Class Description

This open levels Contact Improvisation series will provide exposure basic fundamental skills of contact improvisations. Beginners will build skills to enter and develop and contact improvisations practice. Experienced dancers will have an opportunity to deepen their skills. Topics we will cover:

• Weight/balance sharing

• Approaches to communicating and listening through the body and touch

• Solo movement patterns (often in and out of the floor) that support contact improvisation dancing

• Rolling point of contact

Sliding Scale Pricing

Full Series:

Tier 1: $60

Tier 2: $75

Tier 3: $90

Single Class:

$18-30

Access Information:

The class is upstairs at St. Lukes.  Enter the building through the courtyard off of 36th Street.  There are 3 steps up into the courtyard and ones step into the building.  When you enter the building there are stairs to your left.  There are 15 of them with a corner to the right.  Go up the stairs.  When you reach the top of the stairs, turn right and you will see the room our class is in.

Where clothing that you feel comfortable moving in and being on the floor with.  I suggest long stretchy pants such as sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt.  If you knee pads are a part of your movement practice (for example in Contact Improvisation), feel free to bring them.

For educational purposes, parts of this class will be recorded. No footage will be shared publicly. It will only be used by myself. If there are participants who are not comfortable with this, we will work something out.

About the Facilitator

Matthew Williams (they or she) is a Baltimore-based performing artist, somatic facilitator, and lifelong student of the body. Their performance practice is inspired by the human body as a site for choice, liberation, and a means to be in relationship with place and community across differences. Matthew is engaged with Western Somatics, contact improvisation, voice work, and the study of functional anatomy. They are currently a student of Somatic Experiencing and the Axis Syllabus. Matthew has taught in various universities and organized community-based educational opportunities. Their performance work has been supported by residencies at the Ucross Foundation and Playa Summer Lake, Dance Place DC Labbodies Performance Art Review, Transmodern Festival, Baltimore Independent Dance Artists, Move Move Collaborative, and Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts. Matthew holds a BA in Cultural Studies from Bates College and MFA in Theatre Arts from Towson University.