1st MONDAYS MONTHLY
1st Mondays Ensemble Jam is a Contact Improvisation Jam allowing practice in expanding:
group tuning and beyond-duet dancing, use of space in improv composition,
and one's own range of movement quality choices.
What does it mean when "ensemble" is a verb?
When we are ensembling, we do these things:
- allow group dances to develop (trios, quartets, etc) rather than always limiting focus to the duet we started with.
- track our partners whether in touch or mental/visual focus contact.
- make composition choices with shapes/lines as we travel through space/floor.
- contribute unison or contrast movement in service to the group improv composition.
- wait, pause, sometimes step out (exit) and watch as much as "do."
- repeat and amplify movement qualities and gestures we pick up from our partners.
- make sound to serve the group/composition.
Both dancing and watching are encouraged.
These sessions are facilitated by calls (stages of development of the jam session):
1. Solo. Each session begins with 15 minutes of
simultaneous solos so that all can locate their own
vocabulary/movement quality first.
2. Grazing. Warm-up solos progress for another 15 minutes to grazing dances
(in which each participant dances for 1 minute or less with every other person in the studio).
3. Ensemble. Group transitions into longer periods of
interactions between members, shaping and keeping aware of the whole group and whole space.
4. Ending. Group takes 5 minutes to come to a resolution to the composition/experiment.
5. Circle. Group takes a water break and circles up to
discuss what seemed to work and how we each would modify our own choices to
further what happened, what discoveries/take-aways were
found. If there is more time, the group will do a second round of Stages 1-5.
The session may transpire as two shorter rounds or one long round.
The open ended questions that direct these sessions are:
What is it to serve the ensemble when I'm in it?
What works? Why does it work?
What is interesting to watch when I'm observing?
Where in the middle does what's-interesting-to-do and
what's-interesting-to-watch meet?
LEVEL/SKILL REQUIRED: (At least) Two years' current weekly CI practice.
MUSIC: An even mix of work in silence and with music.
CDs of polyrhythmic/spacious music welcome, and live musicians by prior arrangement welcome.
NEXT JAM DATES: July 12*, Aug 2, Sept 6, Oct 4, 2010.
*=2nd Monday, to not conflict with WCCIF event.
TIME: 8:30-10:30PM
INFO:
http://www.humilityswim.org
info (at) humilityswim (dot) org
415-255-9801
LOCATION: Studio Valencia, 455A Valencia Street between 15th & 16th, SF.
Across from Intersection Theater, single-pane glass door.
1 block from 16th St Mission BART.
COST: $3-5 donation.
RSVP ON FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=271742130480
(event begun SEPT 2009.)
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