Join us in a new year retreat in Contact Improvisation Dance with Anjelika Doniy. The retreat will include a harmony of classes, jams, solo movement exploration, nature and space contemplations.

"The practice and romance of CI”
About the visible and the invisible in the dance.
Contact Improvisation, Authentic Movement, and Instant Composition.

~~:~~:~~:~~:~~ DESCRIPTION ~~:~~:~~:~~:~~

The SPACE is my body, environment, my imagination, illusions and one split second of present moment.
The dance exist in the space.
The partners are gifts. What comes from the space and its environment also are.

I share the time, space, movement, word with my partner.
I share timeless, infinity, stillness, silence with my self.
This two worlds coexist and already create composition.
But without a witness, is it recognized and appreciated?

Vision is our way of seeing things. We will experiment with vision and stretch our ability to see from safety to aesthetic pleasure.
We will also look at what happens if eyesight is not our only way of looking and seeing. We will learn to trust this knowledge with our eyes open and closed.

We’ll research the questions:
What is visible, predictable, teachable?
What is hidden, unpredictable and unteachable?
Can we see a jam as an art work in progress?
How does a witness influences a dancer? And how does a dancer influences a witness?

We will practice CI and its relationship with the composition of space, time and place.
We will discipline the capacity to stay focused in the chaos and spontaneous in the clear boundaries of the form.

We are interested in seeing dance from the point of view of time, quantity, space, dimensions, pressure, gravity, temperature. Like baking a cake. Or calculating the weather. Or telling fortune in the coffee grounds.

We will always start with ourselves and return to ourselves through dance, awareness, attention, silence.

~~:~~:~~:~~ BIOGRAPHY ~~:~~:~~:~~

I have studied to be a choreographer, I've been taught various skills of training and means of teaching the body of another person. In my “archive” there are many stage pieces from folk dance to ballet miniatures. My work in the Theatre has been the tastiest. The actors, direction and dramaturgy broadened my mind and my image of the dance art form. I began to see how the art of charming the audience is created.

Since I've met contact improvisation and the first CI teachers, I practice the art of de-educating the body of another person and disentangling the illusions about movement and dance.

I think that the human being is already perfect the way it is created, and I believe in nature and its laws. I dance, investigate and live in accordance with this vision.

I'm prompted in life by the ability to fall in love unconditionally and undoubtedly with people, movement, mountains, journey, ideas. This ability has helped me to learn everything that forms me right now. This is what teaches the others.

CI is the only dance that helps me leave the limits of personality and transform my consciousness. In this sense I'm the student, not the teacher. The better I learn, the more chances have the others to learn something near by me.

My special interest in contact improvisation is clarity. Clarity towards the practice. Honesty towards how do I move my weight in the space of Gravity. Attention towards clearing the dance from the personal. Letting things happen as they do.

I'm grateful for meeting such teachers as Nancy Stark Smith, Danny Lepkoff, Benno Voorham, Lisa Nelson, Ezsther Gal, Yaniv Mintzer, Yoerg Hassman, Martin Keogh and many others.

~~:~~:~~:~~ MORE INFO AND REGISTRATIONS ~~:~~:~~:~~

COST (Includes food, see details below)
$490 - Economically deprived, students and underemployed.
$530 - Economically challenged: artists, farmers etc..
$580 - Professional rate: Happily sustained, supports the art.
Deposit required. Please fill registration form here 

This is an all levels workshop however having acquired the “fundamentals” is necessary to join this retreat. Contact us if you have doubt.

FOOD: Includes 10 meals; 6 lunches, 4 dinners and snacks.
Dancers prepare their own breakfast.
Meals are wholesome, diverse, yummy and abundant.
Subtract 70$ if you won’t take part in the food.

HALL: Beaver Point Hall
Is located at 1361 Beaver Point Road. It is 15 minutes drive from Ganges, 5 minutes from Fullford Harbour. There is very little cell reception at the hall. There is “shaw open” wifi but only available if you are signed into “Shaw Open”.

ACCOMMODATION: We make an effort to find a place for every dancers. If you have a friend on island, we recommend you contact them. We have a few local people who are offering small spaces, futon, common space accommodations for a very reasonable price. We are also presently looking for and big Airbnb house to rent for many dancers. Let us know what is your preference.

THE FORMAT:

Most days will start at 10am and will go into the evenings/night.
-Three days of investigation and dancing (Dec 29-30-31)
-New year eve Celebration Party on the 31st at night.
-New year day of rest with a short optional local jam in the evening (Jan 1)
-Three more days to deepen the material (Jan 2-3-4)
-Last casual Jam and cleanup on Jan 5th in the afternoon.

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