The Netherlands
11-16 July 2023
4th Contact Improvisation Festival
A SENSING MOVING BODY IN RELATION
As a dancer and teacher I am interested in our body's innate ability to respond physically to the environment and to trust its own physical intelligence. In this intensive I will take point of departure in my latest research, Relational Fields: touch and relation in the frame of process philosophy and contact improvisation.
Process philosophy identifies metaphysical reality with change, and regards change as the cornerstone of reality. Reality consists of processes rather than material objects, where everything constantly, relationally, becomes and un-becomes.
"when I touch you, I reach toward the you that is constantly changing, I reach toward the you that you are becoming".
With this focus on becoming (which is related to the unknowable, the unpredictable), then how can we address and get a grasp of the topics touch and relation? In this intensive we will work with material that will enhance our solo dancing, our duets and finally it will take us into moving within trios.
Trios are sometimes considered to be difficult constellations; therefore tools will be given to become more comfortable and creative within this structure. In duets and trios we will use each others' structures in clear and powerful ways: to move with and through, to pour weight into, to push against, to levitate and to get the sensation of moving in a spherical way.
With a sense of subtle readiness and playfulness, we will meet each moment together with other sensing moving bodies, with our senses open and enhancing our sensation of: our responding skin, the air around us, the relations we create, and the power of moving together in and out of physical contact.
We will write, share thoughts, discuss, read our notes aloud like passionate poets, we will flesh our words and embody what we read and what we write! In other words: by letting words and practice work together, a living vocabulary will become steppingstones where each one will enable further articulation in body/words/practice.
Bring your notebook, pens and an open curious bodymind.
DORTE BJERRE JENSEN
Dorte Bjerre Jensen (Denmark) is a dancer/performer, researcher, teacher, and organizer. She is deeply interested in bodily movement and expression as an art form both in practice and in theory. As an artist she creates, directs, and performs. Dorte holds a two-year postgraduate education from the Danish National School of Performing Arts “Dance Partnership” for professional dancers included an emphasis on artistic and pedagogical research. Additionally, Dorte is an educated yoga teacher, Rosen Method therapist, and Conscious Touch therapist. She has been researching and practicing contacting improvisation for more than 20 years, and teaches contact improvisation nationally( DDSKS,The Academy of music, dance and Theatre, CORPUS The Royal Ballet,The Academy of fine Arts, Ophelia Acting School etc.) and internationally at festivals, and in open workshops. She offers her work to professional dancers, actors, people in leadership roles, and to the general public. Dorte is the author of two chapters: Contact improvisation and Dance & fight, in “Dans22”
