Friday Jam Freiburg

Every Friday, 19:00-22:00
Studio Corpo
Marie-Curie-Straße 1

This is a weekly Contact Improvisation jam. Usually the jam will be framed by a simple structure, similar to Contemplative Dance Practice. Most weeks we will start the jam in silence without any opening circle, please familiarize yourself with the format before you come.

Doors open at 19:00 and we start together at 19:15, please make sure to arrive on time. It's nice when most of us are there until the end, but you are free to leave earlier if you feel a need or desire to leave for any reason.

A contribution around 10 Euros for the evening is greatly appreciated, but you can pay less, if you wouldn't be able to afford the jam otherwise, especially if you're a professional dancer or dance student.

Occasionally, we will also experiment with different frames, this will be announced clearly visible on the top of this website. If you have any questions or comments regarding the jam, or even suggestions for different frames, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Structure of the jam

Usually the evening will be divided into

1. meditation (15 minutes),
2. solo improvisation (15 minutes),
3. open space (~2 hours) and
4. final meditation (~5 minutes).

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Meditation (15 minutes)

Meditate in your own way, either sitting or standing at the edge of the space. This can be a spiritual practice, which you're familiar with, like following the breath or Vipassana. Alternatively you could also practice the Small Dance. This is time for yourself, where you do not have to do anything and can simply observe and be.

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Solo improvisation (15 minutes)

You can enter the space. Connect with your body, explore movement, improvise and dance without connecting with other dancers just yet.

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Return to the edge of the space again at the sound of the bell.

Open Space (~2 hours)

We jam.

This is mainly a space to practice contact improvisation, but during this time you always have the option to dance without contact, to meditate or to witness.

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Clearing the space

There will be a singing bowl at the edge of the space. Everyone can use it during the jam and ring the bowl: this is the signal for all participants to drop what they are doing, to clear the space by going to the edge and to then restart the jam again with a fresh beginning after observing the empty space for a while. Please use this option carefully and sense when the right moment for such a reset is — and then take a risk and just do it. We envision this to usually happen not more than once or twice during an evening.

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Closing meditation (~5 minutes)

Return to the edge of the space for a last, short meditation. If you choose to do so, you can also use this time to mentally go through the jam and everything you've experienced.

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Awareness practice

An alternative perspective on this practice: The whole evening we just practice awareness, with more and more freedoms with each stage. First without movement, then without connecting with others and then within a free and open space. This means that during later stages all the options of the earlier stages are still available. We try not to loose the awareness we have in the beginning, during later stages. It can be helpful to simplify and to do less.

We practice in silence. The mindful use of sounds during improvisation is welcome, but please refrain from chatting during the jam.