the Underscore w Anne Cooper

*Registration is required for The Practice. A minimum number of participants is needed for this activity to run.

Participants must attend a talk-through prior to attending the practice.

The Underscore is a spacious and engaging experience shared by the participants that can spark surprising kinesthetic and compositional improvised dance and Contact Improvisation within a defined framework.

talk-through — The ‘talk-through’ gives us the ‘what we are going to engage in’ or ‘game-plan’ for a long session of dance improvisation and Contact Improvisation. Participants must attend (or have already attended) a 1-hr talk-through to attend the Underscore practice and must already have some experience in Contact Improvisation. For those who have already attended a talk-through, and would like a “refresher”, refreshers are FREE.

the practice — The Underscore is a framework for practising and researching dance improvisation and Contact Improvisation developed in the 90’s by Nancy Stark Smith. The Underscore is a score that guides dancers through a series of “changing states“; from solo deepening/releasing and sensitizing to gravity and support; through group circulation and interaction, Contact Improvisation engagements, opening out to full group improvisation with compositional awareness, and back to rest and reflection. (Caught Falling)

The Underscore is generally not led by verbal cues; the idea is that people “know” it and come together to share the practice. It is for those who have some experience in Contact Improvisation. It is generally practiced without music, and without social conversation during the practice itself; snacking and exiting/reentering to the washrooms as needed are part of the score!

Please email info@edamdance.org if you have any questions about attending.

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.