Northampton Spring Seasonal Underscore w music by Rob Flax

*photo: Sea Ripple, Newburyport, MA 2022 by Tori Lee This Northampton Underscore is a focused space for Contact Improvisation and dance improvisation with live music by Rob Flax and hosted by Patrick Crowley and Sarah Young. The intention is promote exploration, fun, study, and depth. The Underscore is not led with verbal cues, so the idea is that people "know" it and come together to share the practice. Participants come on time and stay for the 3.5 hour duration. Underscores are open to people who have a firm base in Contact Improvisation (CI), have an interest in improvisation and composition, and participate in at least one hour-long Underscore talk-through. The intention for these Seasonal Underscores are learning, depth, and fun with dancers from the regional community. $20–$25–$30 sliding scale Venmo: @patrickmcrowley Zelle: [email protected] 1-2 pm Talk-Through ($5–$8-$10 sliding scale for 1st time). Talk-throughs are required for those new to Underscore and recommended for those experienced. 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 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 (free for repeat talk-throughs). COVID safety policy: https://patrickcrowley.net/covid-safety Gist: Either test or wear a mask. Come with no symptoms. Underscore: https://patrickcrowley.net/underscore Global Underscore: https://globalunderscore.com