Workshops led by Michele T. Hower and emily liptow will be themed around questions of emergence in contact improvisation practice, such as–  How do we access presence and ground amidst the complexity of improvisational dance? Can we stay with a sensation or choice just long enough to see/feel what is emerging in our personal and collective dance? What are strategies for radical responsiveness to the ever-evolving nature of CI?

With both structured workshops and open jam time, this potent container will nourish and inspire your movement practice and widen your CI community.

This is an open-level event and would be a great opportunity and location for your first CI immersion experience or to deepen your engagement with the form. If you are brand new to Contact Improvisation, we encourage you to take a few classes first or sign up for our fall Fundamentals Intensive.

Register here!

The post Emergence CI Retreat – June 5-7, 2025 appeared first on CI Groundswell.

September 10-13th

Five 2.5 hour CI classes, discussions of the history and philosophy of CI in the evenings and over delicious meals, jams, and swimming in the river– what more can you want? It is a great opportunity to get your CI practice started for the first time or to deepen your engagement with the form.

Taught by Toni Craige and Tevyn East

Register here!

The post Contact Improvisation Intensive – Sept 10-13, 2026 appeared first on CI Groundswell.

September 11-14th

Five 2.5 hour CI classes, discussions of the history and philosophy of CI in the evenings and over delicious meals, jams, and swimming in the river– what more can you want? It is a great opportunity to get your CI practice started for the first time or to deepen your engagement with the form.

Taught by Toni Craige and CJ O'Reilly

Registration not yet open. Signup to get a reminder.

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The post Contact Improvisation Intensive – Sept 11-14, 2025 appeared first on CI Groundswell.

September 12-15th

Five 2.5 hour CI classes, discussions of the history and philosophy of CI in the evenings and over delicious meals, jams, and swimming in the river– what more can you want? It is a great opportunity to get your CI practice started for the first time or to deepen your engagement with the form.

The post Contact Improvisation Intensive Workshop – Sept 12-15, 2024 appeared first on CI Groundswell.

• The Improvisational Mind - March 11th, 2023 12-3pm at the Haw Creek Commons Sanctuary (directions) (workshop passed)
• Consent, Sharing Weight and Lifts in CI - April 8th, 2023 12-3pm at the Haw Creek Commons Sanctuary (directions)

Early Bird Registration for April 8th ends April 1st

While not a requirement, these two workshops go together and it's suggested to take both. Likewise, they are good preparation for the CI from the Ground Up Series.

Select your price below. Pay up the sliding scale by choosing a per-workshop or drop-in price to support scholarships and the teachers.

These two workshops are a spring series, but you can get a reduced price of $30 per workshop by pre-registering for the CI Fundamentals Series that starts this summer at the same time! To receive the Series Discount, register for both the workshops and the series at the same time and the discount will be automatically applied. You cannot receive the Series Discount on these workshops if you do not signup for both at once.

The post CI Fundamentals Workshops – Spring 2023 appeared first on CI Groundswell.

Groundswell's CI Labshop is one part "CI Lab", one part workshop.

Bring your questions, ideas, inquiries, scores, etc. and the facilitator will support the group in weaving them together in a lab like fashion!

Each Labshop will be:

• an opening circle to share our inquiries, which the facilitator will use to inspire:
• a mini-class and/or facilitated activities or scores to practice or explore related skills
• another circle to harvest from the class and activities, and establish some elements for:
• a more open ended exploratory score, lab or jam space
• A final closing circle

The Labshop is a great opportunity for all dancers regardless of how much experience you have to explore specific concepts, skills and group scores.

Every Wednesday 6-8pm in West Asheville (Register for address)
Facilitated by CJ O'Reilly

Please be sure to review to the COVID guidelines for this event (below)

Drop in: $20
Pre-Registration: $10-20
Groundswell Members: included
Scholarships available, apply here.

The post Contact Improvisation Labshop appeared first on CI Groundswell.

Sliding Scale Price - pay up the sliding scale to support Scholarships and CI Groundswell - discounts with Contact From the Ground up registrations!

A weekend workshop with Axis Syllabus and Contact Improvisation teacher Daniel Bear Davis.

https://vimeo.com/391990945

Daniel Bear Davis (MFA) is an interdisciplinary performance maker, movement educator, nationally certified massage therapist, and Somatic Experiencing® post-graduate student dedicated to support humans to step into greater aliveness and  resilience so we can more fully inhabit the details of our lived experience. He teaches Axis Syllabus, Contact Improvisation, Composition, Acrobatic Stilts, and Dance History.  Whatever the subject, he considers the students researchers and his role is to offer tools to encourage range, choice and curiosity.

Schedule

Cancelled until further notice

The post Axis Syllabus & Contact Improv workshop with Daniel Bear Davis – Cancelled until Further Notice appeared first on CI Groundswell.

Price are Sliding Scale. Pay up the sliding scale to support scholarships and teachers.

We deepen our listening to our own body and connection to its center while expanding into connection with others through weight sharing, exploring structure and weight, navigating dance partnerships through invitations, responding, and by matching tone and pace.

This workshop can be taken stand alone, or as part of the Contact From the Ground Up Series or the Pathways from the Ground Up Trimester.

Time:

Saturday - 10am-1pm,  2:00pm-5:00pm

Sunday - Community Lab on Workshop Material - 2:30pm-5:30pm

Location:

Saturday: Earthaven Council Hall (~45 minute drive from town, get clear on directions in advance - no cell reception)
Sunday: Homewood - 19 Zilicoa Street, Asheville, NC

The post Whispers of the Body: Listening for Connection Within and Between Bodies – Contact Improv Workshop – March 7th & 8th appeared first on CI Groundswell.

We re-member, re-meet, and re-discover our first dance partner: ourselves.

In this workshop we explore the foundation for your movement, exploration, expression, safety, and... your dance.

in a process of re-discovery, we question and discover - through movement, somatic and language - our relationship to dance, the limits of our movement, and where we find excitement and curiosity. This creates a foundation for listening and communication, for self knowledge, self care, communication of boundaries, and for your dance.

This workshop explores concepts and movement explorations integral to the practice of Contact Improvisation, done largely with one's self in a group. It includes personal and group exploration of concepts and ideas around dance through discussion and movement. In addition to solo movement, there will be partnered and group movement work.

Time:

Saturday - 10am-1pm,  2:00pm-5:00pm

Sunday - Community Lab on Workshop Material - 2:30pm-5:30pm

Location:

Saturday: Earthaven Council Hall (~45 minute drive from town, get clear on directions in advance - no cell reception)
Sunday: Everland Community Space in West Asheville

The post Dancing Reflexive: Meeting Our First Dance Partner and Re-Writing Stories of ‘Dance’ – Contact Improv Workshop – Feb 22nd and 23rd appeared first on CI Groundswell.