Join our events in 2020
Dancing contact improvisation at one of our dance sessions, Dec. 2016. Photo: Pier Corona
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Contact improvisation is a dance which originated in the 1970’s and which has now spread throughout the world. It’s often taught in university dance courses but it’s easy to learn and fun. It’s an improvised dance – a dialogue in movement – which has a fluid and dynamic form.
This is our maxim: All life a dance; everyone a dancer; every moment a dance
January 2020
Saturday 11 January 2020 - Beginning Contact Improvisation
Enrich your dance and movement practice
Photo: Pier Corona
Time: 11 - 6pm
Cost: £28
Booking: Booking essential using Eventbrite
Location: Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ. Note: everyone welcome including non-club/non-university members.
Enquiries: Please do email us if you've any questions. Thanks
This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of contact improvisation. Learn techniques for improvising and extending your dance. Let’s discover the joy of dance within us all.
Dancing with others isn’t easy – there’s the befuddlement of where to start, and anxiety of how to come into contact. We’ll create a safe and supportive environment where this is encouraged. Using our innate understanding of bodies in motion, we'll to create a ‘playful physics’ and share the dance.
At the end of this course, you’ll be confident joining a dance session for contact improvisation (a ‘jam’) with other experienced dancers.
The course fee includes a free dance session (a 'jam') the following day – Sunday 12 January (2-4pm, usual price £10/£8) - details below. Venue for both: University Club, Mansfield Road, Oxford. Note: all welcome including those not at the University.
Practicalities: There is lunch break from 1-2pm. Please bring food or purchase at the University Club. Wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle. Thank-you.
What does contact improvisation look like?
- Examples of dance sessions (‘jams’). Videos by Gabriela Tropia (on Vimeo):
- Jam - number 13
- Jam - number 10
Sunday 12 January 2020 - Jam! (dance session)
Time: 2 - 4pm
Cost: £10 or £8 concessions
Location for jam: Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ. Note: everyone welcome including non-club/non-university members.
Join us at a two hour jam with musical accompaniment and you can drop-in whenever you want. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle.
Jam video Jam - number 10 by Gabriela Tropia (Vimeo)
Previous events in 2019
December events
Sunday 1 - Winter Jam! (dance session)
Photo: Pier Corona
Time: 2 - 4pm
Cost: £10 or £8 concessions
Join us at a two hour jam with musical accompaniment and you can drop-in whenever you want. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle. Note: Non-university members welcome.
Location for jam: Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ. Note: everyone welcome including non-club/non-university members.
Jam video Jam - number 10 by Gabriela Tropia (Vimeo)
November events
Sunday 17 - Jam! (dance session)
Time: 2 - 4pm
Cost: £10 or £8 concessions
Join us at a two hour jam with musical accompaniment and you can drop-in whenever you want. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle. Note: Non-university members welcome.
Location for jam: Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ. Note: everyone welcome including non-club/non-university members.
Jam video Jam - number 10 by Gabriela Tropia (Vimeo)
Saturday 16 - Performance
A performance on Saturday 16 November where dancer Josephine Dyer, cellist Josie Webber and Andrew Wood will be performing 'In-between' on the Christmas Lights Stage - outside Blackwells in Broadstreet, Oxford at 6.35pm. See full programme
October events
Weekday sessions
Wednesday Dance - Enjoy dancing
Photo: Pier Corona
16 October Introduction to dancing Contact Improvisation. Class esp. for beginners and recent beginners.
23 October Jam! Dance session with music. All welcome.
30 October Creative Dance, improvised dance especially for those interested in performance. All welcome.
For all the above: 8-9pm in the Multi-Purpose Room (lower ground floor), Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ. Note: everyone welcome including non-club/non-university members. Cost £5-7.
Download a poster for this event (PDF).
Yoga into dance - Sunday 13 October
Time: 2 - 4pm
Where: Multi-Purpose Room (lower ground floor), Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ. Note: everyone welcome including non-club/non-university members.
Cost: £15 or £10 concessions. Reservation not required - drop-in.
‘Yoga into dance’ is a two hour workshop drawing inspiration from yoga and improvised dance. How can the rich and timeless teachings of yoga translate into and inform dance? Open to everyone - whatever your experience of yoga or dance - including complete beginners.
We’ll explore the physical and subtler aspects of both practices, to demonstrate the limitless possibilities of bodies in motion. We use contact improvisation as the basis of the dance which we'll learn, study and research at this session. This workshop is led by Andrew and Ashka who teach and pracitce dance and yoga in Oxford and London respectively. Ashka teaches at Ashka Zasada Yoga, and she studied dance and movement therapy at university. Andrew co-founded Oxford Contact Dance where he has taught contact improvisation since 2015.
For an example of contact improvisation techniques see this dance performance 'In-between' (You Tube).
The workshop is held on the lower ground floor - in the MPR room - at the University Club. Please wear clothing in which you can move comfortably and bring a water bottle too. If you've a yoga mat then please bring that or we have a limited number.
Download a poster for this event (PDF).
September events: Wednesdays
Dance in the Park - Wednesday 4 and 11
Photo: Pier Corona
Location: Meeting at Keble Gate, University Parks, Parks Road, Oxford. The gate is opposite the intersection of Keble Road & Parks Road and beside the Physics building. Keble Gate is shown on this map. You can also see a picture of Keble Gate on Google's Streetview too.
Time: 6.30 - 8.00 pm
Cost: Free!
Come and dance contact improvisation with us in University Parks, Oxford. All welcome. We're meeting 6.30pm at Keble Gate, University Parks (AT KEBLE GATE - by the gate on the pavement, not inside the park and not the main gate!) which is at the intersection of Keble Road & Parks Road, next to the new physics building, to find a spot in the park. There is an optional introductory session or simply come to dance. We usually dance near the cricket nets in University Parks but it's best meet us at Keble Gate. Note: no amplified music is allowed in the park but acoustic instruments welcome.
Please bring a water bottle and wear loose clothing in which you can move freely.
August events: Wednesdays
Dance in the Park - Wednesday 21 and 28
July events: Wednesdays
Dance in the Park - Wednesday 10, 17, 24, 31
June events: Sundays
Summer Intensive - Sunday 16, 23, 30
Dancing contact improvisation at Oxford Contact Dance. Photo: Pier Corona
Time: 2 - 4pm
Where: Multi-Purpose Room (in basement), Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ. Note: everyone welcome including non-club/non-university members.
Cost: £30 or £24 concessions for the course (3 x 2hr classes) starting 16 June. Not drop-in.
This short structured course is for people wanting an introduction or refresher for dancing contact improvisation.You can expect body work, games, technique and creative dance in our classes. Be prepared to move and to enjoy moving together with others in contact. Part of the session is set aside to dance or 'jam'!. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle. Located at the University Club in central Oxford. All welcome including those not studying or working at the University.
May events: Sunday 12; Wednesday 15, 22, 29; Saturday 25
Our performance on Saturday 25 May is at the Turrill Sculpture Gardens in Oxford.
Contact improvisation is a dance which originated in the 1970’s and which has now spread throughout the world. It’s often taught in university dance courses but it’s easy to learn and fun. It’s an improvised dance – a dialogue in movement – which has a fluid and dynamic form.
Location for all events except Saturday 25: Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ. Note: everyone welcome including non-club/non-university members.
Cost of each event except Sunday 12, Wednesday 15: Free!
Examples of Contact Improvisation: See article on Andrew's Dance Diary
Wednesday 29: Free Taster Session
This is a taster session for people with no previous experience of contact improvisation. Contact improvisation is a dance which originated in the 1970’s and which has now spread throughout the world. It’s often taught in university dance courses but it’s easy to learn and fun. It’s an improvised dance – a dialogue in movement – which has a fluid and dynamic form. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle.
Saturday 25: Performance 'In-between'
Time: 2 - 2.30pm
Where: The Turrill Sculpture garden, in the garden of Summertown Library, Oxford. See map for Summertown Library, South Parade, Summertown, OX2 7JN. The Sculpture Garden is open from 9am to 4pm. The entrance to the Turrill Sculpture Garden - the performance location, is through Summertown library.
Two dancers; two cellists. This performance is a collaboration between cellists Josie Webber and Bruno Guastalla; and the dancers Josephine Dyer and Andrew Wood. There is a space between dancers and musicians which is elastic and malleable: in-between movement and music. In this improvised work, we examine this in-between, and the roles of leading and following.
Background information: See article on Andrew's Dance Diary
Wednesday 22: Free Jam!
Time: 7.30 - 9pm
Join this dance session for contact improvisation which is free. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle.
Wednesday 15: Adventures in Contact Improvisation - Class & Jam
Time: 7.30 - 9pm
Cost: £10 or £8 concessions
Join our drop-in classes for dancing contact improvisation – suitable for beginners and experienced dancers located at the University Club, Oxford. All welcome.
You can expect body work, games, technique and creative dance in our classes. Be prepared to move and to enjoy moving together with others in contact. Part of the session is set aside to dance or 'jam'!
Sunday 12: Dance session - Jam!
Time: 1 - 4pm
Cost: £10 or £8 concessions
Join us at a three hour jam with musical accompaniment and you can drop-in whenever you want. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle. Note: Non-university members welcome.
April events. Sunday 7 & Wednesday 24 April
Location for both events: Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ. Note: everyone welcome including non-club/non-university members.
Cost of each event: £10 or £8 concessions
Jam! Sunday 7 April
Time: 2 - 5pm
Join our dance session for contact improvisation ('a jam') with a musical accompaniment.
Contact improvisation is a dance which originated in the 1970’s and which has now spread throughout the world. It’s often taught in university dance courses but it’s easy to learn and fun. It’s an improvised dance – a dialogue in movement – which has a fluid and dynamic form. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle. Note: Non-university members welcome.
Examples of dancing contact improvisation
Class & Jam - Wednesday 24 April
Time: 7.30 - 9pm
Join these drop-in classes for dancing contact improvisation – suitable for beginners and experienced dancers located at the University Club, Oxford. All welcome. You can expect body work, games, technique and creative dance in our classes. Be prepared to move and to enjoy moving together with others in contact.
March events. Wednesday 6, 20, 27 & Sunday 17 March.
Dancing contact improvisation at Oxford Contact Dance. Photo: Pier Cornoa
Location for all events: Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ. Note: everyone welcome including non-club/non-university members.
Cost for all events: £10 or £8 concessions
Jam! Wednesday 6 & Sunday 17 March
Wednesday 6 March - Jam to music
Time: 7.30 - 9pm
Join our dance session for contact improvisation. On We'll have an introduction and then dance to music for the remainder of the evening.
Contact improvisation is a dance which originated in the 1970’s and which has now spread throughout the world. It’s often taught in university dance courses but it’s easy to learn and fun. It’s an improvised dance – a dialogue in movement – which has a fluid and dynamic form. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle. Note: Non-university members welcome.
Examples of dancing contact improvisation
Sunday 17 March - Silent Jam
Time: 1 - 4pm
We will have a silent jam - no musical accompaniment. We will be joined by Yi Quing who taught at our workshop in December last year. To honour her second birthday then all participants are invited to a birthday dance with her at some point in the jam. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle. Note: Non-university members welcome.
Classes: Wednesday 20 & 27 March
Time: 7.30 - 9pm
Join these drop-in classes for dancing contact improvisation – suitable for beginners and experienced dancers located at the University Club, Oxford. All welcome. You can expect body work, games, technique and creative dance in our classes. Be prepared to move and to enjoy moving together with others in contact.
Contact improvisation is a dance which originated in the 1970’s and which has now spread throughout the world. It’s often taught in university dance courses but it’s easy to learn and fun. It’s an improvised dance – a dialogue in movement – which has a fluid and dynamic form. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle.
February 6, 13, 20, 27- weekly events on Wednesdays
Dancing contact improvisation at Oxford Contact Dance. Photo: Pier Corona
When: Feb 6 - Jam (dance session); Feb 13, 20, 27 - Drop-in Classes
Time: 7.30 - 9 pm
Location: Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ. Note: everyone welcome including non-club/non-university members.
Cost: £10 or £8 concessions
To start the month, we have a jam (dance session) for contact improvisation on February 6. Thereafter, join our drop-in weekly classes for dancing contact improvisation – suitable for beginners and experienced dancers located at the University Club, Oxford. All welcome. You can expect body work, games, technique and creative dance in our classes. Be prepared to move and to enjoy moving together with others in contact.
Contact improvisation is a dance which originated in the 1970’s and which has now spread throughout the world. It’s often taught in university dance courses but it’s easy to learn and fun. It’s an improvised dance – a dialogue in movement – which has a fluid and dynamic form. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle.
January: Beginning Contact Improvisation - course, starting January 16
Dancing contact improvisation at Oxford Contact Dance. Photo: Pier Corona
When: Wednesdays January 16, 23, 30
Time: 7.30 - 9pm
Location: Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ. Note: everyone welcome including non-club/non-university members.
Cost: £30 or £25 concessions for the 3 sessions
Beginning Contact Improvisation introduces you to partner dancing which is both fun and great exercise: a fluid and dynamic dance suitable for everyone. You don't need to bring a partner.
In this course, we'll use bodywork, learn technique, play games and dance ('jamming'). Contact improvisation is social dancing – a dialogue in movement – which originated in the 1970s and which has now spread throughout the world. Unlike other dances which are solely walked dances, contact improvisation includes floor-work and movement in a 'playful physics'. Let's surprise ourselves and celebrate moving. Please wear loose clothing and bring a water bottle.
Examples of contact improvisation:
Previous events at Oxford Contact Dance, 2018-2014
See events in 2018 and before.