Johan’s screening in Helsinki, March 2015
Alyssa: (To Johan) You had a screening recently in Sweden, what was your discussion question or focus? How did your conversation go? Johan: I was going to say I don’t think we had a specific discussion question but at the same time Mike sent me some questions before that you wrote and I didn’t bring them. I gave a presentation of the film on the background of the film on why you choose to do it and how it’s questioning and looking at community. Somehow since I live in an area where… 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
‘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
Being Generous
During an International Viewing and Discussion Session at Earthdance on January 8th, 2015 a group of around 30 people gathered to watch ‘Five Ways In’. This group contained staff from Earthdance and participants of Nancy Stark Smith’s 3-week Intensive, along with Alyssa Lynes (a co-director). Most people present were therefore intermediate—advanced and/or teaching CI practitioners. Many are familiar with festivals and various international CI communities. We represented the following nationalities and home countries: Russia, Germany, France, Mexico, Canada, Morocco, the US, Italy, England, Ireland, Switzerland, & Brazil. Alyssa: What were you… Read More
Return to Earthdance
During the hustle bustle party preparing evening of December 31st, 2014, at Earthdance (Plainfield, Massachussetts) some people were dressing up in crazy attire, preparing chocolate covered pineapple and other yummy midnight delicacies, or creating a ritual to release the old and create space for new. Around fifteen Contact Improvisation dancers sat in Studio 3 to focus on “Five Ways In”. We were almost all from the US and Canada. Here are a few comments that stood out from our feedback session afterwards. (Alyssa Lynes) Political Activist & CI dancer: [It is]… Read More
Researching Contact Improvisation 