Teaching
Fall 2023 // Classes
Contact Improvisation w/ Olivia Shaffer
Open guided warm-up, focused practice, round robin jam.
> For professional / pre-professional dancers AND experienced practitioners of Contact Improvisation. Permission of the instructor required: director@edamdance.org
> Mondays | 10 AM - 12 PM
at EDAM Dance / edamdance.org
$15 - $25 per class
image: Yvonne Chew
Awareness Through Movement® w/ Olivia Shaffer
Virtual Feldenkrais Method® Somatic Education classes.
> For anyone looking for self-improvement, whether you are seeking pain relief, to expand your abilities, improve skills, or boost mental health. Click here to learn about the Feldenkrais Method®.
> Tuesdays | 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM (PST) on Zoom
5 class series : Oct 3 - 31
Drop-ins welcome. REGISTER HERE.
$0-$10 per class (by e-transfer)
image: Robert Golden
What to expect in an ATM™ class:
-Instructions will be verbal.
-The intent is to move slowly and make small movement with minimal effort or resistance.
-Take rests as much as you need, even when the instruction says to move.
-If you feel pain, strain, or great effort, do a smaller movement. You can even do the movements in your imagination; imagining the movements will still activate your nervous system and build new neural connections!
Get your space ready:
-Make sure you have space to lie down comfortably. (Ideally you can do a snow angel.)
-Floor is best with a yoga mat or thick blanket for a little padding.
-Have a folded towel for an adjustable head rest for when you are on your back or on your side. (Pillows are not advised because they are not an even head support.)
-During lessons it’s common to get sleepy or cold. Make sure your space is comfortably warm and that you have warm clothes to put on if you get cold. Keep some lights on so you don't fall asleep.
Please email me if you have any questions or concerns.
Fall 2023 // Workshops
Whitehorse
Intro to Contact Improvisation
Sept 23 + 24 // 12 - 4 PM
at Old Firehall, Front Street, Whitehorse, YT
—> Click here to register.
Vancouver
Contact Workshop
for Professional and Pre-professional Dance Artists
Saturday, Oct 28 // 1 - 4 PM
at EDAM Dance
...details coming soon...
Kelowna
Contact Fundamentals
Saturday, Nov 4
in Kelowna, BC
...details coming soon...
Past Classes + Workshops
image: Yvonne Chew
Spring 2023
Contact Improvisation w/ Olivia Shaffer
> Wednesdays | 6:00 - 7:30pm
Ongoing *
For all levels.
Drop-ins and class cards welcome.
Register here or pay at the door (cash, cheque, or e-transfer).
at EDAM Dance / www.edamdance.org
_________________________
image: Sören Wacker
Introduction to Contact Improvisation
Sat 4 - 8 PM + Sun 3 - 6 PM
at EDAM Dance (303 East 8th Ave.), Vancouver, BC
$90 (+ $5 lifetime membership for first-time students to EDAM)
Cash or Cheque preferred
Vancouver Contact Improvisation Festival
at Simon Fraser University - School for the Contemporary Arts
149 West Hastings Street, 4th Floor, Vancouver, BC
$190 Early Bird until Feb 14
$220 Regular Rate
Contact organizer for trades and sliding scale option
“A 3-day weekend of contact improvisation taught by local and world renowned teachers.”
2020 - 2022
Gravity: A dance improvisation and contactless CI class
Fridays series / 6:30 - 8 PM / Oct 9 - 30, 2020
Saturday series / 10:30 AM - 8 PM / Oct 10 - 31, 2020
$75 (+ $5 lifetime membership for first-time students to EDAM)
at EDAM Dance (303 East 8th Ave.), Vancouver, BC
Inspired by Steve Paxton’s writings on gravity, in this 4-week series, we will take advantage of this time of physical distancing to hone in on the minutiae of our sensations, attention, and action. We will cultivate a sensitivity to space, time, and ourselves, with authentic movement explorations and training in CI-inspired movement patterning (while maintaining a 2m distance). These classes are for anyone who wishes to deepen their solo dancing, while continuing to train their CI skills for when we can return to contact.
image: Chris Randle
Deepen the Improvised Dance in and out of contact
An intensive with Olivia Shaffer
July 26 - Aug 1, 2020
at Leviathan Studio, Lasqueti Island, BC
This five day retreat is for anyone who wishes to expand their movement creativity. We will dive into cultivating a sensitivity to space, time, and interconnection with ourselves and others, both in contact and apart. Olivia’s approach to dance is rooted in embodied presence. She believes that enhancing our sense of body-awareness facilitates an agile body and a quiet mind. As a result, we open up the possibility for more improvisational freedom by following impulse and listening beyond thought.
image: Sören Wacker
Arrive on Sunday, July 26 in the afternoon for snacks, dinner, orientation, jam, and sauna. The first class is on Monday, July27 at 10am after opening circle. The final jam is in the evening of Friday, July 31. This event ends on Saturday, Aug 1st at 10am, with delivery to the departing ferry at 11am. $600Canadian includes all meals, lodging, tuition, taxes and transportation on Lasqueti.
International Contact Festival Freiburg
—POSTPONED due to COVID—
August 13 - 19, 2020
at Sports halls of the Wentzinger Schule
79110 Freiburg i. Br., Germany
“The contactfestival freiburg is an annual event, which supports and facilitates an international exchange of the dance form Contact Improvisation. It offers a group of 200 participants the opportunity to dive into an intensive week long process to explore the dance form. With over 20 international teachers, supported by many former and intended teachers, you will find a lively exchange between the lecturers and learners.”
Contact Improvisation Workshop in Kelowna
March 1, 2020 / 1 - 4 PM
at Rotary Centre for the Arts
421 Cawston Ave, Kelowna, BC
