'Through the Edges' Contact Improvisation Oct 16-18 - Budapest, Hungary

What is the 'edge' of the movement? Nearing corner that connect, become, meet through ... Idea : thought | image . Surface : space | body | ground ? Time: past, present, future. Quality : tender, strong, fast, slow, liquid, solid ... Intention, orientation, goal, feeling, sense... Improvisation. Somehow each of such combinative terms melt, compliment & propose through a singular word. Improvisation. Defining a potential & a meeting between potentials. A vast range of how each person full of elements responds to the other, when permission is generously given & provided as a step to invite into *a* meeting. Here are a few relevant definitions & speculative observations & guiding points that we can add on & refer to as a place of investigation in this thematic meeting, touching upon & sensing the edge of the movement, connecting it to the dance of Contact Improvisation : - Beginning with a reflexive practice of Small Dance, extending the Earth through the structure of the larger body, as we grow into angles of tilting, revealing Falling Sensations - Can we sense the edges between such rooted, moldable stability and rapture, stretch of the fall, permitting these edges to be a place of the suspended deepening Dance & correspondence of Depth between growing & falling, trusting both, welcoming both, admiring both in safety that translates into restful lightness . - Spinal Fluidity. Not regularly do we engage the spine in all the twists & turns as in Practice of dance & Contact Improvisation technique in this research. However it is worth elaborating on the extended form of such fluidity, for indeed it carries a structure, despite being agile & flexible & omni-directional. Occasionally, for the sake of reference, I like to visualize the famous Leonardo Da Vincing painting - Vitruvian Man (c. 1490) - an 8-limbed human depicted in a circle (what a luck that a painting from hundreds of years ago was already depicted in the spherical space!) Visually, looking at such image - we can sense the essential grounding of the tailbone & the openness of the chest-plate, collar-bone areas, which play a significant role in allowing expanded-amplified-yielding reach of those places into the space & sensorial support that occurs through & around them. Meanwhile the spine is elongated, or as many facilitators ask to imagine as invisible line running linearly through the top of the head, as well as a line of the tailbone extending into the Earth. With this 'request to imagine' it is essential to consider the capacity of each dancer to use the imaginative ability, where the edges of the material (physical body) extends into the visualization, just as idea of known pathways materializes into flights, which - is a very personal capacity to perceive such skill & ability as an internal-external invitation to partake in such extensions that influence & reveal the dance of the body & mind. - Borders of Self - If we consider layers of bodily interactions : internal fluid, circulatory systems, soft tissues (ligaments), muscles, fascia, bones : we can imagine, explore and perceive the correspondence of each layer to its texture, density & firmness. We will spend a moment of time to sense this journey from within, moving from each subsequent layer in response to the responding structure of the partner to notice the melting-edge shifts of form within such shared dance. (In this case, we will play with scenarios - - partners meet each other on the same layer - one is providing the observing-stable touch, for the other to sense responding from a different layer of the body - one plays a consistent support for the other to explore dancing with support through a different layer of the body) Before getting more technical & leaping arms out-head on into the Falling through spaces, & partners active, alive support, we will summarize those meeting layers, with the non-physical interaction, sensing the edges of such non-tactile meeting & how subtle it can be. Particularly : Symmetrical & A-Symmetrical responses + Diving through & Opening the Negative between the bodies. Just as the roles of Following & Leading grow in its complexity, as we extend the In-Between delicate meeting: Shapes my Hands see as (invitational) Movement ? Shapes my Eyes see as (invitational) Movement ? Shapes my Mind sees as (invitational) Movement? Shapes my Fascia sees as (invitational) Movement? Shapes your Hands.... -- Where the two impulses meet & correspond. Finally with the 'Technical' - We will elaborate on the surfaces of the Support, bringing up the fundamental quality of Martial Arts. Not that long ago, reading the distinct (in Contact Quarterly edition of the 70s) difference between CI & MA, is a shift between : "Attack & Defend" (Martial Arts) | "Support & Surrender" (Contact Improvisation) | was an insightful detail to perceive how the two forms share a fundamental way of moving, with a different 'attitude' of responding. We will explore a few variations of Pelvic-Back-Shoulder surfaces- support, as a larger area of the body, elaborating on the sliding qualities into the edges of the surface, inclining a fall, linear or spiraling, & further response of unfolding dance, where roles can be smoothly interchangeable, relation to Earth consistent & edges of the Dance elaborate & thrilling. A bow of Gratitude to Regős Ilona for allowing this collaboration, co creation to occur in Budapest Contact Improvisation community. Elaborate Text on the Theme-Topic of "Through the Edges" --> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k5B4vOK96eBgmHtGeI2f2qKKN27CnAow/view?usp=drive_link ------------ What is Contact Improvisation : Contact Improvisation (CI) is a postmodern dance practice that explores movement through shared weight, touch, and physical awareness. Originating in the United States in 1972, contact improvisation was developed by dancer and choreographer Steve Paxton, drawing on influences from modern dance, aikido, and somatic practices. Contact Improvisation emphasizes the interplay of gravity, momentum, and improvisation, fostering an experimental approach to movement that invites both professional dancers and newcomers into its global community. With time the technique and practice of this movement form spread across Europe, Asia & Americas, growing into an international community of practitioners. CI is a dynamic and expressive dance form that transcends traditional boundaries, inviting participants into a unique exploration of movement, connection, and self-discovery. Following these extended links you will find: http://bit.ly/goodtoknowbeforeattending - CI Community Agreements - What is a Contact JAM? -- Jam Guidelines - History & Contact Quarterly - Where to Practice --> www.ciglobalcalendar.net (Events, Festivals, Workshops, Gathering) - Resources. Material. Videos. 𝗝𝗔𝗠 guidelines: [https://shorturl.at/hrtzE](https://shorturl.at/hrtzE) 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: [https://shorturl.at/GRTV7](https://shorturl.at/GRTV7) Quote from the author: "Contact improvisation is a spontaneous physical dialogue that ranges from stillness to highly energetic exchanges. Alertness is developed in order to work in an energetic state of physical disorientation, trusting in one's basic survival instincts. It is a free play with balance, self-correcting the wrong moves and reinforcing the right ones, bringing forth a physical/emotional truth about a shared moment of movement that leaves the participants informed, centered, and enlivened." *— early definition by **Steve Paxton** and others, 1970s, from CQ Vol. 5:1, Fall 1979* About the Facilitator --> Valentyn Korotkevych (@valevych) is a Ukrainian-Canadian somatic therapy practitioner, spoken word and movement artist. His work integrates Polyvagal theory (certified), Deep Tissue Massage (certified), and poetry of being an active body-mind- connected system. In the recent active year of constant reach & re-balancing journey of a dancer, he was lucky to pursue the consistent opportunity of facilitating, meeting & deciphering the form of Contact Improvisation movement through events & workshops across : - S Korea : Seoul (Contact & Play community) - https://www.instagram.com/p/DLWx3lFp544/ Gangneung - https://www.instagram.com/p/DMJtZrAzj4n/?img_index=1 - Japan : Tokyo (in collaboration with Nakano community) ; Kyoto ; Fukuoka ; https://www.instagram.com/p/DNKM1Hpyj3G/?img_index=1 Kagoshima (Humble Gathering) - https://www.instagram.com/p/DTF4OANEtLG/?img_index=1 - Hong Kong - https://www.instagram.com/p/DKmR1CTvCWq/?img_index=1 - China : Guanghzhou - Macao ; - Malaysia ; (https://www.instagram.com/p/DSw7Q2wkaXK/?img_index=1) - Singapore : (https://www.instagram.com/p/DWsObSPEuDX/?img_index=1 ; https://www.instagram.com/p/DP3zYxbEoUN/?img_index=1 - Australia (Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast) - https://www.instagram.com/p/DUxA7mVkcH7/?img_index=1 - Turkey (Ankara, Istanbul) - https://www.instagram.com/p/DV8dhTOkbo2/?img_index=1 - Greece (Athens) - https://www.instagram.com/p/DYSjNQUDDu8/?img_index=1 Attending to meet & dance in European communities of Finland, Austria, Moldova, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Thailand, S Korea, Honk Kong, Macao, China (Guangzhou), Vietnam & Japan. Valentyn's adult life have been directly affected by the acts of invasion against his homelands-home region of Donbas area of Ukraine (2014 & 2022), forcing him to leave the area and seek pursuits of maturity elsewhere. His approach to CI (Contact Improvisation) lies in the root of introspection, contemplation & fundamental feeling of honesty, inclusivity & mutual care. The practice itself became to carry on a sense of belonging. Valentyn studied, lived & pursued the cinematic art media in Canada for 7+ years, creating & receiving recognition for his subtle independent films while discovering his identity in the medium of combined art-movement-therapy-poetry in motion of life & modern pursuit for balanced being. After exploring Central America, Europea & South East Asia, he Currently he lives nomadically, discovering locations that resonate.