(postponed)SILENT CONVERSATIONS - a five day retreat-art laboratory with Sasha Dodo, Chiang Mai

(postponed) SILENT CONVERSATIONS Composing while Improvising with Sasha Dodo A five day retreat-art laboratory - an intersection of contact improvisation, embodied poetry and performance. Chiang Mai, Thailand The art laboratory is designed as an inspirational environment for focused practice, creation and learning from self, others and the space. The practice will be grounded in being physically, attentionaly, and poetically available for the immediacy, and intends to enhance and refine our compositional, relational and collaborative abilities. Part of our work will be dedicated to the process of creating conditions in which the ordinary becomes poetic; where everything is alive, meaningful, interconnected and about to change. We will approach: 𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 as the art of listening. 𝑃𝑜𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑦 as a deeper form of attention, that allows a new language to arise from the embodied experience. 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 as the process of revealing what is already present in the space. 𝘚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 as a shared ground, space of communication and revelation. The materials of the laboratory is based on the principles of Contact Improvisation. Full commitment and punctual attendance are required for each session. 𝗡𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Group size 20-25 people. 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲: Approximately 4-6 hours of practice and 2-3 hours of focused jam each day. More detailed schedule coming soon. Arrival 1st November 11pm Departure 6th November 12pm 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The Kaomai Lanna Resort, an award winning UNESCO Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Conservation site, with 100 year old trees, 160 sqm dance hall, swimming pool & spa, tea house and outdoor amphitheater. Just 1 hour south of Chiang Mai city. 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱: Vegetarian traditional and contemporary Thai dishes with organic salads will be served for lunch and dinner, a western & eastern style buffet for breakfast, with tea, coffee and herbal drinks served throughout the day. 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Staying in the boutique converted barns. There are two options: - Sharing a room with 2 single beds - Private room with double bed Both have ensuite bathroom, fridge, kettle, aircon. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲: Includes 3 meals per day & accommodation (based on sharing room with one person). 15000 THB - Regular price. + 4500 THB for private room. 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮: Sasha Dodo is a multidisciplinary artists working with dance improvisation, performance, poetry and film. With his life partner and collaborator Dolores Dewhurst Marks, directing and curating: Reverse Rivers Company, is a vehicle for the artistic work art continuum nomadic residency, designed for international artistic exchange, development and creation; being nature project, about connection with deeper self and the natural world, embodied poetry and dance with nature; towards - centre for the practice and research of contact improvisation in Thailand / Asia. As well they are co-organizers of Thailand Contact Improisation Conference 2020-2021, Towards CI50/51 Contact Improvisation Conference 2022-2023, Being Nature Gathering 2022, Being Nature Art Continuum Residency 2024, Towards 3 week CI Focused Jam 2023-2024, and Quiet and Wild Jam 2019-2024. Their artistic work interweaves movement, visual and text, with an emphasis on poeticality that reveals contemplative vision, sense of interdependency and underlying presence of the unknown in everyday life. In their work with Contact Improvisation, they are interested in encompassing and connecting practitioners to the past, present, and potential future of the form. As well as continuing to share inspirations from their own field of research about deeper integrity of action; the state in which attention, imagination and intuition are embodied in the process of improvisation and self is being expressed as an omnidirectional, collaborative and creative space of expanded awareness. They are interested in embodiment of the principles in other areas of their work and in everyday life. In their organizational and artistic work, Contact Improvisation often serves as the under-lining connective tissue and source of inspiration, and it is one the central mediums for artistic expression. Their work with CI is largely influenced by the work of such artists: Steve Paxton, Nancy Stark Smith, Kirstie Simson, Nita Little, Ruslan Baranov, Lalitaraja Joachim Chandler, Ekaterina Basalaeva, Ray Chung, Ming-Shen Ku, Anjelika Doniy, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen and Anna Halprin. Visited countries: China, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, Sweden. Currently based in Thailand. As organizers of CI projects separately and together, they have collaborated with Kirstie Simson, Ming-Shen Ku, Anjelica Doniy, Ekaterina Baselaeva, Yasukichi Suzuki, Bari Kim, Mirva Makinen, Katya Mustonen, Bruno Caverna, Vega Luukkonen, Ruslan Baranov, Alexandra Soshnikova & Sergey Golovnea, and many others. They are currently working on creating towards foundation, with the objective of supporting accessibility of their projects, community and artistic development. They are in the process of creating a permanent art residency, which will accommodate their projects and serve as well as a performative platform. They envision a sustainable, inspiring and collaborative environment for personal and collective insight, growth and transformation. https://towards.contact/ 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗞𝗮𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁: Kaomai Lanna Hotel and Resort is a unique boutique accommodation on the route from Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand. Surrounded by a big, beautiful tropical garden in Chiang Mai, the resort features unique rooms converted from real tobacco curing barns and furnished with colonial style antique furniture. 50 years ago the tobacco industry in the northern part of Thailand reached its peak, and tobacco farms and curing barns flourished. But time passed and things changed. 30 years later other developments came; the tobacco curing barns faded from the northern part of Thailand, replaced by orchards and real-estate projects. Most of the barns were destroyed but it was decided that at least a few reminders from the old days should remain. So 18 old barns were converted into 36 lively guest rooms in a peaceful garden and became known as the charming Kaomai Lanna Resort. Kaomai was awarded the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Conservation for New Design in Heritage Contexts in 2018, and continues its natural and architectural conservation works, while promoting and educating the public and the local community about our heritage through our sustainable tourism. More information about Kaomai: https://www.kaomailanna.com/ This workshop is a part of the program of 𝗧𝗢𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗦 - 𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 / 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮. 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼: [email protected]