Momentum : Weaving the Flow Towards Our Annual Jam
From October 25 to 27 2024 Asthanga Studio Montreal : 372 Ste-Catherine West (studio 118, 1st Floor)
Place des Arts metro station Valérie Sabbah-Stéphanie Gaudreau
Sarah Zucchero-Gabrielle Revlock
Montreal Annual JAM 2024 facilitators, Valerie Sabbah and Stéphanie Gaudreau, in collaboration with invited teachers Sarah Zucchero (NYC) and Gabrielle Revlock (NYC & MA), invite you to Momentum, a preparatory weekend of mindfully curated C.I. offerings, blending fundamentals, fine-tuning skills, and community harmony practises.
Momentum is designed as a flow leading up to the week of the Karen Nelson Intensive and the 2024 Montreal Annual Jam, crafting together a weekend to gather as a community, build cohesiveness, and immerse ourselves in a collective experience.
We are crafting 5 beautiful workshops for beginners and experienced practitioners, encouraging reflections on skills, community, inclusion, and contemplating how to build a sustainable, curious and joyous jam practice.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2024 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.: WORKSHOP & JAM 1
First Steps: Slow Jamming into the Heart of Contact Improvisation
Facilitators : Valérie Sabbah and Gabrielle Revlock Doors open at 6:30pm
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2024 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.: WORKSHOP 2
Interactive Nature, Beginner & fundamental tools
Facilitator : Stéphanie Gaudreau Doors open at 10:00am
2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.: WORKSHOP 3
Igniting Dances & Fine-Tuning Skills
Facilitator : Gabrielle Revlock Doors open at 2:00pm
7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.: WORKSHOP & JAM 4
The Moving Ensemble – The C.I. Jam as a Path to Inclusiveness and Co-Creation
Facilitators : Sarah Zucchero and Valerie Sabbah Doors open at 6:30pm
SUNDAY OCTOBER 27, 2024 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.: WORKSHOP 5
Restorative Contact
Facilitator : Gabrielle Revlock Doors open at 9:30am
**See full class descriptions and facilitator bios following the rates and how to register sections**
RATES
We are providing a sliding scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds, but it is highly recommended to register ahead of time due to limited space.
🔸 $20 - $25 - $30 for 1 workshop
🔸 $35 - $40 - $45 for 2 workshops
🔸 $50 - $55 - $60 for 3 workshops
🔸 $65 - $70 - $75 for 4 workshops
🔸 $80 -$85 - $90 for all 5 workshops
FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2024 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.: WORKSHOP & JAM 1 Doors open at 6:30pm
First Steps: Slow Jamming into the Heart of Contact Improvisation
Facilitators: Valerie Sabbah et Gabrielle Revlock
Step into the unknown and discover the art of Contact Improvisation. Designed for those who are curious about what a jam truly is—whether you’re a complete beginner or someone looking to slow down and rediscover the practice—this workshop invites you to explore, reflect, and play with the flow of movement.
Credit: Stephen Texeira
Facilitated by Valérie Sabbah and Gabrielle Revlock, this immersive evening will take you on a journey of movement, exploring how to:
• Arrive in the space, grounding your energy, and connect with the floor, your body, and the environment.
• Enter a Contact Improvisation jam with intention and awareness.
• Redirect your dance or improvisation mid-flow, following the natural shifts of movement and connection.
• Communicate nonverbally—using your body, breath, and intention to “speak” and connect with others.
Through guided exercises and open exploration, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the art of moving with others in a jam. We’ll slow down, take our time, and break down the key elements that make a jam such a unique and dynamic experience.
This event is open to everyone—from complete beginners to seasoned movers. Experienced dancers, your wisdom and generosity will create a supportive, nurturing environment for newcomers. Let’s build a space where everyone can thrive, explore, and rediscover what it means to move with others.
After the workshop, we’ll dive into a Research Jam—a space for experimentation and play. Here, we’ll put the concepts we’ve explored into action and open the floor for reflection. What does it really mean to be in a Contact Improvisation jam? How do we navigate connection, release, and communication without words? You’ll have the chance to explore all these questions and more.
In this space, all are invited to bring their full selves. We honour inclusivity as a guiding principle, welcoming QT//BIPOC communities. This is a dance floor where all bodies, all stories, and all expressions belong, where we move in harmony with the vibrant diversity that makes us whole.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2024 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.: WORKSHOP 2 Doors open at 9:30am
Interactive Nature, Beginner & fundamental tools
Facilitator: Stéphanie Gaudreau
This class invites a collaborative dynamic where listening, curiosity, inspiration, courage, and transformation through touch are at the heart of the practice. Contact Improvisation is based on the relationship of the point of contact, a space for movement dialogue, which requires a deep understanding of its foundations and a committed willingness for its evolution. We will explore key elements of this discipline, particularly suited for beginners, with a focus on kinesthetic sensitivity, weight dialogue, and the playful challenge of finding and losing one’s center of gravity. Through a continuous research approach, we will delve into the predispositions that facilitate the entry into contact, as well as what nourishes and enriches this relationship, striking a fluid balance between action and somatization.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2024 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.: WORKSHOP 3 Doors open at 2:00pm
Gabrielle Revlock will offer tools and techniques to ignite dances of "mutual innovation and support." (Steve Paxton) We will fly and fall, on and off the ground, in and out of contact, right side up and upside down, exploring the wide-ranging spatial, temporal, and tactile aspects of contact improvisation. Particular attention will be given to developing a heightened three-dimensional awareness to activate spherical space and dynamic dances. Honing our attention through play, her contact improv classes invite experimentation, risk-taking, and joyful curiosity.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2024 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.: WORKSHOP & JAM 4 Doors open at 6:30pm
The Moving Ensemble - The C.I. Jam as a Path to Inclusiveness and Co-Creation
Facilitators: Sarah Zucchero et Valérie Sabbah
Join us for an immersive Contact-Improvisation workshop and jam designed to explore the rich dynamics of inclusiveness, consent, and collective creation.
In this special gathering, we will come together as a community, each of us, with our unique presence, contributing to the beauty of the whole. Through the coming together of our individuality, we create something extraordinary—a living, breathing ensemble of connection.
Credit: Stephen Texeira
This workshop is especially designed to welcome QT/BIPOC and all who seek a space where their voices and bodies are honoured and celebrated. We are committed to fostering a space where everyone, regardless of background, identity, or experience, feels safe, seen, and valued. Our goal is to create a Contact Improvisation practice that truly embodies inclusiveness and celebrates the diversity within our community.
The workshop will focus on building the foundational skills of trust, consent, and supportive movement. Through a series of exercises, we will explore how to attune to our inner “no” and “yes,” developing the confidence to navigate boundaries within the dance and in life. Together, we will deepen our understanding of how to honour both our own bodies and those of our partners, ensuring that each interaction is rooted in respect and mutual care.
In the second part of the workshop, we will dive into the joy of falling, supporting, and playing within duets and trios, exploring the essence of connection. We will cultivate a sense of flow and composition, finding playfulness and presence in each moment of dance.
The workshop will conclude with a Contact Improvisation jam. Guided by Sarah’s sensitive facilitation, we will move as a cohesive ensemble, channelling the energy of the group to create a collective experience where every person is welcome and seen. Together, we will celebrate the beauty of co-creation—much like the interconnected roots of trees that support the forest.
This workshop is open to all levels, from beginners to experienced dancers, and seeks to create an inclusive, welcoming environment where every participant, regardless of experience or background, can find their place and feel held by the group. Come with an open heart, and leave with a renewed sense of belonging and connection.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2024 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.: WORKSHOP 5 Doors open at 9:30am
Restorative Contact (RestorativeContact.com) is a partner attunement practice designed to cultivate grounding through attention to the present moment. Using touch as the primary anchor, participants are guided through a primarily floor-based choreography of touch and weight-sharing, using a variety of surfaces of the body. Class moves at a pace where we have time to digest the unfolding experience. Through the practice participants will tune their ability to listen through the skin and let go of unwanted tension, emerging with a deep sense of peace and calm. Following a set sequence, the workshop will progress into more improvisation and include verbal processing. Students are encouraged to participate with a chosen partner or select a partner upon arrival. Beginners welcomed.
FACILITATOR BIOS
Gabrielle Revlock: is an internationally touring postmodern choreographer with over twenty years of experience as a practitioner of Contact Improvisation. While living in New York, she was on faculty at Movement Research, one of the world’s leading laboratories for the investigation of movement-based forms, and has been a regular facilitator for the Brooklyn Jam and Wednesday Jam in Soho. Additional CI teaching engagements include CI@50, the School for Contemporary Dance & Thought, Philadelphia Dance Projects, Salt Spring Island Contact Improvisation Festival, Dance New England Dance Camp, and Earthdance. As the creator of Restorative Contact, a mindful touch practice, she has been an invited speaker at the Embodiment Conference, Dance & Somatic’s Conference, and Future of CI conference.
Credit: Stephen Texeira
She is a recipient of a New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award and has received funding for her choreography from numerous foundations and organizations. Internationally, she has performed in Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Hungary, Russia, and India. Revlock holds an MFA in Performance and Choreography from Smith College and a BA in Art History from Vassar College.
Stéphanie Gaudreau: is a Contact Improvisation and somatic approaches teacher with over 30 years of experience, and she has had an active private practice since 1996. She has studied with and drawn inspiration from major CI and improvisation figures like Steve Paxton, Nancy Stark Smith, Kirstie Simpson, and Simone Forti.
She co-founded the Montreal Contact Improvisation Association in 2001 and has been instrumental in the growth of the practice in Quebec, organizing events with international artists. Since 2010, she has been based in Estrie, where she founded “Danse Orée des Bois,” a space dedicated to movement exploration. Her research is enriched by somatic practices such as Feldenkrais®, Body-Mind Centering®, and osteopathy, along with Kung-Fu, Chi work, and living spiritual traditions.
Valérie Sabbah: is a Montreal-based choreographer, teacher, and psychosomatic therapist. Her 17-year CI practice and research draws specifically from FIGURE SPACE, a four-year training with Steve Paxton (Material for the Spine) and Lisa Nelson (The Tuning Score).
His profound training has reshaped her approach to viewing the body in motion, embracing a 360-degree and spherical perspective that captivates her curiosity about the body’s natural reflexes and how the body will or will not respond in states of perceived urgency.
At the heart of Montreal’s CI scene, she curates dynamic CI programming. Her offerings include varied-level weekly classes, engaging jams, and master class intensives featuring celebrated guest teachers like Mark Young, Kristen Lewis, and Stu Philipps. As a somatic psychotherapist, Valérie’s sessions weave together CI, BMC, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, and Art Therapy. She guides women to ground themselves in their bodies, develop resilience, and anchor their personal strength.
Sarak Zucchero: is a dance artist, facilitator of party rituals, a Reiki teacher, a hypnotist, a body worker, a collaborator, a friend, and a contact improviser. In her free time she loves to study world mysticism and magical traditions.
Something she is in a process of dissolving is her own robotic, antiquated habituations, like saying “Good!” immediately when someone asks her how she is doing, which might be a lie.
She is more curious now about entering the bizarre gap of truth, and being with whatever truths are there. Every dance we wish to have already lives within us, and the joy of us coming together is when our systems soften enough to set these dances free.
