Welcome to our second Understory Retreat!

After our delightful and nourishing Understory in Feb 23 we’re back to offer another barefoot adventure in fusing our loves of embodied nature connection, somatic improvisation and community.

Again we will offer led practices in the bush, beach and inside the hall. We’ll focus on dropping into embodied presence and our innate affinity with the natural world, where we can develop trust in listening and responding. We notice what influences us, we follow our curiosity and courageously open to the unknown. We’ll explore how engaging in the very different worlds – nature and studio – may support, balance and inspire each other.

We look forward to journeying into the quiet Understory alongside the ever-present dialogue between our somatic beings, the natural world and each other. And hope you will join us there too.

All bodies, backgrounds and levels of experience and interest in movement and nature connection are welcome. And to be clear, this is NOT a Contact Improvisation event.

WHEN: Thursday 2nd – Sunday 5th May, 2024

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TIMING: Arrival – from 12noon, by 3pm Thursday
Departure – by 4pm Sunday

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VENUE: Glenrock Scout Camp, 157 Scout Camp Road, Whitebridge. Awabakal Country, Newcastle NSW

COST: $490 Standard
$390 for those with limited income
Up to $590 for those who can pay more to support others

Financial hardship: we do not want money to be a barrier to attending, there will be some “pay what you can” places if you are experiencing financial hardship. Please let us know.

REGISTRATION: Please complete our expression of interest form here: https://forms.gle/WHDpeP8NCLfjuwhm8

MEALS: Includes lunch and dinner for 3 days

ACCOMODATION:
Shared dorm room
Camping (BYO tent)

CONTACT: [email protected]

FACILITATED & HELD by:
JOERG HASSMANN …movement lover & researcher, space holder, dancer, touch explorer, writer, father, admirer of gardeners, mechanics & builders, Zenthai Shiatsu Therapist, local & global contact improv teacher and men’s grouper

JOANNA LIN ….mixed heritage dancer, curious mover, creative creator, community gatherer & organiser, mother, tree draper, nature connection mentor, wanderer, group worker and compost heap

JONATHAN LIN … trying to do all of the above…

with the UNDERSTORY TEAM, including Bron, Ellie, Caitlin and more

With Steve Paxton’s death I looked more into the beginnings of this dance form and was fascinated about the interest in disorientation, tumbling and falling. Playing to somatically understand what’s possible. It feels almost like discovering gravity.

How do we sense gravity? How can gravity be our guide and inspiration when we are dancing?
I have quite a few answers to all this, but I am much more intrigued by a sense of wonder that is swinging in me when I hear Steve Paxton’s words „swimming in gravity“. Falling weight creates momentum that we can ride and direct. I worked a lot with this 20 years ago and feel the impulse to revisit it from a place of calmness and a desire for trust building that embraces fear responses and awkwardnesses. We’ll practice to shift from the subtle & grounding to the wild …and back again, from delicious details into open spaces to journey through in unpredictable ways.
Technical essentials will be revisited so we find common ground, deepen our practice … and to have it challenged by the fresh breeze of the early days of CI.
And a promise, that as always: We will dance a lot!

The Workshop will give inspiration for long term practitioners and is also welcoming for people who already have a sense of the basics of CI and want to go further and deeper.

TIMES
Friday 6:30-830
Saturday 1:30-8:30pm (with (with a 1.5h break)
Sunday 10-4:30pm (with a 1.5h break)

FEES
$250 normal
$200 reduced
$300 supporting (Paying this higher price makes it possible for us to offer cheaper tickets for those in need)

REGISTRATION
https://www.trybooking.com/CPQRA

LOCATION
WXYZ Studios, 130 Dryburgh St, North Melbourne VIC 3051

INFO & QUESTIONS
Rachael – ‭0450 393 336‬ via Whatsapp or text
Joerg – for questions around level & content via messenger or email [email protected]

CI is based on listening and following. But when and how do we give something into the dance, to spice it up or to give ourselves more fully.
We explore ‚giving directions‘ from a state of curiosity to understand where the partner is able to follow. When we feel someone listening deeply and intuitively to our moving structure we can sometimes open up to surprises and enter new territory beyond habitual patterns. We practice to let go of plans and on the other hand ask more honestly what is actually possible in each moment.

In this Workshop we want to incorporate the regular local Saturday jam and also an outdoor session on the beach. We imagine that it will open new perspectives and experiences, that will bring us closer together as a group.
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TIMES

Friday
6-8pm Workshop Brunswick Hall

Saturday
10am-1pm pre class & Jam, St. Martin Mullum
2:30-5:30pm Workshop, St. Martin Mullum

Sunday
9-11:30 Brunswick beach
1-4pm Brunswick Hall
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LOCATIONS
St. Martin’s Church, 38-40 Stuart St, Mullumbimby
Brunswick heads Memorial Hall, 3/22 Fingal St
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FEES
$220 normal
$190 concession rate
$250 supporting others
A warm light lunch on Saturday is included.
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BOOKING
via Trybooking – soonish
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CONTACT
[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/events/1337803003551408
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CANCELLATION POLICY
Cancellation more than one week prior to commencement of workshop will incur a 10% non-refundable processing fee. Cancellation less than one week prior to commencement of workshop, will incur a 50% non-refundable processing fee. In the event that the workshop is cancelled or if you can’t join due to covid related issues you will be refunded 100% of your ticket payment.
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RESPONSIBILITY AGREEMENT
Please note: By attending participants are asked to agree to the following statement:
“In attending this workshop I take full responsibility for my own health and wellbeing. I acknowledge the nature of the workshop involves proposals to participate in exercises and movements that may be new to me. I recognise that the proposals are simply offers to try, and I take full responsibility to participate only within my own capacity as I see fit at the time. I acknowledge that the workshop facilitator has no liability for any injuries which may occur during this workshop”
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ABOUT CONTACT IMPROVISATION
Contact Improvisation is a dance form that strengthens the connection to oneself, the dance partners and the whole group. It’s underlying movement technique is based on the exploration of how two people can move together while being in physical touch, sharing weight. It benefits from empathic listening, generosity and curiosity and creates a space to practice letting go of expectations, allowing repetition and receiving the new as a refreshing by-product.
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ABOUT JOERG HASSMANN
Inspired by Contact Improvisation since more than 25 years as a way to understand and celebrate the moving body and human communication. Many kinds of sports, release techniques, somatic work, instant composition and creating dance and theatre performances have informed his dance and his teaching. For over a decade Joerg was the artistic director of the CI festival Contact-meets-Contemporary. Together with Daniel Werner he developed a systematic approach to Contact Technique that they taught for 12 years in training programmes in Berlin and throughout Europe. His writings, offers and some video clips you find on his homepage www.joerghassmann.com.
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ABOUT ANAT GREENBERG
Since first discovering CI 20 Years ago it has become a vast source of my Inspiration, Passion, Joy, and personal growth…and still is. I have been dancing, teaching, learning, performing, and organising in the CI world since then.
Exploration through movement and dance is for me a practice of presence, connection between body-heart and mind, and a source of learning more about the nature of reality and life. I try to offer different states of learning. I hope to bring the Nature of questioning as a source of curiosity and engagement.
My journey with dance started young as a Gymnast and led me later into contemporary dance, Improvisation, Contact Improvisation, Yoga, Capoeira, Pilates, Body-mind centering, authentic movement, Ilan Lev method, and more..

The Workshop will give inspiration for long term practitioners and is also welcoming for people who already have a sense of the basics of CI and want to go further and deeper.

TIMES
Wed 6-8
Thu-Sat 10-5 (with a 1.5h break)
Sun 9:30-4pm (with a 1.5h break)

FEES
$420 normal
$350 reduced
$480 supporting (Paying this higher price makes it possible for us to offer cheaper tickets for those in need)
We wish money not being the limiting factor. In that case contact us.

LOCATION
Redfern Town Hall, 73 Pitt Street, Redfern 2016

PAYMENT & Registration

Via Humanitix (Additional fees apply):
https://events.humanitix.com/4-5-days-intensive-with…

Via BSB to:
Name: Eamonn O’Flaherty
BSB: 944600
Account Number: 000138151
Reference: [Your Name] Joerg

INFORMATION & REGISTRATION
Eamonn O’Flaherty via FB messenger or email [email protected]

RESPONSIBILITY AGREEMENT
Please be aware that for attending the workshop you need to accept the following:
“In attending this workshop I take full responsibility of my own health and well being. I acknowledge the nature of this workshop involves proposals to participate in exercises and movements that may be new to me.
I recognise that the proposals are simply offers to try, and I take full responsibility to participate only within my own capacity as I see fit at the time.
I acknowledge that the workshop facilitator and event organiser has no liability for any injuries which may occur during this workshop.”

PHOTO
Dino Spiri & Joerg Hassmann by Ralf Hiemisch