Authentic Movement and Contact Improvisation
Sylvia Berlin & Stéphanie Gaudreau
This workshop will provide the occasion to access both conscious and unconscious forces within us with creativity and confidence. These two approaches offer a common ground rooted in active listening of movement in the body.
This will be an occasion to create a collective work, through improvisation, woven by the lived experiences in our bodies and in our being. In both dance and more informal movement, we will focus on our changes of state, exploring being a conscious witness of ourselves and others, being a full presence, supported by the anchoring tools of Contact Improvisation.
width='255'height='242' alt="(JPG)" /> Imaged by Stéphanie Gaudreau |
Saturday, June 11th from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm Cost $90 A deposit of $45 is required to confirm your registration Grace Anglican Church : 52, rue Principale South, Sutton J0E 2K0 Registration : Send your cheque to: Sylvia Berlin, 991 ch. Parmenter, Sutton, Qc. J0E 2K0 For more information: 450.242.1559 ou sylberlin@gmail.com Please bring comfortable clothing (cotton), and a sweater for relaxation work. |
About Authentic Movement….
MA is an approach to movement that permits us to access the source of what moves inside of us, and to what can hold us back from expressing our creativity freely. With eyes closed, we welcome sensations, images, the drive from which emerges movement. This active listening experience lasts for a given time, and is witnessed by others. A partner is chosen in advance to pay special attention to the mover, while observing in themselves how they receive this moment. The witness serves as a receptacle for moving in a safe space. Another important phase of the process is a moment of silence, a time to write or draw, before sharing the experience verbally. For those on the scene, Authentic Movement is a tool that develops the presence to follow, sheltered from judgment, the creative process of the unconscious all the way to manifestation. |
width='150'height='175' alt="(JPG)" /> Crédits : Sylvia Berlin |
Biography of Sylvia Berlin
In her exploration of different movement approaches, she has rooted herself in Authentic Movement (AM) since 1987. Ever since, she has trained with Janet Adler. AM has been a part of her personal and professional life, where she sees this form as body work that brings more presence of self and with others. Her training in psychotherapy allows her to safely guide participants, both individually and in groups, through this deep and transforming process.
What is Contact Improvisation?…
« Le simple plaisir de bouger et de vivre son corps est ici, je crois, ce qui compte le plus. Et le plaisir de danser avec quelqu’un de façon spontanée, non planifiée, libre de créer sans gêner son partenaire. C’est une forme de danse extrêmement inspirante. »
Steve Paxton sur les ondes de la CBC en mars 1977, cité dans Contact Quarterly, vol III, no 1.
width='432'height='144' alt="(JPG)" /> Imaged by Emanuel Delaportas |
You can view a video exept of the Freiburg festival here |
Contact improvisation (CI) is a creative dance that starts from a fluid and ever-changing point of contact between one or more partners. Originally from the United States where it was launched in 1972 by Steve Paxton, a student of Merce Cunningham, the practice transcends established boundaries between gymnastics, martial arts, meditation and dance. Rather dancing with a preconceived idea, the dancers are instructed to develop a general ability to listen and perceive "what is." The form requires the dancers be relaxed, alert, in a constant state of awareness, and that they pay close attention to the natural fluidity of movement. In contact with each other, the dancers are in a state of creativity and mutual support, studying the laws of physics on their masses: gravity, momentum, inertia and friction. No one "leads" the dance, the improvisation can feel natural and become a magical experience, whether in soft and meditative moments or sometimes acrobatic movements.
The basic principles of Contact Improvisation include:
Listening through touch and a kinesthetic understanding
Exploration of the point of contact between two moving bodies
Exploring our kinesphere
The games of weight-sharing and counter-balance
Dancing with a shared central axis
Exploring fluid pathways between the ground and the air
Biography of Stéphanie Gaudreau
| Very involved in the Montreal Contact Improvisation (CI) community since 1992, Stéphanie co-founded the ACI (Association de Contact Improvisation) in 2001 and put in place the organizational structure. She created, in partnership, an event of international scope “The Montreal Annual Jam”, the Sunday classes at Studio 303 and the CI master classes. She has been a member of two collectives: “Montréal Danse Échange” from ’93 to ’95 and “Montreal PIE” (Performance Improvisation Exchange), a group of 5 dedicated dancers doing movement research from 2007-2009. Certified massage therapist, she holds a private practice for more than 10 years. She has deepened her understandings with her study of osteopathy and the Feldenkrais method as part of her professional training. You can consult Stéphanie Gaudreau’s complete biography here You can contact Stéphanie by email stephaniedanse@hotmail.comor by phone 450.539.1085 |
width='160'height='200' alt="(JPG)" /> Imaged by Loïs Darie |