Current Status

The Sunday jam continues in its customary time and place. During Summer 2010 there is also a Thursday evening jam.

The Sunday Afternoon Jam

2:00-5:00 pm Sundays at St. James/St. Monica Church parrish hall, Capital Hill, DC

directions to St. James/Monica from the Union Station metro station are here. a $5 donation goes to the church to help support their community outreach program, which makes our use of the space possible. see DC Sunday Contact Improv Jam for more details.

on the first sunday of each month we use the jam for a structured improv, usually based on Nancy Stark Smith's Underscore, with an orientation from 2:00 to 2:30. (see below <#monthly_dc_underscore> for details.) this is usually a good opportunity to get acquainted with the jam, and jamming in general!

The Thursday Evening Jam

thanks to the Nancy Havlik Performance Group, there will be a Thursday evening jam during Summer, 2010.

when:

thursdays 7:00 to 9:00 pm during july and august, 2010

where:

the chevy chase community center second-floor dance studio,

5601 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20015

use the address link to get a google map. the community center is the building on the north east corner of connecticut avenue and mckinley street, next door to the chevy chase library. there is a parking lot in the back, further to the east of connecticut avenue.

what:

the havlik group has been exploring a combination of set and improvised dance, including a touch of theater, as well. we're on hiatus during the summer, but will be continuing to use our Thursday rehearsal space, and want to continue to explore the combination of contact improv and ensemble movement improv. often, that will amount to a lead warm-up and a contact improv jam.

the group may sometimes reserve the time for group-restricted rehearsals, but we'll post plenty of advanced notice here and to dc-ci when we do. generally, all are welcome!

The DC Jam's (nearly) Monthly Underscore

the dc jam has been practicing a dance score called the underscore on the first sunday of the month since december, 2003. it started as an experiment in making the jam more accessible to everyone by providing some structure that fits jamming. it stuck, big time. not only does it provide some orientation for newcomers, but many - new and experienced - have found that it fosters a great jam.

the underscore is an evolving improv structure developed by nancy stark smith, and practiced by many. it leads from interior focus to gradually discovering influences and connections with others, and winds up in an open movement-improv jam.

being in a room full of people tuned into the score can have an ease of involvement and discovery of wide-ranging ways to interconnect with oneself, with others, and with the group as a whole. it's a great opportunity for exploring contact improv and group improv from a very body-based approach, whether or not you're experienced with jamming.

the underscores typically take place on the first Sunday of each month, with (usually) ken providing an introductory description of the score between 2:00 and 2:30 and then leading the glide into the open score. we typically end the open score at 4:30 and then have a closing circle soon after.

the structure works best for all if those previously unacquainted with it take in the introductory description. also, the more of us that are on time - present and warmed up by 2:30 - the better the it works. but come and enjoy in any case.

(here's my impression about what happpens when the underscore works. through a shared pace and trajectory it fosters connection with others and with oneself. by fostering external connection without sacrificing internal connection, people need not feel at risk of "missing out" on anything - there's always things to be involved in, even if you're not in a particular dance. opportunities to play are abundant. it is a self-sustaining situation of feast, rather than famine.)

The Capital Boogie

Part of the international 'barefoot boogie' dance movement, the Capital Boogie is a drug free, alcohol free, shoe free community dance party for people of all ages. You can come and dance however you would like in an open and respectful environment. The DJ will be playing ethnic and international dance music with positive lyrics. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

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Local Contact Improv Resources

• the dc-ci mailing list is a private list for current and former dc jammers. this is the central way to keep track of contact improv in dc. (among other things, it's the best way to be informed about venue changes.) conversation is held to jam and local dance topics, and it's a good way to be filled in on progressive dance and related arts in the dc metro area.

  the list is self-service, with a subscription form in the middle of the dc-ci listinfo page. membership is by moderator approval - nobody is turned away if they're really interested in ci - and postings by non-members are moderated, so the traffic is high-fiber / no-spam.

• the freedom in ci to explore and expand boundaries depends on careful respect for boundaries, not disregard. please see CI Respecting Boundaries for basic guidelines that support everyone's opportunity to enjoy the practice.

• (The last of Dan's Burkholder's Wednesday CI classes happened June 10, 2009. We will include info here about new dc/metro-area ci classes when they emerge.)

• http://contactimprov.net has an entry for the dc jams, as well as lots of other jams, and other ci-related resources.

• DC Spirit Web lists activist / progressive arts and opportunities for the dc/metro area, including a dance section with this page and links to other progressive dance activities.

• jammers - contact improv is a process of perpetual discovery, yet it is not just doing whatever. you can learn it in each dance, if you listen, and you can also learn from asking questions. feel free to ask for help, if you're feeling curious or lost.

• this page and its subtopics, initiated September 13, 2006

• online resources describing CI, eg the wikipedia contact improvisation entry.

• i (ken) love what can happen when things click in a dance, and am fascinated with the process of getting there. i write about my perspective in the Contact Improvisation page.

• the one item of specialized clothing used by many contact improvisers is "chinese knee pads", to cushion the knees while dancing. the preferred ones are available online from the contact quarterly.

  (i'm a fairly rare exception that prefers to go without knee pads, except perhaps when doing long-term intensives - and then i prefer the stretchable knee supports available from neighborhood drug stores.)

any other suggestions for this list? use the "contact" link at the top right of the page to notify me about it, or the comment form below!