with Juliette Gomes and Miranda Busansky
This special third Thursday of the month Contact Improv Lab will jump-start our series. The Lab will begin with an opening circle followed by a community share aimed to gauge the desired focuses of future Lab classes. After this first half hour, the Lab will open up into facilitated movement exercises. The first exercises will include tracking bodies in motion, increasing peripheral awareness, and finding soft landings. Then, in pairs, the Lab will explore keeping momentum with a “selfish pelvis” exercise. This exercise will underscore creating awareness of the feet and use a metaphor of a pendulum swinging to guide motion, body reorganization, and changing levels. The lab will conclude with a closing circle.
Filling in a greatly felt gap in the western Mass Contact Improvisation (CI) community, the Queer/Femme Lab is for women, nonbinary, trans, and queer embodied movers. We will create an intentional container as a community for rigorous CI inquiry while incorporating a critique of the dance form and traditional CI spaces/culture.
The Lab will foster embodied and somatic movement exploration including community offerings such as facilitated exercises, technical skill shares, and integrating inquiries from practices that intersect with CI. The Lab is a unique opportunity to practice within a held container that supports diverse identities with shared experiences.
Skills gained in the lab can help embodied movers navigate other CI spaces; entering jams is a high-risk practice and incorporating skills gained in the Lab can help individuals move more safely and skillfully through jams. Please reach out to inquire about BIPOC scholarships and other financial assistance.
What to bring:
Comfortable clothing, preferably long pants and long sleeves with no harsh buckles, buttons, zippers, or other features that will get caught on or hurt other dancers. Water and a snack for after class. And most importantly, bring yourself and an open heart.
Thursday, April 18th, 7:30-9:30pm (in-studio)
Sliding-scale pricing: $15–$50
*A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:
We have a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email us at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.