Nancy Stark Smith -Dance in Peace
Nancy Stark Smith, fondly known as the mother of contact improvisation, died on the 1st May, 2020. In celebration and memory of a life that inspired and touched so many, Alyssa Lynes, Sonja Bruhlmann and Mike Poltorak would like to make our documentary -Five Ways In-free to view. As the International Contact Festival Freiburg owes a profound debt of gratitude to Nancy Stark Smith’s tireless enthusiasm and teaching of the form, Five Ways In in turn would not have been possible without her. Her underscore inspired the structure of the film. At… Read More
NYC: Inclusivity as a physical, musical and spoken Conversation
INCLUSION: “Yeah-even when you are on the fringes you are really still a part of it. I love that about CI-when we are creating that kind of general vibe.” January 14, 2017 New York City Premiere at Jack (a cozy film and performance space in Brooklyn) (http://www.jackny.org/) A variety of people showed up to this event. There were 3-4 people who had never danced CI before and a few teachers of CI and a bunch of CI dancers who range in level and interest, race, age, and background. I found the… Read More
An Interview with CI Virgins!
Ever wonder what people who don’t know anything about CI would say if they came and saw the film as their very first impression and then entered the JAM? Alyssa (A) interviews two brand new beginners (B & C) at the showing & Jam, Darmstadt, Germany Oct. 2, 2016 A: So you guys came and saw the film. Did you also see Fall After Newton- the early film shown? Two Beginner Women: Yes. A: I am just curious since it’s brand new to you, 1. How you found out about Contact Improvisation… Read More
Dance IS Peace
Dance is Peace Festival, Lviv, Ukraine- May 2015 The question of how contact improvisation is political was at the heart of the Dance is Peace festival in the beautiful Ukrainian city of Lviv in May 2015. We had seen Poured Out, the powerful video of spontaneous dances in Maidan square, Kiev, at the Bern Jam the year before. It was not difficult to resist the temptation to offer Five Ways In as a way of exploring what was meaningful for people at the festival. Their manifesto for the festival moved Sonja and… Read More
Reflections on Vision and a Community Research Visit
The need for a core group with a coherent vision is often regarded as vital to starting a community that lasts. I reflect on feedback on our Monastery of Dreams intensive in relation to visits to several formed and developing communities in Catalonia in 2013. We visited Kanawen, Arcadia, Arlequi, Cal Cases, Can Masdeu, Esblada, Irehom, Cala Fou and Molinàs. I also offer a brief history of the group that formed to set up the Monastery of Dreams and the extent of our mutual involvement to provisionally suggest that a lack of… Read More
Two Weeks at the Monastery of Dreams
At the former Seminary of the Marist Brothers, Outdoor Pursuits Centre (Casa de Colonies Ca n’Oliver) and Festival Location of MAPA. I spent some time thinking about how to summarise or even give a taste of what happened during the two weeks I spent at the Monastery of Dreams, the first week spent preparing for the second, a intensive process of dancing, sharing, performing while thinking, living and imagining community. I realised it would be impossible. The richness of the experience, the fact that my understanding and appreciation is still forming… Read More
A lunch screening at: LONDON & VENICE… DANCE!! with Alyssa
LONDON & VENICE… DANCE!! Sunday, May 3 at 3:00pm C.T.R. (Centro Teatrale di Ricerca) Giudecca 621, Venezia Organized by: Carla Marazzato & Monica Giacomin After the film we had a short sharing of how the film resonated. In this photo: we are with our eyes closed for one minute to find the thought, image, statement, moment we wanted to share. * Carla first saw the film at a screening Alyssa hosted at Earthdance in January. Carla was there as an artist in residence for two weeks. Afterwards we spoke and she shared how she felt really excited… Read More
CI & Community? a Post-screening Discussion at Tempelhof Contact Festival with Johan & Alyssa
Contact Improvisation and Community? “Wow this is a community and how can I be part of it? Do I want to be part of it or when am I part of it? Who’s part of it ‘cause I felt when I watch it that I didn’t feel that I’m part of it and so I was wondering what would make me feel part of it and do I want to be part of it and how closed is it? Who decides who’s part of it and all of these questions came… Read More
Social Anthropology Conference Screening & Feedback
Five Ways In was screened in the Film, audio and multimedia programme as part of the annual anthropology conference of the ASA (the Association of Social Anthropologist of the UK and Commonwealth). ASA15 Symbiotic Anthropologies: Theoretical Commensalities and Methodological Mutualisms was held at the University of Exeter in April 2015. Our film was shown last from a number of multi-media presentations. I was not able to attend in person but joined on skype to hear some feedback and receive questions about the film. I was particularly interested what questions social anthropologists would… Read More
‘Explore Contact Improvisation’ in Cambridge, Mass.
‘There was so much in there to take in. It is almost overwhelming to absorb their honesty- their physical honesty and their emotional honesty’. (Feedback from screening). I am really grateful to Marcus Schulkind for supporting this event and thrilled to have collaborated with another dance mentor to host this evening- Neige Christenson. Neige teaches Contact Improvisation in the area and is a supporter of the film. I am a Boston raised dancer but have been living in Europe for the last four years dancing and teaching Contact Improvisation, Modern Dance,… Read More
Researching Contact Improvisation 