“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
--C.G.Jung
In this moment you are carrying your entire life history in your body—a complete anthology of your relational experiences. When you dance this evolving blueprint of relational architecture moves you. Imagine how the choices you make instinctually in the moment in a dance are informed by decades of relational history. What are the possibilities you see? What are the possibilities you miss? And how are your patterns repeating themselves inside and outside of the dance?
Contact improv (CI) will be our method of inquiry for deepening understanding of the relational self. Movement becomes the metaphor. Relational architecture is about understanding who we are, and how we want to be in the world. As we bring awareness to our relational patterns we are opening possibilities for new ways of relating to ourselves, others, and the world around us.
Some of the questions we will explore in this series will include:
• Slow: What happens when we slow down and give time and space to connect to the self? What do we start to notice in our relationship with ourselves, others, and the environment around us?
• Space: What happens when we stay with space or closeness?
• Being: What happens when we allow ourselves to be and be seen by others?
No movement or contact improv experience necessary. This series is open to all levels. You may drop-in to any class, or take part in the entire 3-part series.
Note:*You must be 18 years of age or older to participate.
Class dates:
Friday, April 4th
Friday, May 16th
Friday, June 6th
Time: Each class is from 6:30pm-8:30pm (2 hrs)
Arrivals are from 6:15pm-6:30pm. Please aim to arrive on time for the beginning of class so we can start together.
Location: Arts Court, 2 Daly Ave., ODD Studio B (2nd Floor).
Parking: Street and pay parking available around the area.
Accessibility: Arts Court is wheelchair accessible via 67 Nicholas Street entrance
Tickets:
$20-30 per class - Sliding Scale
Please pay cash at each class. No prior registration necessary.
Waiver: If this is your first time to an event, please sign the waiver beforehand! You only have to sign it once.
https://www.jotform.com/sign/230363818645056/invite/01grkhmwgf73b6a87f156d1087
Health Policy:
Please do not come to the class if you are experiencing any symptoms of cold, seasonal flu, COVID-19, or any other communicable sickness.
Class Guidelines:
1. Consent: You must get consent from a person before making physical contact with them. Consent may include verbal consent, or bodily consent (e.g. moving close to a person and waiting for them to move closer).
2. Diversity: This is a body-positive space that is open to people of all identities and backgrounds. Please extend respect to everybody in the space. There is a zero tolerance policy for any form of harassment.
3. Responsibility of care: You are responsible for caring for your needs, and for caring for the needs of others in the space. We are all responsible for making this space a safer space to jam in.
4. Substance free: This is a sober event. Please do not attend if you are intoxicated on any substances.
Clothing and Water Bottles:
• Only water bottles with a lid are allowed in the studio. No glass please!
• No street shoes in the studio. We dance barefoot.
• Bring loose-fitting pants that cover the knees. Avoid wearing zippers, slippery clothing, or jewellery as they can make contact dancing difficult.
• Please avoid wearing strong scents (e.g. perfume/cologne)
Instructor Bio:
Laurinda Cheng is a multidisciplinary dancer based in Canada. She has trained across the world in contact improv, classical ballet, contemporary, street dance, and butoh. She currently is one of the CI organizers and teachers for Ottawa’s contact community. She is also a registered psychotherapist in Ontario with a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology from the University of Ottawa, and post-graduate training in complex trauma and developmental trauma. Her work explores the intersection of movement and the relational self and collective.
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