I teach contact improvisation (CI) for beginners in Lisbon.
CI is a free form of contemporary dance that allows partners to engage in spontaneous physical dialogue.
Steve Paxton is considered to be the founder of CI. He wanted to combine martial arts and dance, contact, and exploration of the physical abilities of human bodies.
In my classes I combine dance with somatic and therapeutic techniques. Through dance improvisation participants explore themselves, their interactions, their own patterns and stories that they are not always conscious of.
About the Class
The beginning is usually somatic. We establish contact with our body, move from it, work with breathing, space around us and contact with others.
The main part of class is dedicated to the basics of CI, such as sharing weight, support, meeting and free movement.
We also make pauses to discuss and process the things we are working on. Contact improvisation provides many insights, not only about our movements but also about our relationships with ourselves and other people. This process can be very therapeutic.
The main part of class is dedicated to the basics of CI, such as sharing weight, support, meeting and free movement.
We also make pauses to discuss and process the things we are working on. Contact improvisation provides many insights, not only about our movements but also about our relationships with ourselves and other people. This process can be very therapeutic.
My Experience and Understanding of Contact Improvisation
For me CI is a constant exploration of my own body, people, spaces and teachers who have shared their insights with me.
I started CI in 2016 at Angela Doniy’s workshops in Moscow.
I still consider her to be my "contact mom".
After I left Moscow I joined the international community. Recently I have been practicing a lot with Kira Kirsch and Antoine Ragot (Berlin). They brought movement study to CI. They study biomechanics, the way the human body works inside and the way we can feel it and translate it into dance.
I also took lessons from Nina Wehnert (Berlin) who combines CI and the somatic approach of body-mind centering. With Sveta Bird and Daniel Drako (from Ukraine and Romania) CI became my meditation and subtle work of attention. With Eryn Rosenthal (New York) it became a dance of democracy and liberation. With Ivanna Smolyana (Ukraine) we danced a dance of resistance last summer.
I have mentioned only a few of my teachers. I have spent weeks with some of them. Some of them have only met me once. But that single meeting and a single phrase stay in my heart to this day. Like Nina Little’s advice, for example: ‘Move at the speed of your attention'.
I still consider her to be my "contact mom".
After I left Moscow I joined the international community. Recently I have been practicing a lot with Kira Kirsch and Antoine Ragot (Berlin). They brought movement study to CI. They study biomechanics, the way the human body works inside and the way we can feel it and translate it into dance.
I also took lessons from Nina Wehnert (Berlin) who combines CI and the somatic approach of body-mind centering. With Sveta Bird and Daniel Drako (from Ukraine and Romania) CI became my meditation and subtle work of attention. With Eryn Rosenthal (New York) it became a dance of democracy and liberation. With Ivanna Smolyana (Ukraine) we danced a dance of resistance last summer.
I have mentioned only a few of my teachers. I have spent weeks with some of them. Some of them have only met me once. But that single meeting and a single phrase stay in my heart to this day. Like Nina Little’s advice, for example: ‘Move at the speed of your attention'.
CI has become the best way to travel for me. When I come to any city, New York or Krakow, CI jams are the first thing that I look for. The city comes alive, embraces me, and brings me to people with similar views.
CI is also a universal form of inclusion. At CI jams you meet people of all skin colors, nationalities and ethnic groups, dance with children, elderly people and people with disabilities. You see real inclusion, and that’s very beautiful.
CI is also a universal form of inclusion. At CI jams you meet people of all skin colors, nationalities and ethnic groups, dance with children, elderly people and people with disabilities. You see real inclusion, and that’s very beautiful.
Timing and Conditions
Location: Center of Lisbon, Chiado, Abhyasa Yoga studio, Rua ANCHIETA 5
Cost: 25 euros per class, 80 euros per 4 classes.
Equipment: Comfortable clothes for dancing and lying on the floor. You will need something warm at the beginning. Also bring a bottle of water and soft knee pads if you have them.
Conditions: If you cancel after 12:00 on Friday before class (or less than 24 hours before class) I will not be able to refund you, unfortunately.
Cost: 25 euros per class, 80 euros per 4 classes.
Equipment: Comfortable clothes for dancing and lying on the floor. You will need something warm at the beginning. Also bring a bottle of water and soft knee pads if you have them.
Conditions: If you cancel after 12:00 on Friday before class (or less than 24 hours before class) I will not be able to refund you, unfortunately.
