Contact Improvisation
a process of letting go and of arriving at the same time

Being "in touch" is a state of mind and a state of body. A synonym for being grounded, aware, connected, and awake, "in touch" is both the core and the ideal of this work. Paradoxically, it is a process of letting go and of arriving at the same time. Both an internal and an external practice, being „in touch“ calls forth the fundamentals of physical grace and a willingness to change and be changed. Our goal is to be so exquisitely tuned in that we can fully fly, both physically and creatively. Our practice will take us from a grounded flow to and through aerial soaring. We will look into the composition of emerging moments and find the resources for dances that reach deep into our sense of play.

I base my technical focus on the principals underlying all actions. I consistently work physical development through improvisational tools giving the dancers the skills to be responsible for finding the principals of action present within their own physical choices and with the skills to apply them.



The Mind In Motion
experiencing boundlessness

In this class we work with the vibrant interaction between the mind, the body and the heart. Releasing the old mechanistic model of the mind-body relationship, we find increased movement potential by understanding these aspects of being as one similar to lovers, enhancing and extending the values and abilities of each. Here, subtleties make large differences. We stimulate range in dancer's experiential ability as we seek to recognize the relationship between what we pay attention to and our physical facility and expressive range. We explore structures that draw out dancer's emotional and physical integrity, follow the dynamic interplay between inner and outer space and reveal the deep connections possible between people. We learn about changing size, directing energy flow, moving embodied mind, assembling and disassembling moments, and multiple ways of engaging awareness in „bodily thinking“, so that we have an experience of boundlessness.

„The mind is boundless. The body is bound by form. It is the mind within the body that brings its boundless nature to light, enriching the dance with its depth and breadth.“



Nita Little
For the past 30 years Nita Little has been performing, choreographing and teaching improvisational dance. In 1972 she joined steve paxtion and others to break new ground (or: pave the way) for contact improvisation. For 8 years she has worked exclusively on the development of contact improvisation, significantly influencing and being influenced by it. She is considered a master teacher of contact improvisation and other improvisational forms.