Northampton Winter Seasonal UNDERSCORE. w music by Nash Atkins

Talk-Through: 11:30 am -12:30 pm (required for those new) Practice: 1:30–5:00 pm Registration (required): https://forms.gle/4nSitNxPhsAtR6ZAA $25–$30–$35 (low–regular–abundant) Practice $5–$8–$10 Talk-Through (new people pay/free for repeaters) Additional donations accepted. Venmo: @patrickmcrowley Zelle or Apple Cash: 617-320-9792, or bring cash. Work-exchange: 1.5 hours. Contact us 1st. In the Underscore there is an invitation to notice what is underneath our practice that emerges through what we already know. We attune to physical forces, the environment, our inner world, sound, and group composition. 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. The Underscore is generally not led with verbal cues; the idea is that people “know” it already and are coming together to share the practice. Please get to the space at least 10 minutes early to arrive fully. The Underscore "talk-through” is required, if you have not had at least one 1-hour talk-through previously. We encourage experienced Underscorers to come to the talk-through many times to refresh/deepen their understanding and learning. Bring your questions! Let us know if you'd like to come to this. ($5–$8–$10 for 1st time; dancers who are refreshing do not have to pay.) Health safety information: come with no symptoms and no exposure to any contagious sickness including COVID in prior 3 days.