Arash Khakpour, Antonio Somera Jr. and Anne Cooper by Chris Randle, 2023

Before coming to a jam, please review the Important Info below, including what to wear/bring, FAQ’s, and accessibility info.

Building Entry: Buzz ‘02’ ONLY for entry. Please arrive 5 to 10 min before class to change and settle. Entry to the building is only granted 15 min before and 15 min after a jam starts.

For more information about our jams, please contact us at info@edamdance.org.

OPEN JAM

First and third Sunday of the month | 7 - 9pm
w Anne Cooper

Sunday, December 15th w live improvised music by rchrdy!

Open to all. No instruction. Anne Cooper holds the space.

Jam format: Our Open Jam follows a traditional CI jam structure. There is no instruction and the studio is an open space for two hours of Contact Improvisation. Jammers usually begin with a personal warm-up, arriving and tuning to the space, before moving into Contact and improvised dancing. Witnessing and taking breaks is welcome. While instruction is not a part of this jam, Anne is available for those who may have questions.

If you are new to jams, please arrive a few minutes early to your first jam to check-in with Anne at the start.

Drop-ins welcome.

Dec 15th w live music by RCHRDY

RCHRDY (pronounced 'richardy') are an emerging interdisciplinary artist and a good floor mopper, committed to reminding themselves that the divine is always small.

Their constellation has revealed through non-traditional artistic training, which has allowed them to create their own connections between Life and art making, beyond the canonical standards of cultural institutions.

Starting their career in performing arts, they've explored all kinds of creative endeavors such as installation making, music, collage, poetry, etc. Every material, any idea, possesses aesthetic qualities; An intrinsic excuse to play.

Born in Mexico, currently based in the (stolen) territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations (Vancouver, Canada).

photo: @pedroaugustomeza

 

BIPOC JAM

Sun, Nov 10 | 3:30 - 5:30pm
Sun, Dec 1 | 3:30 - 5:30pm
w Natalie Tin Yin Gan (顏婷妍)

Open to BIPOC dancers and movers. Drops-ins welcome.

Our Fall 2024 BIPOC jams are integrated into the third and sixth classes of our BIPOC Class Series. You can reach more about the BIPOC Class Series HERE, and register for classes and jams below.

  • Sun, Oct 27 | 3:30 - 5pm — Class

  • Sun, Nov 3 | 3:30 - 5pm — Class

  • Sun, Nov 10 | 3:30 - 5:30pm — Class + Jam

  • Sun, Nov 17 | 3:30 - 5pm — Class

  • Sun, Nov 24 | 3:30 - 5pm — Class

  • Sun, Dec 1 | 3:30 - 5pm — Class + Jam

 
 
 

JAM HOSTS

Anne Cooper by Jane Ellison

Anne Cooper has danced with EDAM since 1994, studying Contact Improvisation with Peter Bingham and performing in EDAM's work, both structured improvisations and choreography. She has researched and performed with Nancy Stark Smith through Nancy's 'Glimpse Performance Installations' in the U.S.A. Anne has taught/facillitated CI since 2001 in Vancouver and other locales through classes, Jams and workshops. She has created and performed her own work and has danced with many Canadian companies/choreographers. Anne has trained in contemporary dance and CI; her CI teachers include Peter Bingham, Nancy Stark Smith, Jaci Metivier, Andrew Harwood, Chris Aiken, Ray Chung and others and some study with Steve Paxton (Material For the Spine) and recently, Nora Hajos (Material For the Spine). Anne is grateful to live and work in Vancouver, BC, on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsliel-Waututh First Nations.

Natalie Tin Yin Gan by Dayna Szyndrowski

Natalie Tin Yin Gan (顏婷妍) is an independent dance artist, writer, and teacher based in so-called Vancouver, on the unceded ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Her practice squats (120 lb) at the intersection of spirit, somatics, and technology-induced melancholy. Natalie is the Co-Artistic Director of company Hong Kong Exile that explores the historical and contemporary politic of the Chinese diaspora. She is also the smaller half of vulva clown duo, Pulsive Party. She is a graduate of The Writer’s Studio and a certified teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework®. Natalie is a late sleeper, a late riser, a late bloomer, a latecomer, and a late-night snacker. nataliegan.com

 

IMPORTANT INFO

Membership

  • To participate in jams at EDAM, you must be a member.

  • If you are new to EDAM, please purchase a membership when you register.

  • EDAM Membership is a lifetime membership (one-time $5 membership fee).

Waivers

Refund & Cancellation Policy

  • Drop-in purchases are non-refundable — we do not issue refunds for jams unless EDAM cancels the jam.

  • EDAM reserves the right to cancel jams for any reason. Refunds will be issued and the registered participants will be contacted.

  • EDAM reserves the right to change the jam host if the scheduled jam host can no longer attend.

What to Bring/Wear

  • Wear comfortable clothes that you can move and slide in (we recommend long sleeves and full-length pants, as they are helpful for sliding on the floor), wear minimal jewellery, and bring knee-pads (optional/personal preference).

  • We sell knee-pads for CI practice ($35) at the studio. Ask your jam host or email us at: info@edamdance.org.

  • Bring a bottle of water.

  • EDAM is a scent-reduced space, please help us keep our studio odour-free.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is a difference between a class and a workshop? A class is a short focused session. A workshop is a longer session (with small breaks at the teacher’s discretion). Both are facilitated around the teacher’s interests and knowledge.

  • What is a Contact Jam? Jams are leaderless practice environments in which dancers practice CI with whoever gathers — friends, strangers, experienced dancers, newcomers. In our Open Jams, an EDAM teacher will hold the space, however, there is no instruction.

  • I have never done Contact Improvisation. Can I join any class or workshop? If you have never done Contact Improvisation, please sign up to a Thursday evening class our our Fundamentals Workshop, to acquire some skills and tools. Depending on your experience and previous training, you may request to join our advanced Morning Classes. Our teachers can support you in this journey.

Accessibility Info

  • Read our accessibility info here.

EDAM respectfully acknowledges that our activities and events take place on the ancestral and unceded Indigenous territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.