Contact Improvisation - Being ready
An intermediate course in Contact Improvisation

Because of the sophisticated nature of this workshop, this intensive is for those with a solid grasp of Contact fundamentals with at least three years of continuous ongoing practice. Being completely attentive and always prepared on all levels, will enable us to go beyond thinking our way through the dance, and help us be attuned to what is actually taking place. This total presence allows us to be freed of the mental chatter, planning ahead, and judgment, which so often override the body’s ability to make appropriate split second choices. In this way the improvisations can be entirely physical, playful, heartfelt, surprising and enjoyable. Explored themes will include: tumbling, flying, use of variable speeds, use of direct action and initiation, resistance, disappearance, subtle ways of moving weight, flowing through unfamiliar circumstances, extending our personal range of movement, and integrating our imagination.
This intensive is for those with a solid grasp of Contact Improvisation fundamentals with at least three years of continuous ongoing practice. (The teacher reserves the right to transfer students to a lower level if need be).



Andrew de L. Harwood
Andrew de Lotbinière Harwood is a leading international teacher, performer and creator in the field of instantaneous choreography and Contact Improvisation since 1975. He is the artistic director of AH HA Productions, a project oriented company devoted to Improvisation and based in Montreal. Andrew studied extensively, taught and performed with Steve Paxton, Nancy Stark Smith and Nita Little, three of the founding members of Contact Improvisation. His background also includes gymnastics, Yoga, Modern Dance, Release Technique, Alexander Technique, Improvisation and Aikido. His work has been presented in numerous international festivals since 1980. Andrew danced for the companies of Fulcrum, Jo Lechay, Marie Chouinard and Jean-Pierre Perreault, and continues to collaborate yearly with the Echo Case since 1993. He has also collaborated in performance with Peter Bingham, Marc Boivin, Chris Aiken, Kirstie Simson, Ray Chung, Lisa Nelson, Benoît Lachambre, Marc Thompkins, and Ginette Laurin among many others. Harwood taught advanced workshops and performed at many major Contact Improvisation festivals in the past few years: Freiburg Contact Festival (Germany), Israeli Contact Festival, Zip Contact Festival (Italy), Kontact Budapest (Hungary), Trans Contact Festival (Romania). He has also taught classes to the world renowned companies of O’ Vertigo and Marie Chouinard in Montréal as well as the fabulous Montréal Circus group called Les Sept Doigts de la Main. He is the recipient of the Canada Council’s Jacqueline-Lemieux award for the year 2000.