In this course we will focus on reaching a balance between the mental, physical and emotional qualities used to create an engaging contact duet, trio and larger ensemble work. In this work, the body must learn to abandon a certain quality of wilfulness in order to open to new sensations and to experience the natural flow of movement. Cultivating an open-receptive attitude and being completely attentive in each and every moment will enable us to stay attuned to what is actually taking place and to remain present. Our warm-up and preparation will lead us to the practice of various skills such as rolling smoothly, falling safely, being upside down, supporting and giving weight effortlessly. These skills will also help us recognise our familiar choices and go beyond our habitual, known responses. On an emotional level, making contact with another being implies forging a nurturing environment, which allows us to take risks, exchange, communicate and witness. It is a fertile crossroad where skill, sensation, instinct and poetic imagination converge.
Andrew de Lotbinière Harwood
