Class will begin with time to arrive and be present in our bodies. From a place of deep listening, we will explore internal sensations and experiences with anatomical cues, imagery and sound to encourage us to drop into a parasympathetic state. From that place, we’ll take a deep dive, resourcing movement and dancing from the wellspring inside.
After some time exploring solo, the invitation will be to bring awareness to the external space in the studio including the other dancers, the environment and the details in the room. We’ll spend some time being inspired by each other and end with an open improvisation. There will be drawing materials for those who wish to express themselves in that way.
We’ll work with self-touch, breath, sound, perceptual games and instant composition, witnessing ourselves and the others in the class, to experience being danced and taking a ride on the movement.
The invitation is for serious play with dynamic states of attention from a place of deep rest. The intention is that dancing will refresh and provide an antidote to overstimulation. Class is open to all, from beginners to those with years of experience.
Colleen Bartley is an improviser, teacher, organizer, and artist activating spaces for dancing with curiosity and grounding by exploring perceptual awareness, experiential anatomy, and engaging in embodied movement research. She lives with an invisible disability which informs her life and practice.
She holds a degree from Swarthmore College in Dance, English Literature and Education and a diploma in Community Dance from Laban with years of experience with Somatic Education. She has been involved with ID since 1999.
She has worked directly with most of the founders of Contact Improvisation and been influenced by teachers of contemporary and post-modern dance, experiential anatomy with Gary Carter and Caryn McHose, Authentic Movement with Susan Schell, Improvisation & Composition (Tuning Scores with Lisa Nelson, The Underscore with Nancy Stark Smith, Ensemble Thinking with Nina Martin, Relational Intelligence with Nita Little) and is very active in dancing, organizing, writing about and documenting dance.