Resonance & Response: Axis Syllabus + Contact Improvisation

Fri, 03 Apr, 2026 at 10:00 am to Sun, 05 Apr, 2026 at 05:00 pm UTC-07:00

Berkeley Finnish Hall | Berkeley

Marcus van Duren
Publisher/HostMarcus van Duren
Resonance & Response: Axis Syllabus + Contact Improvisation
Advertisement
Resonance and Response: an Axis Syllabus and Contact Improvisation workshop with Emily Jones and Marcus van Duren
April 3-5, 9:30am - 3pm each day at The Berkeley Finnish Hall (Berkeley, CA)
In this workshop, we will practice attuning to our complex inner landscapes while being present in the spaces and interactions we encounter. We will expand possibilities for being in relationship to gravity: decentralizing verticality, sequential descents, landings that transform into departures, and pathways that arc, spiral, and recoil. How does comfort with falling open more possibilities for flight?
We will consider tactics for being adaptable to external impulses without compromising our integrity. As we move into contact with others we will work with various degrees of proximity. How does inviting spaciousness expand the potential for connection? How does playing with space change our state and expand our color pallet of creative choices?
Axis Syllabus classes will emphasize solo explorations of anatomy, biomechanics, and physics. Movement motifs will include rolling, crawling, spiraling, and traversing through space. Contact Improvisation classes will bridge these themes into dances that are in relationship and contact with others. This workshop is open to all levels.
Registration:
Early Bird Price (before March 3) $180
Regular Price (after March 3) $230
Reserve your spot! https://forms.gle/PqyoLqUAxFR7astLA
Marcus van Duren is a dancer, teacher and musician based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Marcus has intensively studied movement and dance since his discovery of contact improvisation in 2012. He has been teaching CI locally and internationally for more than 10 years. Marcus is an active member of the axis syllabus community and is currently an Axis Syllabus Teacher Candidate. For Marcus, teaching is not just about transmitting information. It’s also about creating a safe space for participants to explore, take risks and collaborate. When it comes to teaching contact improvisation, Marcus specializes in merging the technical information of bio-mechanics with play, humor and ritual to create engaging learning experiences that aim to serve the whole person, not just the dancer.

Emily Jones is a dancer, choreographer, movement educator, and bodyworker based in Portland, Oregon. Her interdisciplinary practice centers intuition, embodied learning, and movement-based research, with particular attention to community care, relational ethics, and communication within spaces of learning and collaboration. She has performed with numerous artists in Portland and the Bay Area and is engaged in a long-term artistic collaboration with Hannah Krafcik. Their interdisciplinary work has been presented nationally. Emily facilitates contact improvisation jams, organizes events, teaches and performs with the Queer Contact Improvisation Cohort based in Portland. She is a certified Axis Syllabus teacher and offers classes and workshops informed by this lens both locally and beyond. emilyannejones.com
Advertisement

Event Venue

Berkeley Finnish Hall, 1970 Chestnut St,Berkeley, California, United States

Tickets

Icon
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

Ask AI if this event suits you:

More Events in Berkeley

Outside Your Comfort Zone
Thu, 02 Apr at 06:00 pm Outside Your Comfort Zone

2232 Piedmont Ave

Elise Trouw presents: The Diary of Elon Lust Tour at Cornerstone Berkeley
Thu, 02 Apr at 08:00 pm Elise Trouw presents: The Diary of Elon Lust Tour at Cornerstone Berkeley

2367 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA, United States, California 94704

Elise Trouw presents: The Diary of Elon Lust Tour | Berkeley
Thu, 02 Apr at 08:00 pm Elise Trouw presents: The Diary of Elon Lust Tour | Berkeley

Cornerstone Berkeley

Elise Trouw
Thu, 02 Apr at 08:00 pm Elise Trouw

Cornerstone - CA

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at California Golden Bears Baseball
Fri, 03 Apr at 01:05 am Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at California Golden Bears Baseball

Evans Diamond at Stu Gordon Stadium

Parking Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at California Golden Bears Baseball
Fri, 03 Apr at 01:05 am Parking Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at California Golden Bears Baseball

Evans Diamond at Stu Gordon Stadium

Hot 8 Brass Band
Fri, 03 Apr at 04:00 pm Hot 8 Brass Band

Cornerstone - CA

Inspirational Whirling with Live Music
Fri, 03 Apr at 06:30 pm Inspirational Whirling with Live Music

The Alembic

Club Cincuenta
Fri, 03 Apr at 06:30 pm Club Cincuenta

La Peña Cultural Center

Ryan Allay \u2013 Ellipsis Album Release Show
Fri, 03 Apr at 07:00 pm Ryan Allay – Ellipsis Album Release Show

1984 Bonita Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA

L.A. Witch at Cornerstone
Fri, 03 Apr at 08:00 pm L.A. Witch at Cornerstone

Cornerstone

VERKA SERDUCHKA & BAND - San Francisco
Fri, 03 Apr at 09:00 pm VERKA SERDUCHKA & BAND - San Francisco

The UC Theatre

Berkeley is Happening!

Never miss your favorite happenings again!

Explore Berkeley Events