CALL for participants: Articulating contact improvisation with Jurij Konjar

𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐧, 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡, 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 · call for participation open to dancers with relevant experience in 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 Application deadline: 15th of August 2025 Result announcement: 22nd of August 2025 Event: 21-27 of September 2025: 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 · 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝, 𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙅𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙟 𝙆𝙤𝙣𝙟𝙖𝙧 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 For the past 53 years, Contact Improvisation (CI) has been continuously researched, developed and articulated. The current state is a global body of dancers, events and a vast online resource of knowledge (C.Q.), written by the dancers themselves. Since its birth as a radical artistic proposal, contact improvisation has been integrated in dancing language and social structures. Yet by its nature, for the CI to remain real, it asks to be continuously re-discovered and re-developed, by every person, community and generation anew. To keep its name, it asks to be experienced through physicality, observation and spoken/written exchange. In our research week in Bucharest, we’ll ask questions and let the answers play out. What dynamics are at play when Contact is articulated in language, both spoken and written? What happens when we look at a CI jam through the lens of performance? How can somatic experience grow through being articulated in language? How do the observer, the receiver and the director in me interact in real time? Where and how do we experience Improvisation when practicing Contact Improvisation? 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣? For seven consecutive days we’ll do guided research in a beautiful studio with a wooden floor. The process will be guided by Jurij Konjar, sliding between resembling a lab and sometimes a workshop. On the seventh day there’ll be an open-door public presentation, where we’ll expose the processes we’ve been going through during the week, in movement and language. 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙮? Those with some previous knowledge of contact improvisation, an appetite for research and an interest in articulating those in spoken and/or written language. Naming, reflecting, exchanging and applying all this back to dancing will be a cornerstone of this week. But also, we’ll be moving for hours for seven consecutive days, so an adequate physical condition is necessary to keep everyone safe and to avoid injury. Finding ease in doing will be a virtuosity we’ll be working towards. 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙮? Write a text (min. 400 words - max. 500 words) that includes firstly a short biography with your relevant CI experience and secondly a motivation letter (what you’re interested in, where you see yourself as you read the description of our research proposal) and submit it (by completing this form) here: https://forms.gle/nM8TJriqie82BNFB6 *𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘚𝘰 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙚 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧? Free participation for 12 participants. 🔺𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 / 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴. Article by 𝙅𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙟 that is relevant for our work during this week: https://contactquarterly.com/contact-improvisation/newsletter/view/embracing-performance-as-a-part-of-a-ci-jam#$ --------------------------------------- Bio: 𝙅𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙟 𝙆𝙤𝙣𝙟𝙖𝙧 is a Slovenian dancer, improviser, choreographer and teacher. He studied dance at PARTS in Brussels and later with Steve Paxton and Lisa Nelson, amongst others. He restaged several of Paxton's works and is at present still touring the Goldberg Variations improvised solo. He performs improvised performances and his own work internationally. His own performances also include Ulysses, Still, For Juliano Mer-Khamis, Monday at Eight (co-directed), Poka (co-directed), Biodegradables and A report from Contactfestival Freiburg 2023. His new creation, titled Impotence, will premiere in November 2025. His teaching includes elements of his performance-of-improvisation and writing practices, the Tuning Scores of Lisa Nelson, Material for the spine of Steve Paxton and contact improvisation. Jurij is a part of the worldwide contact improvisation community and is a creator of the shared, nomadic working space called Habitat. More information and current news on: www.jurijkonjar.com ---------------------------- The project is a co-production between 𝙋𝙀𝙏𝙀𝘾 and 𝙀𝙘𝙝𝙤 𝙀𝙘𝙝𝙤 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮, co-financed by AFCN. Partners: „George Enescu” National University of Arts from Iași, Contemporary Art Space Association, Zi de Bine Association, The National Dance Centre Bucharest, Reduta Cultural Centre Brașov, MIMA Music, Topic Hub Media partners: Agenția de cArte, Bookhub, Ceașca de cultură, Contacte Culturale, CVLTARTES, Happ.ro, Iscoada, LIFE.ro, Litera 9, Liternet, Matca Literară, Observator Cultural, Palindrom, Radio Romania International, Subversiv, The Institute. The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or the way the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding beneficiary.