Contact Improvisation - Principles of Flying
Wednesday 16:00 – 18:00
11 lessons during 18 September – 11 December
A series of intermediate and beginner lessons focused on the play of subtle forces, mutual influencing in movement, balancing, weight shifting and holding in flight. We will look at movement in three-dimensional trajectories and explore the movement paths into the space onto the partner and above him. We will learn the intelligence of the body carried by motion and its kinetic instincts much faster than conscious actions. Instead of searching for support at a fixed point, we will look at what it looks like when our nervous system begins to focus on the progression of the movement. How a moving body seeks support in invisible directions or in a moving partner.
We will continuously work with varied material collected during many years of studies in different movement worlds. Through creative experimenting we will try to remove barriers of routine cathegories to open new possibilities in dance and communication.
Work in closed group will ensure faster acquiring, building on what we have learnt already and unceasing development of possibilities.
Contact Improvisation
It’s a form of movement, dance, where we sense each other through touch. Through touch we give a support to each other, we lead and we let us be led, we take on the weight of the other or transfer our weight to them, we provoke and temper a fall, give energy to fly and fly, carried away by a place where we touch our partner. All the time with the feeling of freedom, efortlessly, using physical laws that, after some practice, are well understandable for our body itself, rather than let it be controlled by our mind. Our mind just watches, wonders and enjoys.
There are a lot of ways how to touch. In an ordinary life, as well as in the contact improvization, we usually use just few from the whole possible spectrum. The quality of our touch decides about how our partner is going to react, how much we will connect and what will come out of it. We will learn how to disentangle from our old habits. We will try to discover the whole scale of forms of touch. Develop the qualities that are not inherent to us, not just use them, but become them, until they are varied by another form. The lessons can be very colourful, beneficial, incitory and alluring for both the beginners and the advanced, who want to investigate their potential up to the boundaries. It is the time for us to broaden our horizons and let our glimmerings physical fulfillment.
Zita Pavlištová
She is one of the few teachers of contact improvisation in the Czech Republic. Shea teaches not only in Prague, but also in Spain, Germany, Poland and the Philippines. In her work she integrates the technique of contemporary dance and contact improvisation. She passes on the art of movement whose foundation is listening to the body. She is looking for boundaries and loves extremes. She is exploring the body in movement and its connection with the mind. She loves long, serene, conscious observing if the inner movement same as speed, loss of control and risks – situations in which it is necessary to give body an unconditional trust.
‚Throught your body you can understand a lot of this world. You only need to learn to listen to it. The body is wise, it teaches me more than all teachers. At the same time, it lets being taught. There is no use forcing it, on the other hand you can trust it entirely. Then it can manage even what we have not dreamt of.‘
Price 3 590 CZK for 11 evenings during 18 September – 11 December (except 16.10. and 23.10.). For reservation deposit of 1090 CZK needs to be paid in advance.
