Dancing With Eros

Guiding and Surrendering: An Exploration of Dominance and Submission through Contact Improv

In this class, we will build trust and connection to journey deeply together through mutual care and support.

In both guiding and surrendering, we open ourselves to a state of receptivity. This allows us to soften into our intuition and trust of self and other, providing the opportunity to surrender safely, consciously and by choice, and to guide with confidence and clarity.

In guiding we will focus on the other, noticing our connection to our partners and discovering a fascination with our influence. We will manipulate our partners limbs and joints to find their core and center of gravity. By tracking their weight and momentum we can anticipate their natural reaction and direct their movement patterns as we desire.

In surrendering we will focus on our own internal experience and practice how to let ourselves be influenced and directed by our partners by discovering states of relaxation and flow that keep us connected and in a ready state. We will explore how changes in muscle tone can make us more or less available to receive our partner’s direction. We will become intentionally "ungrounded" to allow ourselves to be lifted and spun.

This class will include instruction in both physical techniques and states of awareness to help us dive deeply into the experience on both sides of leading and following, guiding and surrendering and dominance and submission. Everyone will get to experience both roles.




SATURDAY, October 5, 2019
Studio 303

372 Ste-Catherine W., Montreal, Quebec H3B 1A2
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
$30 CAD pre-register online
$40 at the door
We will not issue refunds for pre-registrations. 

FACILITATORS

Chaya Leia Aronson is committed to supporting women and men on the path of pelvic health and healing and sexual liberation through her private practice. Her primary modalities of bodywork are the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® and Holistic Pelvic Care™. Chaya has been dancing for most of her life. Chaya has been performing and teaching tribal and improvisational bellydance for eight years. Within her teaching practice, her passion has been empowering women to feel and express their femininity and sensuality. Although Chaya was introduced to contact improvisation at age 19, it has only been in the last 5 years that it has become a primary focus of her dance practice. Chaya is enjoying weaving her two loves in dance together, all in the spirit of improvisation and surrender to the divine.

Justis Hatch brings over 25 years of movement study and practice to his teaching. With a deep core rooted in yoga and martial arts, his teaching stems from very traditional styles including Kripalu, Bikram and Ashtanga Yoga, Tae Kwon Do, Capoeira, Karate and Ju Jitsu. He bridges ancient and modern practices by integrating improvisation and contemporary thought into a very disciplined yet responsive style. Contact Improvisation has been his primary and most continuous fascination. Since first discovering the form at Earthdance in 1991 he has explored its edges through jamming, practicing, teaching, labbing and intensive residencies. Justis’s most current passion within the realm of contact improvisation is meeting another person at their core and trusting in this honest connection to break down the walls of judgment and prejudice.

DISCOVER:

Dancing with Eros

Inspired by Touch & Play, we present, Dancing with Eros, a monthly dance event, the second Saturday night of each month,  with the explicit intention of exploring our erotic energy in the dance. Let’s explore for ourselves and together in community what it means to dance with Eros.

As a society, we have been acculturated to have shame about our sexual desires. In many dance communities in the country, we have struggled with issues of consent and sexuality in the dance spaces, so much so that many local dances seek to explicitly keep erotic energy separate from the dance. This is an invitation to allow and follow our intimate and erotic energy, with consciousness and care, consent and healthy boundaries.

Erotic energy is creative energy. Let your creativity flow.

The focus of this event is to explore erotic energy through dance and movement. There will be a designated cuddle space. If your dance becomes slow and floor bound, consider moving to the cuddle zone. If you wish to bring your dance connection into a more explicitly sexual connection, consider making a date outside of the event!

GUIDELINES

Arrive by 8:30 pm to be present for the setting of the sacred space.
Please keep casual conversation outside of the dance space, but please do use your voice anytime, in order to set or clarify your boundaries or ask for what you want.
This is a shame free zone. We are practicing shame resilience through artfully learning to honor our own boundaries and honor the desires of others, whether or not we choose to meet them.
Explore consent, verbally and non-verbally. Be forgiving and truthful with yourself and others in the event of a consent accident. This is how we learn and grow.
We have Safety Angels should you need support throughout the event.
Allow yourself space from the digital world and simply Dance with Eros within and around.
No exchange of bodily fluids on the dance floor.
There will be a designated cuddle space.
This is a body positive space. Reveal yourself to the extent that feels empowering and exciting AND keep your genitals covered.