Florence Global Underscore w music by Rob Flax with Rythea Lee

*photo: Global Underscore 2011 by Anne Sorenson The Florence/Northampton site of the Global Underscore is a focused space for Contact Improvisation and dance improvisation with live music by Rob Flax with Rythea Lee and hosted by Patrick Crowley and Sarah Young. The intention is to improvise in the structure of the Underscore connecting with thousands of other dancers around the world — promoting embodiment, changing states, and peace. The Underscore is not led with verbal cues, so the idea is that people "know" it and come together to share the practice. Participants are required to come on time and stay for the 4-hour duration — if this is a challenge, please contact us. Underscores are open to people who have a firm base in Contact Improvisation (CI), have an interest in improvisation/composition, and participate in at least one hour-long Underscore talk-through. Registration: https://forms.gle/mthhoQ8N35EHifC8A $40–$35–$30 sliding scale Venmo: @patrickmcrowley Zelle: [email protected] TALK-THROUGH: An hour-long Talk-Through is required to participate, though many talk-throughs are recommended, especially if you can't remember all of the phases, connections, and Aspects of the Underscore. The GUS In-Depth Talk-Through is on June 15, 8–10:30am on Zoom. People from all over the world will be presenting and participating in this unique Talk-Through. https://bit.ly/3WRzf4Y. ($5-20 sliding scale donation) The Underscore is a long-form dance improvisation structure developed by Nancy Stark Smith. It has been evolving since 1990 and is practiced all over the globe. The Underscore is a vehicle for incorporating Contact Improvisation into a broader arena of improvisational dance practice; for developing greater ease dancing in spherical space—alone and with others; and for integrating kinesthetic and compositional concerns while improvising. It allows for a full spectrum of energetic and physical expressions, embodying a range of forms and changing states. Its practice is familiar yet unpredictable. The practice progresses through a broad range of dynamic states, including long periods of very small, private, and quiet internal activity and other times of higher energy and interactive dancing. There are 20+ phases, 12+ connections, and 7+ aspects of the score—each represented by a "glyph"—which create a general map for the dancers. Within that frame, dancers are free to create their own movements, dynamics, and relationships—with themselves, each other, the group, the music, and the environment. Each Underscore is unique, providing rich and often inspiring experiences of the human and artistic phenomena of dance improvisation. A Talk-Through of the Underscore, where you learn about all the phases, connections, and aspects, takes about an hour ("in-depth" Talk-Throughs are 2-3 hours) and is done before the Underscores. Dancers are encouraged to come to many talk-throughs. Health safety policy: Come with no symptoms and no exposure to contagious sickness 3 days before. https://patrickcrowley.net/covid-safety Underscore: https://patrickcrowley.net/underscore Global Underscore: https://globalunderscore.com