Articulating Contact Improvisation | performative presentation open to the public of the research led by 𝙅𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙟 𝙆𝙤𝙣𝙟𝙖𝙧

Event hosted by PETEC and Contact Bucharest Festival
MIMA Music
Public · Anyone, with or without a Facebook account
𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 | performative presentation open to the public of the research led by 𝙅𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙟 𝙆𝙤𝙣𝙟𝙖𝙧
Participation in the event is FREE but registration in this form is required, as the number of places is limited.
📋 Form: https://forms.gle/YHfV6jMWu75ErywC8
We are happy to open the doors to the general public and expose the working process of the research week Articulating Contact Improvisation, which questions the way we look at, articulate, and dialogue about what it is or what it means to dance Contact Improvisation.
This contemporary dance form, initiated in the 1970s by Steve Paxton, has involved, from the beginning, in addition to a lot of physicality, a lot of observation and, above all, dialogue. In the research week Articulating Contact Improvisation we revisit the discursive foundations of Contact Improvisation and try to establish how it makes sense to talk about this practice today, 53 years after its beginnings, during which many dancers, from different generations, have researched, written and contributed to the development of this dance form.
Jurij Konjar is a dancer, choreographer and teacher from Slovenia, who has worked for a long time with Steve Paxton, re-staging several of his works including the Goldberg Variations – an improvisational solo that he tours to this day. He will lead the Articulating Contact Improvisation research week, inviting a group of dancers from Romania, Slovenia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Serbia, who have been dancing, performing and teaching Contact Improvisation for many years and are interested in ways to translate this dance practice into words, language, writing, to explore a series of questions:
What dynamics occur when Contact Improvisation is articulated in language, both through dialogue and writing? What happens when we watch Contact Improvisation in a jam session as well as when we watch a performance? How can somatic experience develop through its articulation in language? How do the observer, the spectator and the director within me interact in real time? What are the improvisational aspects of Contact Improvisation?
𝘽𝙞𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙞𝙚:
Jurij Konjar studied dance at PARTS in Brussels and later with Steve Paxton and Lisa Nelson, among others. In addition to Paxton’s work, which he still performs, he also performs improvisational performances and his own work internationally. His performances include Ulysses, Still, For Juliano Mer-Khamis, Monday at Eight (co-directed), Poka (co-directed), Biodegradables and A report from Contactfestival Freiburg 2023. His new creation, titled Impotence, will premiere in November 2025.
Jurij is part of the global Contact Improvisation community and is the creator of the nomadic workspace called Habitat.
More information and news on: www.jurijkonjar.com
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The project is a co-production of 𝙋𝙀𝙏𝙀𝘾 and 𝙀𝙘𝙝𝙤 𝙀𝙘𝙝𝙤 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮.
Partners: Zi de Bine Association, National Dance Center Bucharest, “G. Enescu” University of Arts – Iași, Reduta Cultural Center Brașov, MIMA Music, Topic Hub.
Media partners: Agenția de cArte, Bookhub, Ceașca de cultură, Contacte Culturale, CVLTARTES, Happ.ro, Iscoada, LIFE.ro, Litera 9, Liternet, Matca Literară, Observator Cultural, Palindrom, Radio România Internațional, Subversiv, The Institute.
The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding beneficiary.