We welcome dancers from Toronto and the surrounding areas to join us from Oct 6 to 8, 2023 at the National Ballet School to celebrate and practise Contact Improvisation.
BANNER IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
A large studio with floor-to-ceiling windows lets in diffused sunlight. 25 dancers in various states of weight are dancing contract improvisation including a dancer using a wheelchair.
WHAT IS THE "FALLING INTO AUTUMN JAM"?
The Falling into Autumn Jam is an annual weekend jam that aims to be a dance-focused exploration of Contact Improvisation featuring classes, workshops, and open jams. We work to welcome as many types of bodies, identities, and levels of experience in this wheelchair-friendly and access-focused space. We work to provide accommodation as needed within our capacity to do so. We also acknowledge and work to understand that the space we offer can never be 100% inclusive due to competing access needs. Each year teachers will be local from Toronto and surrounding areas with possibly one teacher from abroad. If we do fly a teacher in to teach we use the Gold Standard Foundation Sustainable development criteria to determine an appropriate carbon offset such as paying for a certain amount of tree to be planted. We also ask that attendees from afar carpool or take the train to reduce the carbon footprint of the festival. The festival includes a BIPOC affinity dance jam and a disability lead access-focused dance jam. 2.5% of all fees collected will be donated to the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto in honour and support of the process of reconciliation. We are offering sliding scale rates to increase financial access.
VISION:
This programming is inspired by these values:
- Support the development of Contact Improvisation in Toronto and surrounding areas.
-Support conversation and networking to vitalize and strengthen the Contact Improvisation community.
-Continue to support the COVID recovery process
- Climate considerations
- Focus on accessibility and creative leadership roles for those with disabilities.
- Focus on accessibility and creative leadership roles for those who face marginalization or who are underrepresented in our community (both visible and invisible).
- Provide access accommodations within the scope of what we can offer and considering competing access needs that may arise.
- Support dance spaces that build a consent culture.
ORGANISING TEAM:
Samantha Johnston, Sarah Jones, Gibum Dante Lim, Vivek Patel, Kathleen Rea and Jayeden Walker.
SCHEDULE:
Detailed schedule and workshop descriptions
One Page Grid Schedule
DATES AND TIMES:
Saturday October 7, 2023, from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm (4th Floor)
Saturday October 8, 2023, from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm (4th Floor)
LOCATION:
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M4Y 2G6, Canada (Wheelchair accessible and barrier-free)
RATES ON A CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN SLIDING SCALE ACCORDING TO YOUR SITUATION
If you want to take one class only just show up and we will work out a price.
$200 Full Festival - for those that are gainfully employed or can make this purchase without financial worry.
$150 Full Festival for folks that would have to consult their budget before registering.
$100 Full Festival - for people that can’t otherwise afford this event.
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$100 Just Saturday
$70 Just Saturday - for people that can’t otherwise afford this event.
$90 Just Sunday
$60 Just Sunday- for people that can’t otherwise afford this event.
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$40 A workshop, lab or jam of my choice.
SCHOLARSHIPS:
No one gets turned away due to a lack of funds. Contact kathleenrea@reasondetre.com if you need more support than the above sliding scales affords.
TEACHERS
Aham (he/him): I was born and grew up in Barcelona, Spain. Since young I've practiced a great variety of sports and disciplines such as different kinds of martial arts, acrobatics, parkour, dance and gymnastics. At the age of 18 I started my acting studies with the idea of getting to know myself and transmitting better to others. That was the beginning of almost 6 years of studying and working in BCN and NY. It was also my discovery of CI which was taught as a tool for physical listening within physical theater. Some events made me question what I wanted which redirected my path towards other experiences such as traveling and focusing more on movement, contact and facilitation. I´ve been traveling, dancing, and facilitating workshops on CI and conscious movement since then.
Luke Anderson (he/him) has a background in civil engineering which helped him foster a respect for the importance of quantitative science in our external world and it's part in helping create an environmentally and socially healthy planet. In 2015 he left his structural engineering gig and took on the role of Executive Director of Toronto's StopGap Foundation, which he co-founded, working with communities across the country to raise awareness about the importance of accessibility, inclusion, and barrier-free spaces. That same year he was introduced to the world of Contact Improvisation and soon developed a deep respect and interest in the somatic realms of our qualitative human experience. Luke identifies as someone living with a profound physical disability and uses a wheelchair to aid his mobility. Luke's lived experience working with and gaining wisdom from his own physical and emotional pain, encounters with systemic inequity for people with disabilities, and personal suffering fuels his desire to contribute to the well being of various communities including the Toronto Contact Improvisation community. Finding joy, weirdness, mystery, and massive amounts of hilarity are some of Luke's personal and professional daily intentions. Luke's movement practice at home and at jams incorporates a playful mix of his passions for dance, nonviolent communication, focusing, harmonica, and didgeridoo virtuosic aspirations.
Leslie Heydon (She/her) grew up in a household of amateur yet dedicated dancers and where her grandmother went dancing Saturday nights in gold sparkled shoes. Leslie has a bachelor's degree from U of T (Major in Psychology, Specialty in Fine Arts) and trained as an Expressive Arts Therapist at the CREATE Institute. She worked in addictions for over 10 years in specialized programs for women and black youth, providing individual therapy and facilitating groups. Leslie also completed an Outward Bound training program in Outdoor Leadership (cert in White Water Rescue and Wilderness First Responder). Her passion is to explore and guide, whether in the wilderness outdoors, on the dance floor or in the internal wilderness of the soul. Twenty years ago, Leslie started dancing 5 Rythms. In January 2016, after various toe-dipping over the years, she began the practice of Contact Improvisation in earnest. Of her many learnings in Contact Improvisation, a valuable one is: don't get a pedicure with nail polish an hour before a jam.
Suzanne Liska (she/her) is a teacher, choreographer, dancer and researcher specializing in somatic practices, dance/theatre, contact improvisation and ensemble improv. She has choreographed and danced in works for CanAsian KickStart, DanceWorks CoWorks, Dusk Dances, and Dance Matters, receiving grants and awards through the Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, York University and SSHRC (Canadian Graduate Scholarship). Suzanne has a B.A., B.Education, and MFA in Choreography and is a Certified Alexander Technique Teacher. She teaches professional dancers, actors and community dancers. She has taught workshop intensives for Collective Gulp in Ottawa, CCDC in Calgary, CINN in Tokyo, and Leviathan studio in BC and in Toronto for Randolph Performing Arts College, TM University and Humber College. She is contract Faculty in York University’s Dance department and George Brown College’s Acting and Digital Media department. www.suzanneliska.com
Kathleen Rea (she/her) danced with Canada’s Ballet Jorgen, National Ballet of Canada & Tiroler Landestheater (Austria). She fell in love with contact improvisation 22 years ago & has been involved in the community ever since. She has choreographed over 40 dance works and has been nominated for 5 DORA awards. Kathleen has a learning disability which means writing takes 6 times longer than average. It is one of life’s mysteries that despite this struggle she loves writing and is a published author (The Healing Dance). She has a Master’s in Expressive Arts with a minor in Psychology. She is a certified teacher of the Axis Syllabus and Buteyko Breathing. She is the director of REAson d’etre dance, a Toronto not-for-profit dance company that is contact improvisation based and produces a weekly jam, a Film Fest, and dance theatre productions. She has autism & works to educate the world about neurodiversity. She developed the well-read REAson d’etre dance Dance Jam Guidelines (download here) which over the past 20 years have influenced consent culture in the contact improvisation worldwide community. She also is the founder of the Contact Improv Consent Culture Blog. Kathleen Rea's Demo Reel
ACCESS: Celia Franca Center is a barrier-free wheelchair-accessible space. Wellesley is the closest subway station with an elevator. If you have accessibility questions or want to discuss accommodation that you may need please get in touch with kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com
JAM GUIDELINES:
All participants must read at the point of purchase.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VvM85pJ_2gE58dANWztFLy5N4KoAZ49U/view?usp=drive_link
QUESTIONS:
Please send questions to kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com
VOLUNTEERING:
We ask that all attendees coming to a substantial amount of the festival sign up for a minimum of one volunteer hour over the two days. There will be a sign-up sheet at the entrance for you to pick what activity and shift you would like to do. This is voluntary so you can opt-out of this ask.
ILLNESS PREVENTION POLICY:
- Masking is optional
- All levels of vaccinations and non-vaccination are welcome
- HEPA filter will in every studio to help clean the air
- Please do not attend if you are sick
PRE-SCREENING QUESTIONS:
- Do you agree to read through and comply with our RDD's dance Jam Guidelines at the point of purchase?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VvM85pJ_2gE58dANWztFLy5N4KoAZ49U/view?usp=drive_link
- If you are a beginner to CI do you agree to read through RDD's Beginner Tip Sheet prior to entrance to the event?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fkmC2yTfJUUDSEIVls5UtqC0Ke1F_A3C/view?usp=drive_link
- Do you agree not to attend if you are sick?
BILLETING
This event strives to minimize our -carbon footprint event. That said if you are able to take the train or car-pool here you are welcome and we will try to billet you or your group. Please contact kathleenrea@rogers.com to receive the nonpublic google drive billet spreadsheet that we use to match people.
REFUND POLICY:
All refunds will be minus a $5 admin fee charge.
FUNDING:
This event is supported by the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, Canadain Heratage Foundation and some of the equipment was funded through an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant.
PRODUCED BY:
REAson d’etre dance (RDD) www.reasondetre.com
