“What is my body doing when I am not conscious of it?”
– Steve Paxton, 1939-2024
This 5 afternoon workshop is to honor practices initiated by dancer Steve Paxton (1939-2024). We will artfully enter the basic principles of the form of Contact Improvisation which he initiated in 1972, and his Material for the Spine, begun 1994. “Forms for sensations and sensing” (Steve Paxton), these classes will offer students the opportunity to deeply enter the basic study of the physics and ecological forces dancers experience as they move in relationship with each other and themselves. We will engage with the body in spherical space to improvise in solo, duo and with the class as an ensemble. As we deepen into the discipline of practice, we will evolve the process as tools for dancing to witness how we make sense of being HERE. Playing with the chronosphere and spirals of time, space and weight, we will explore what Steve has said: “Dance is the art of taking place. Improvisation finds those places.” Sources will include several of Steve’s writings as well as what we discover in our practices together in this living art form.
What to expect:
These classes will offer students the opportunity to deeply enter the basic study of the physics and ecological forces dancers experience as they move in relationship with each other and themselves through the study of Steve Paxton’s dance research.
Accessibility Notes
- This workshop includes auditive guidance.
- This workshop includes printed materials and digital readings.
To request ASL interpretation or Audio Description, please email accessibility@movementresearch.org, subject line “ASL/Audio Description Request, MELT K.J. Holmes” at least three (3) weeks prior to the first date of the workshop.
For access-related questions and requests, please contact accessibility@movementresearch.org, subject line “MELT K.J. Holmes.”
