In this two-day workshop, we will explore our shoulders as a base, a support system for our partners, and another center of our body that can support, lift, and reach different levels while dancing together.

We will explore various shoulder lifts with care, safety, and many guardian angels around us.

On the first day, we will take time to focus on some important principles—the grammar of Contact Improvisation and the roles of being an underdancer and an overdancer (Base & Flyer). We will draw inspiration and "stand on the shoulders of giants" from the field of Contact, learning how they taught and carried this material forward.

On the second day, we will build upon these principles to take it further, dancing and reaching the shoulders of our partners.

This CI Intensive is designed to deepen your technique, allowing for some calculated risks within the flow of Contact Improvisation.

Tom Goldhand

Tom Goldhand has over 20 years of experience in the field of dance, teaching, and performing.
He is one of the co-organizers of the Dutch Contact Festival.

He is the owner and manager of Sadhana Dance - School for Dance & Contact Improvisation in Amsterdam and teaches masterclasses and workshops at professional dance academies (Fontys and Artez) and different dance companies. In recent years, alongside weekly classes, Tom has been facilitating longer dance retreats and intensives across Europe.

Tom co-created the dance company Mono Collective together with five other performance artists. Based in Amsterdam, the collective developed and performed innovative works. Additionally, Tom holds a Master’s degree in Dance Therapy from Codarts University in Rotterdam.