Touch&Play: Unveiling - July 6-11, 2017

Touch&Play: UNVEILING July 6-11, 2017 Earthdance, Plainfield, MA “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” ― Albert Camus WEBSITE: http://2017.touchandplay.org/ REGISTRATION OPEN! Intensives will fill on a 1st come 1st served basis. So reserve your spot now! Contact Improvisation can be an act of freedom and revelation! Let's pull back the veil, expand our edges, investigate how our patterns and attitudes may limit us and try on new versions of ourselves. We continue to question the relationship of "chemistry & physics" in CI through movement, touch, intimacy, communication and connection to radical truth. The first T&P project in the USA took place at Earthdance in July 2016; its theme was communication. It was a great success! We received a large amount of positive feedback, and by popular request are adding one more day to the event this year. We have been enjoying witnessing the effect of our festival on many participants and teachers. Many classes, festivals, workshops and labs have been happening in Latin America, Canada and all over the US during 2016-2017, in large part inspired by last year’s festival. We are honored to be a part of this personal and community development and wish to deepen our investigation of Contact Improvisation, communication, and intimacy again this coming July. We believe that major change can and does happen when we give ourselves time and space to recognize our growing edges and feel safe enough to explore and expand them with ourselves and within community. Touch&Play aims to both provide a profound space for honesty, celebration, joy, discomfort, clarity, growth, and acceptance. It also is a time where consent, choice, and self-care come first. Participants, teachers, organizers, and Earthdance staff co-habitate while individually managing their days full of choice. In a typical day, participants might explore a challenging edge in a class, then have an emotional release in a sharing session with a small group, eat yummy food with a friend, go get your playful dance on, have a heartfelt challenging conversation with a stranger, go to the sauna, and end the day with a calm massage exchange or a star-filled walk alone. Through connection, change and growth can be balanced with play, fun, and relaxation. MODALITIES AND PRACTICES THIS EVENT IS INSPIRED BY: • NVC (Non-Violent Communication) • Power & Resistance Play • Conflict Transformation • Queer & Gender studies • The Work (Byron Katie) • Authentic Movement • Somatic mindfulness • Spritual connection • Breathwork • Roleplaying • BDSM • Ritual • Tantra... OUR GOALS FOR THIS EVENT INCLUDE: • Deepening and developing our culture of consent and accountability. • Stimulating discussion about the edges of CI and expanding its definitions. • Creating the possibility to find greater freedom and deeper connections individually and as a group. • Enriching CI with subtle communication practices. • Exploring and expanding our range of touch. • Creating permission to explore physical & emotional edges while simultaneously defining healthy boundaries. • Bringing these communication tools into our creative art and performance making processes. QUESTIONS WE'RE INTERESTED IN EXPLORING: • How does CI help us to connect with and express our feelings and needs? • Which of our many inner voices do we allow into our dances? • Beyond physicality how do we read the feelings and needs/intentions of the other? • How can CI help us differentiate our need for intimacy, sensuality, sexuality, and connection? • How can CI help us to become more compassionate? PRIORITIZING DIVERSITY: As we expand our edges we aim to challenge our internalized racism/sexism/classism/able-bodyism and other ways we separate ourselves. We wish to be a more diverse group. Therefore, we would like your support in spreading the invitation and information about Touch and Play to more people of color and differently-abled people who may be interested in this work. We are looking to invite more diversity both to the teacher team and to the participants who enroll. Please invite anyone you see fit as soon as possible. BIG HUGS, Looking forward to dancing & exploring together!! Moti Zemelman, Alyssa Lynes, Daniel Hayes, Béu Tornaghi QUESTIONS: please contact us at [email protected]