SILENT CONVERSATIONS - 18-30 April, Koh Phangan 2024

SILENT CONVERSATIONS Composing while Improvising & Making space for the unimaginable future. A thirteen day retreat-art laboratory, an intersection of contact improvisation, embodied poetry and performance-making with Sasha Dodo 18-30 April 2024 Koh Phangan, 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. We are going to work with limitations, poetically charged ideas, and embodied inquiry. The nature of the material includes risk-taking, process-based experimentation, and being lost and found in the unknown territories that require extra attention for oneself, our partners, and the group process. In the heart of this laboratory is an ongoing investigation of one's own and collective creative potential, the ability to radically change the way we relate and perceive the future we deeply desire. In the last days, we will share our artwork/work-in-progress discoveries and group performances with friends. Full commitment and punctual attendance are required for each session. 𝗡𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲(subject to minor changes): 18-30 April 2024: 18th, 19th, 20th 16:30-21:00 21st - OFF 22nd, 23rd, 16:30-21:00 24th, 25th 10:00-13:30; 18:30-21:30 26th 16:30-21:00 27th, 28th, 29ne, 30th (the days of making and sharing) 10:00-13:30; 16:30-21:30 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲: Contribution to the retreat laboratory is presented in the sliding scale format and based on your financial situation. Choose how much will you contribute: 9000 THB - Low income (5 places available). 14000 THB - Regular price. 19000 THB - Support price - 5000 THB of the ticket goes to the towards scholarship program. 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Application from: https://forms.gle/JDFVcHhaX3Tq5u5Y9 We are curious to hear about your motivation and current interest. It’s important you are attuned to the proposition and its requirements; that you are ready to go through this 13-day process. Scholarship application: https://forms.gle/NPt7S21TMEvkeJi39 There are 8 scholarship opportunities for dedicated emerging practitioners/artists who are unable to pay the low-income price. Direct your inquiries to: [email protected] 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] 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮: Sasha Dodo is a multidisciplinary artist working with poetry, dance improvisation, performance and film. With his life partner and collaborator Dolores Dewhurst Marks, directing and curating: 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; reverse rivers company - a vehicle for the artistic work; towards - centre for the practice and research of contact improvisation in Thailand / Asia. As well they are co-organizers of Thailand Contact Improvisation Conference 2020-2021, Towards CI50/51 Contact Improvisation Conference 2022-2023, Being Nature Gathering 2022, Being Nature Art Continuum Residency 2024, Towards 6/9 week CI Focused Jam 2023-2024, Towards CI52 International Contact Improvisation Conference in Thailand 2024, and Quiet and Wild Jam 2019-2024. Sasha’s previous projects includes Solipsis art laboratory of dance improvisation, poetry and performance, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia 2016, 2017 (12 times), Contact Improv College, Ukraine 2015, 2016, INCI festival of Contact Improvisation and Yoga, Crimea 2013, 2014, Nowness festival of awareness and performative arts, Ukraine 2012, 2014 (6 times), Yoga festivals of non-duality and embodied awareness, Crimea, Ukraine 2012 - 2015 (7 times). 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 its 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, Ekaterina Basalaeva, 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, community and artistic development. They are in the process of creating a permanent art residency. They envision a sustainable, inspiring and collaborative environment for personal and collective insight, growth and transformation. https://towards.contact/ More information: https://reverserivers.com/ https://artcontinuum.space/ Photography: Ken Buslay