Nevada City Contact Improv
…dancing with gravity
Practiced within groups of curious individuals, Contact Improvisation (CI) is a unique partner dance form in which shared points of physical contact provide the starting place for interactive movement improvisation. This dance practice explores the skills of falling, rolling, counterbalance, sharing weight, tuning into subtle sensation, and being responsive to partners and surroundings. Typically practiced without music, CI provides a unique space for connection to self and others.
… an unstructured, focused space for people of all skill levels to practice CI. It is an open playground for creating improvised art with our bodies. Dances can include any number of people, each person being sovereign to initiate or exit a dance at any time.
What is a Contact Improv Jam?
… a specific yet open space to practice Contact Improvisation within a structure that cultivates group mind along with a shared experience of creativity, play and permission. Developed by Nancy Stark Smith in the early 90's, the Underscore subtly supports participants in a collective improvisational movement exploration that generates moment to moment group composition. The structure of the Underscore is taught orally via the talk-through.
What is an Underscore?
Nevada City Fall Jam
November 6-9, 2025
Join us for a 3-day residential Contact Improv jam with an emphasis on open jamming, togetherness and time in nature. We aim to create a spacious event highlighting playful practice that will include focused jamming, group scores, river excursions, labs, shared meals, hot tub hangs and fireside chats. Space is limited to 25 people.
Visit the registration page for detailed information.
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