Name: Gifting Ground and Space: A Contact Improvisation Workshop with Alexander Dodgson
Start: 2025-05-17T11:00:00+01:00
End: 2025-05-17T19:00:00+01:00
Location: Contact Theatre

GIFTING GROUND AND SPACE:
A Contact Improvisation Workshop with Alexander Dodgson
A shared journey into movement, connection, and creative discovery.
📅 Date & Location:
17 May 2025
Contact Theatre, Manchester
WHAT WILL WE EXPLORE?
This workshop is an invitation to rediscover movement as a living inquiry—how we meet, how we listen, how we respond. Rather than learning set steps, we will explore Contact Improvisation as a practice of attunement, co-creation, and embodied conversation.
Together, we will ask:
Where does attention begin, and how does it shape the way we move?
How do we tune into the ground’s rising support and let gravity guide us?
What shifts when we offer space to another—not by stepping back, but by opening?
How do we meet in movement—not as separate bodies, but as a shared exploration?
How can we surrender to weight, momentum, and the spaces in between?
How do we recognise the place where shared movement arises?
Through guided explorations and open movement, we will attune to gravity, momentum, and the quiet conversations within our shared bodies. We will practice movement that emerges from presence, listening, and allowing—rather than forcing. We will explore how our bodies engage with the world, bringing awareness to the fluid spaces between self and other.
This workshop follows a principles-based approach. Rather than focusing on fixed techniques, we will work with movement fundamentals that encourage adaptability, awareness, and creativity. By exploring concepts such as weight-sharing, balance, and grounding, we develop tools that extend far beyond the dance itself.
This is a space to cultivate trust, curiosity, and the gift of movement. A space to meet the ground, offer space, and move with what arises.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
I am Alexander Dodgson, a contemporary artist and facilitator exploring the spaces where movement, language, and connection intertwine. My work is not about static definitions—it is about process, discovery, and meeting what is present with openness and curiosity.
I approach Contact Improvisation not merely as dance, but as deep listening—a way of being. It is an improvisation with gravity, space, and relationship. My work is guided by principles rather than fixed techniques, inviting an exploration of life as an ever-unfolding process. By embodying these principles, I believe we can cultivate a deeper awareness of ourselves, each other, and the spaces we inhabit.
I am here to hold space for exploration, invite presence, and move with the questions that emerge. Perhaps what matters most is not what we do, but how we meet—and how we step into the unfolding moment together.
“To be fully present in the dance is to be fully alive—to meet the moment as it unfolds with openness and curiosity.” – Kirstie Simson
SCHEDULE
📅 17 May 2025
10:00-13:00 – Guided Practice (Principles & Exploration)
15:00-18:00 – Open Research (Integration & Play)
WHO IS THIS FOR?
This workshop is open to all—whether you are new to Contact Improvisation or have years of experience. The only requirement is a willingness to listen, engage, and explore movement together.
This is a physical, movement-based practice, so there will be periods of sustained exercise.
PRICING & REGISTRATION
💰 Full-day Workshop: £60 early bird £70 - £80 standard & support
⚠️ Limited spaces available
🎓 Scholarships:
A few scholarship spaces are available for those needing financial support.
📅 Apply by May 16th:
[General Registration apply via: www.bookwhen.com/contactimprovmcr ]
[Scholarship Application will be submitted through general registration form]
VENUE
The workshop will take place at Contact Theatre, Manchester—a creative hub for movement and artistic exploration. Further details will be shared upon registration.
WHAT TO BRING
✔ Comfortable clothing (long sleeves and covered knees recommended)
✔ A change of clothes (it can get sweaty!)
✔ A water bottle (optional, snacks)
✔ A notebook (optional, for reflection)
✔ A willingness to listen and move
Come move, explore, and discover what unfolds when we meet in shared ground and space.