Saturdays, October 25 and December 5 in Montreal, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.,
talk-through at 1 p.m.
The Underscore facilitates the understanding and embodiment of the phases we go through in a Contact Improvisation jam.
It is a spacious and engaging experience shared by participants that can trigger surprising kinesthetic and compositional improvisational dance within a defined framework.
Developed by Nancy Stark Smith, the Underscore is a structure offered for Contact Improvisation jams that maps the different phases of a collective improvisation. Using simple pictograms, it makes visible the transitions—from solo to encounter, from inner listening to spontaneous composition—and supports a journey of approximately three hours.
In short, we dance within a clear, open, and supportive framework that carries expressivity over a three-hour period, followed by a time of sharing to integrate the experience through the body’s writing.
Participants must attend (or have already attended) a one-hour talk-through
Talk-through to attend the Underscore practice and must already have some experience in Contact Improvisation.
Talk-through Teaching 1 hour before the practice.
Underscore practice We start together and we end together.
Facilitator Stéphanie Gaudreau has been exploring and dancing the Underscore with its creator, Nancy Stark Smith, since 2004. She has been sharing this practice in Montreal and other regions since 2014 and also guides the Global Underscore annually in Estrie (Danse Orée des Bois).
The « talk-through » provides a clear and engaging introduction to the Underscore: a structured framework for a long session of improvisational and Contact Improvisation dance.
For those who’ve already attended a talk-through and would like a refresher, it’s FREE.
Informations, questions: underscore@contactimpro.org
Registration:
Interac e-Transfer to intunderscore@contactimpro.org
Direct Deposit
Cash on site (exact amount please).
Talk-through: $5
The Practice of Underscore: $15
Underscore is a framework for practice and research on dance improvisation and contact improvisation developed in the 1990s by Nancy Stark Smith (one of the founders of contact improvisation).
The Underscore is a score that guides dancers through a series of "changing states":
– warm-up on the floor (relaxation and awareness of gravity and supports);
– movement in space and interaction with the group;
– opportunities for engagement with a partner;
– openness to group improvisation with an awareness of composition;
– return to rest and reflection (excerpt from "Caught Falling").
Wear comfortable, cotton-like clothing. Knee pads are recommended.
Questions? Contact us at underscore@contactimpro.org