I used to roar into the dance studio and begin by jumping off the walls – becoming sweaty and energetic and frothy. Then I would slow down and shift into sensation. Now, as I’m in my 50’s, I slide into the studio and start slow, steeping in the ale and gradually working up to the froth.
The words “young” and “old” have never made sense to me. But I appreciate now the notion of aging, of time passing and changes in the body and outlook. Continue reading
Recientemente algunos organizadores de mis talleres “avanzados” han rechazado estudiantes por no tener suficiente base de CI para unirse al grupo.
Este mes de julio en Barcelona, los organizadores y yo le pedimos a dos personas que no continuaran porque sentimos que Continue reading
Recently some of the organizers of my “advanced” workshops have turned away students for not having enough of the fundamentals of C.I. to join the group.
In Barcelona this past July the organizers and I asked two people to not continue because we didn’t feel Continue reading
Boundaries and Trust
…it is important that awake people be awake, or
a breaking line may discourage them back to Continue reading
The dance teaches us that instability leads to mobility. And great instability leads to exhilarating mobility.
When a partner and I fall off balance together, when we each give up custody of our centers, we trust the Continue reading
Any time we risk really hearing someone, letting who they truly are dance against the intimate core of our being, what we give that person
is the gift of themselves. When the space in us is an invitation,
we find things around us answering by coming alive. It is in the nature
of things that a beautiful opening inspires us to find something
of equal beauty to put within it.— “The Creative Imperative” Charles Johnston
An old African proverb says, “When one flower opens, dozens open.”
There is a moment during a class when everything changes. Continue reading
A major resource when I work with a group is the act of summoning the past by conjuring what I’ve learned from my past teachers and dance partners. There is something alchemical in the act of Continue reading
As in falling asleep, it helps to let go…
As in taking a bowel movement, it helps to let go…
As in lovemaking, it helps to let go…
It’s the same with teaching contact improvisation – it helps to let go…
I’ve sometimes imagined that there is a student union somewhere that sends one challenging student to each workshop – the one that when you say “find a partner,” everyone flees that person. Because they are often the last one left they frequently end up partnering with the teacher. Advice? What strategies do you have with these individuals? Continue reading
The Northern California Contact Jam at Harbin Hot Springs is five days of being in a beautiful locale with wonderful people with dancing as the main activity day and night.
During these events we regularly hold “dream pools” where we sit in a circle and the participants put in their dreams and desires for the jam and for their lives in Continue reading