Cathie
*Jam 9:00-10:30pm with live music by Daniel Berkman
Come for the whole evening or feel free to drop-in to the jam anytime
Teacher:
Cathie Caraker (MFA, RSME) is a longtime dance artist, researcher and somatic movement educator. Her teaching work integrates her deep background in post-modern dance practices and somatics. She was fortunate to work extensively with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, founder of Body-Mind Centering®, with Nancy Stark Smith and Steve Paxton, founders of Contact Improvisation, and many other brilliant "dancestors", and has been profoundly influenced by their research. She was on the faculty of the renowned School for New Dance Development in Amsterdam for 10 years. She has also shared her work at the New York Improvisation Festival, Movement Research, Omega Institute, Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation, wcciJAM, Moving On Center, Contact Festival Freiburg, Tanzfabrik Berlin, Barcelona Contact Festival, Contredanse Brussels, de Beweging Antwerp, and numerous US colleges. She has co-organized CI events including wcciJAM and the European CI Teaching Exchange (ECITE). Cathie is a Body-Mind Centering® teacher, a Registered Somatic Movement Educator and an instructor of the Pilates and Gyrotonic methods. Her writings on Body-Mind Centering® as a somatic approach to dance education have been published by Nouvelles de Danse. More at www.cathiecaraker.com
Musician:
Daniel Berkman is a San Francisco-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, electronic musician, live looper, producer, singer-songwriter, film and dance score composer and innovator of electro-acoustic music, specializing in the Kora (a 21-stringed West African harp) and Gravikora. Daniel has many acclaimed albums to his credit ranging from modern Kora music, planetarium soundtracks and dance & film scores to IDM and classical music. His music can be heard at: danielberkman.bandcamp.com
Host:
Merrick Jacob is a lover of movement, continuously in awe of the body and its potential for delightful expression, wild creativity, & authentic connection. Influenced by her practices of contact improvisation, figure skating, acroyoga, and hand-balancing, she guides playful movement experiences as an opportunity for deep listening, research, and co-creation. Merrick hosts contact improvisation across the SF Bay Area. Say hi here: merrickjacob.com
About Contact Improvisation, Agreements, FAQS
First time?
Is it your first time hearing of this movement form? It can be defined in many ways. I love this definition from Ray Chung, “Contact Improvisation is an open-ended exploration of the kinaesthetic possibilities of bodies moving through contact. Sometimes wild and athletic, sometimes quiet and meditative, it is a form open to all bodies and enquiring minds.”Curious first-timers to experienced dancers are all very welcome!
What happens in class and do I need a partner?
Class is a time to explore themes of weight-sharing, counterbalancing, signaling, listening, and everything in-between in solo, duets, and as a group. Each teacher brings their own unique flavor to the class. No need to come with a partner. The teacher will facilitate pairing people together and switching partners throughout the class.
What's a jam?
This is an opportunity to continue researching your movement & relational curiosities that sparked from class or just to enjoy sharing creative movement space together. Dance, witness, investigate, have fun. Come & go as you please with care.
Read more and Class Agreements
Want to read more about CI? Here’s a good resource to start (https://contactquarterly.com/contact-improvisation/about/index.php) and please make sure to review our class agreements before attending (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1asVGdyI2luB3TrVKXaIhrGOeJwhq4pMQEXrvgS86JhM/edit?usp=sharing)
More contact improvisation in the SF Bay Area
Here's the full contact improvisation calendar for the SF Bay Area:http://bit.ly/norcalcontactimprov
Have more questions?
Reach out to Merrick here: www.merrickjacob.com
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Castro Room, 97 Collingwood Street, San Francisco, United States
USD 12.51 to USD 28.52
