Chris Aiken & Angie Hauser: February 2010

Sunday, February 28, 2010

the Parlor Monday night

We are teaching at the Parlor Monday night.

The Parlor (1170 S Broad St. Philadelphia PA)
March 1, 2010

Contact Improvisation, all levels
7-9pm

Contact Adams for more information: adberzins@mac.com

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Chris' Performance @ EDAM, Vancouver, BC

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Coming in April

The Work and Play of Contact Improvisation
Class series with Angie Hauser

at The Parlor (1170 S Broad St. Philadelphia PA)

Monday nights
April 5th through May 9th
7pm - 9pm

Contact Adams for more information: adberzins@mac.com

Each of us has experienced heightened states of being through contact improvisation-times when we felt fearless and alive. There are no recipes to create these moments, but training can lay the foundation for physical and emotional breakthroughs. In this class series I am specifically interested in developing our reflexes, our coordination, and the capacity to continually recycle our mental and physical energies back into the dancing. At the core is the commitment to staying with the modulation of tone and weight in the body-so that the touch remains alive.
The practice of contact improvisation includes the ability to move with ease and efficiency, the integration of the head, spine and limbs, and the ability to motivate movement from multiple centers within the body. Students in the workshop will learn specific technical skills, somatic techniques, and principles of awareness and improvisation.

I am committed to individual coaching and group investigation of specific aspects of the work. Come with questions, energy and commitment to serious training and playful, imaginative dancing.
All levels & drop-ins welcome. If you have question about if this class is right for you please contact the instructor at angiehauser3@earthlink.net

Monday, February 1, 2010

CHRIS IN VANCOUVER, BC

EDAM presents CHRIS AIKEN

WORKSHOP
Sense, imagination, contact and improvisation
A workshop with American guest artist Chris Aiken

February 8-12, 2010 9:30am-12:30pm
$200 (plus GST)

In these classes we will focus on the borders where our imagination meets our capacities to sense ourselves and the world. From this place it becomes possible to shift fluidly back and forth between the poetic and the physical. Somatic information (i.e. based upon my work with the Alexander Technique, Rolfing and Ideokinesis) will be combined with compositional and movement practices, to create inspired dancing. Open to all levels.

Chris Aiken is a leading international teacher and performer of dance improvisation and contact improvisation. His work is informed by questions and explorations surrounding themes of perception, imagination, dance, architecture, ecology, somatics, and aesthetic theory. He has received numerous awards for his work, including a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is tenured professor and co-director of the dance program at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania.

To register send a non-refundable cheque/money order for $50, payable to EDAM, to:
EDAM Dance, 303 East 8th Ave., Vancouver, BC V5T 1S1

information: 604-876-9559

PERFORMANCE
Unwinding
Improvisation by
Peter Bingham
American guest artist Chris Aiken
musicians Coat Cooke and Clyde Reed
lighting designer/operator James Proudfoot

February 4 at Victoria's Metro Theatre
February 12 and 13 at EDAM

Unwinding is like a jazz ensemble. The evening’s story unfolds and develops through the expertise of the performers and their relationship with each other, the music and the environment. An astute sense of timing is crucial.

This ensemble has worked together many times since the early nineties, and each member has an accumulation of melodies and memories to draw upon to help create the evening’s work. The music, the dance, the lighting – all are equal partners in this improvisation.

Peter Bingham and Chris Aiken have firmly established themselves as leading figures in the world of dance improvisation. Over the course of their careers, they have worked with many of the prominent figures in this field, including Steve Paxton, Nancy Stark Smith, Simone Forti and Andrew Harwood. They have both danced professionally for over twenty-five years, taking part in countless festivals and performances throughout the world.

Bingham and Aiken are true masters of the duet form, Contact Improvisation. In their past performances, they have delighted audiences with their effortless athleticism and sensitive dancing. Join Bingham and Aiken as they reunite to dance together once again. Two veteran performers, two great friends -- come and see their latest collaboration.

For tickets/info re the Victoria performance at the Metro Theatre, contact 1-888-717-6121 or 250-386-6121 or rmts.bc.ca

Tickets to the shows at EDAM are $15 if purchased in advance or $20 at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased at EDAM from 9:30am-5pm from Feb 8-12. We accept cash or cheques; sorry, no credit cards. For further information call 604-876-9559

Chris Aiken

Chris Aiken is a leading international teacher and performer of dance improvisation and contact improvisation. Over the past two and a half decades his work has evolved through ongoing investigations of performance, composition, movement technique and design. His work has been significantly influenced through the somatic practice of the Alexander Technique, ideokinesis, yoga and the work of Ida Rolf. Chris has performed and collaborated with many renowned dance artists including Steve Paxton, Kirstie Simson, Nancy Stark Smith, Peter Bingham, Andrew Harwood, Patrick Scully and Angie Hauser. He has received numerous awards for his artistic work, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Bush Foundation Fellowship, funding from the Jerome Foundation and commissions from the Walker Art Center, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Dance Theater Workshop, Bates Dance Festival and the National Performers Network. Chris is an Associate Professor at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania. He is currently touring a NPN-commissioned work entitled “Dwell” co-created with Angie Hauser and is working on a new project inspired by the works of the artist Joseph Cornell.

Angie Hauser

Angie Hauser is a dancer and teacher. Her work is grounded in improvisation and performance reflecting the influences of contact improvisation, postmodern choreography, ballet and Butoh. Since 2000, Angie has been a member of the Bebe Miller Company, where she contributes to the creation of award winning dance works that are performed throughout the United States. In 2006 Angie was awarded a BESSIE (N.Y. Dance and Performance Award) for Creation and Choreography for her work with Bebe Miller. As an improviser she collaborates with many gifted artists including Chris Aiken, Kirstie Simpson, K.J. Holmes, Darrell Jones, Andrew Harwood and Kathleen Hermesdorf. She has also danced with the companies of Elizabeth Streb, Liz Lerman and Poppo Shiriashi. She has taught contact improvisation, improvisation and dance throughout North America as well as Switzerland, Germany, France and Scotland. Angie received her MFA in dance from the Ohio State University and holds a BA in Art History from University of South Carolina.

Classes and Workshops

Performance and Improvisation Intensive

Have you ever had moments in performance when things seemed to be happening in slow motion, when your movements feel in tune and your mind is alert and relaxed at the same time? You are simultaneously aware of the audience, yourself and your fellow performers as part of an interconnected whole. The ability to sense, to imagine and to create through movement feels effortless in these times. This intensive is designed to lead us toward heightened states of being in performance. Through training, students will develop greater confidence in their ability to respond intelligently and poetically to what is happening around them. Classes will include training in compositional improvisation, performance awareness, movement invention and the tuning of one’s reflexes. (Aiken/Hauser)

Contact Improvisation

Contact Improvisation is a movement form that offers opportunities to experience heightened states of being – times when we feel fearless and alive. There are no recipes to create these moments, but training can lay the foundation for physical and emotional breakthroughs. In this workshop, the artists are interested in developing reflexes, coordination, and the capacity to continually recycle mental and physical energies back into the dancing. At the core is the commitment to staying with the modulation of tone and weight in the body, so that the touch remains alive. Aiken & Hauser bring a combined 35 years of experience practicing and teaching Contact Improvisation--this produces classes that teach the principles at the foundation of contact improvisation, and which share an ongoing oral history of the form. All levels welcome; please come with questions, energy and commitment to playful, imaginative dancing. (Aiken/Hauser)

Dance Technique Workshop

This technique class focuses on integrating physical and creative articulation. Building coordination, strength and articulation allows us to dance to the fullest that we imagine without hesitation. As we call on our training to embody our ideas we find the cycle continues as the movement itself inspires our creative imagination. Each part of this class is in response to the individual dancer’s desire to integrate her abilities with her imagination. The class consists of an eclectic mix of energy work, somatic information, postmodern dance technique, improvisation and quirky phrase work. The movement material focuses on moving in and out of the floor with ease and strength, spatial clarity, and detailed articulations. Hauser’s material reflects the influences of her extensive training in ballet, contact improvisation and post modern choreography. (Hauser)

DWELL: Improvising Home

A composition workshop

This workshop focuses on composition and dance improvisation, centered around the process of transforming space into place, and creating worlds for our imaginations to dwell. The artists approach this by engaging in an eclectic collection of activities, including dancing, improvising, building, designing and observing. Expand your awareness of how to compose and gain new perspectives and approaches to composing. All levels welcome. (Aiken/Hauser)

Chris Aiken & Angie Hauser