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With Janis Claxton, Malaika Sarco-Thomas & Jamus Wood

Venue: St Michael’s Parish Hall

Dates: 2-4th March 2012

Times: Friday 2nd 7-10pm, Saturday 3rd 11am-5pm then 7-10pm, Sunday 4th 11am-6pm

Price: Weekend ticket price, £35-£45 (sliding scale according to income). Day ticket £25 (including one evening)

Evening ticket £10. Preference will be given to those wishing to come to the whole event.

Teachers: Janis Claxton (Sunday day), Malaika Sarco-Thomas (Saturday day) & Jamus Wood (Friday night)





A weekend dedicated to contact improvisation. The afternoon and evenings will include a warm up into jamming. Live musicians will be playing at some of the jams.



To book, go to the event on our website and book online, you will need to register with the Bristol CI online community to do this. Alternatively email workshops@contactdance.co.uk, or call Lisa May Thomas on 07812 136681.



If you need a place to stay, or can offer one, be sure to put let us know when registering. Registering with the Bristol CI online community will also help you communicate with other participants for lift-share, accommodation etc.



All profit from this event will go towards supporting future CI events in Bristol.



All levels welcome.

Check out our website for updated information www.contactdance.co.uk.



Janis Claxton

No Mystery, Just Dancing – push pull pleasure and play

Janis’ class will be aimed at warming us up for a day of fun and juicy dancing. We will explore simple and clearly defined skills that bring us in and out of contact. Be prepared to sweat, explore and expand your dancing through grounded and practical skills that entice play, pleasure and the presence of being in contact with ourselves, others and the space.



Janis Claxton (UK/Aus) is a choreographer, teacher and performer based in Edinburgh. Artistic Director of the award winning company Janis Claxton Dance, she is an internationally renowned and prolific teacher with over 30 years of experience in professional, educational and community settings. As well as Contact Improvisation Janis’ influences include the Erick Hawkins Modern Dance Technique, Martial Arts and Alexander Technique. An avid movement researcher, she has practiced Contact Improvisation for over 20 years having studied, taught and performed the form in numerous settings and all of her teaching and choreographic works have been informed by this experience. Janis has choreographed for companies and independent dance artists in the UK and China where she has worked extensively on numerous projects including introducing Contact Improvisation to Chinese professional and community dancers. Janis Claxton Dance make work for theatre spaces as well as unique site-specific settings such as the Edinburgh Zoo which housed the Herald Angel Award winning Enclosure 44 – Humans a two week improvised performance. Janis is currently undertaking part-time studies towards a Masters in Philosophy (Choreography) at the Edinburgh University. www.janisclaxton.com



Malaika Sarco-Thomas

Up, Down, Up!

This class will focus on finding direction, weightlessness, power and a touch of cheekiness when improvising in contact. Using listening and good-natured resistance as well as principles from Ki Aikido practice we will play with the complementary forces of up and down to wrestle, bowl, and fly each other through the space. This is a class suitable to all levels of experience.



Malaika Sarco-Thomas is a performer, researcher and teacher of improvisation. Originally from the USA, her practice is informed by teachers such as Kirstie Simson, Charlie Morrissey, David Zambrano and an ongoing study of Ki Aikido. After training at PARTS in Brussels and recently completing her PhD thesis Dance Improvisation Performance as a Practice of Ecology she became Award Leader for Dance at University College Falmouth incorporating Dartington College of Arts. With Richard Sarco-Thomas she co-organizes weekly contact jams at Tremough Campus and the annual Contact Festival Dartington.



Jamus Wood

I love to move, to inspire creativity through dance and connection. I teach and guide classes in Contact Improvisation, Instinctual Movement, Somatic Yoga and perform with the Touch Down Dance.

I like it simple. I find that working with simple themes can take us deep into our own experience and are pathways to presence and embodiment. So themes I work with like arriving, how do we arrive into contact with ourselves, into a space and with another. I find this a fascinating topic.

Unusually, my path has been defined by a congenital eye condition – I almost lost my sight 10 years ago. Six operations on, my sight is improving, with future operations pending. I have found ways to transform my wounding into a unique gift. My life is not what it would have been without my eye condition, many doors initially shut, while others opened.

Along my journey, I have had the good fortune to work with many gifted teachers, many echo’s of these teachings live in my teaching today. Key figures are Malcolm Manning, Helen Poyner, K J Holmes, Lisa Nelson, Nancy Stark Smith, Miranda Tufnel, Katy Dymoke, Adam Bradpiece, Ray Chung, Angela Dony.