Contact Improvisation: Core Principles
Photo: Jonathan Hsu"Developing Physical Intelligence and Emotional Resonance in CI"
Physical Intelligence: The ability to improvise and solve emergent tasks as they occur in the dance.
Emotional Resonance: The attuned awareness of and relation to others. It is active, grounded in respect and ongoing consideration of the effect you have on others.
Photo: Derek FowlesChris and Angie: "Our work seeks to help dancers deepen their understanding of the core principles of CI and to become inspired through the interplay of touch, movement, and imagination. Physical intelligence and emotional resonance manifest differently in each person. They include the ability to provide mobile support, to organize your body in weight sharing, to move through fluid pathways into and out of the floor. Emotional resonance is active, grounded in respect, and ongoing consideration of the effect you have on others.
BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS:
Experience Expected: This workshop is designed for people who've been attending contact improv jams for at least 1-3 months, and would like to advance their practice. The material will be challenging, but it will be less skill-based and more principle-based, so the material will be appropriate for a range of experience levels.
Consent and Touch: As always, participants have free agency to engage in any part of this workshop to their own degree of comfort. Dancers will be invited to partner-up and practice the form in-contact. You have the option to choose (or choose not) to engage in any exercise or partnership, also to end any interaction at any time.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE: March 14-15, 2026
Saturday (All-day workshop)
Doors open for late registration and personal warm-up........9:30am
Morning Workshop Period.....................................................10am-1pm
Lunch break (BYO)................................................................1-2:30pm
Afternoon Workshop Period..................................................2:30-5:30
Out of the space by...............................................................6pm
Sunday (Long afternoon workshop)
Doors open for personal warm-up........................................1:30pm
Workshop Period (there will be a snack break, sometime).... 1:30-6pm
Out of the space by.............................................................. 6:30pm
Food note: Saturday lunch and Sunday break will have quick turn-arounds.
Please BYO or make a quick trip to a local restaurant. CIB will provide some snacks for both days, but bring your own as well.
COSTS & REGISTRATION: This workshop will fill quickly. Registration is limited to 35 participants and the teachers are very well regarded.
Discount on-line pricing:
Discount on-line registration closes midnight, Wednesday, 3/11/2026
$175 - Regular rate - Employed, retired, self-employed.
$135 - Reduced rate - For hard economic situations (Also see Financial Aid, below)
$185 - Well-employed rate - Please pay this if you can. Help keep the Reduced rate low.
$205 - Supporting the arts rate
Financial aid and contributions for future financial aid:
To Apply: If the lowest level of our sliding scale is too expensive for you, we offer a limited number of applicants $45 off their fee on a first-come-first-served basis. Apply on the registration form.
To Contribute: If you have even a little extra, please contribute to the Financial Aid Fund as you register. Your support enables more dancers to attend CIB events. Contribute when you register online.
♦♦ Registration will be open soon! ♦♦
At the door pricing: (If available)
$185 - Regular rate - Employed, retired, self-employed.
$140 - Reduced rate - For hard economic situations (Also see Financial Aid, above)
$205 - Well-employed rate - Please pay this if you can. Help keep the Reduced rate low.
$235 - Supporting the arts rate
COVID CONSIDERATIONS:
Contact Improv Boston does not require participants to wear masks or provide proof of vaccination. Please respect this optional choice of each dancer.
Please be mindful of your activities particularly in the week before the workshop and do a covid test in the 24 hours before the workshop, if possible.
Do not attend if you tested positive for Covid in the last 24hrs (even without symptoms), or if you are feeling sick in any way (even with a negative Covid test), or if you have been in contact with somebody with obvious Covid symptoms in the last 48 hrs.
You must notify the registrar in order to receive a refund.
OUT-OF-TOWNERS:
If you live outside of the local area you are welcome to attend this workshop. However, unlike some other events, CIB cannot be responsible to organize overnight accommodations for you. Please contact your personal Boston area friends, if you need help staying overnight.
LOCATION:
Calvary United Methodist Church, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington MA 02474
Transportation: Accessible by bus (77 from Harvard or Porter on the Red Line). If you drive, allow time to find parking.
CONTACT THE REGISTRAR WITH A QUESTION:
Please do not hesitate to contact us with a question or comment at
Registrations@ContactImprovBoston.com. Thanks
TEACHERS' BIO:
Chris Aiken is an internationally recognized performer and teacher of dance improvisation and contact improvisation. Chris has performed and collaborated with many renowned dance artists including Angie Hauser, Kirstie Simson, Nancy Stark Smith, Peter Bingham, Andrew Harwood, Joerg Hassman, Ray Chung, and Steve Paxton. He has taught throughout North America, Europe, and in Asia. He draws on years of dance and somatic training, including, the Alexander Technique, Gryotonic/Gyrokinesis, ideokinesis, and myofascial bodywork. He is currently a Professor at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts (USA.)
Angie Hauser is a BESSIE Award winning dancer, choreographer, and teacher whose work is grounded in improvisation, performance, and collaboration. Hauser’s work is marked by her long-time collaborations with artists Bebe Miller, Darrell Jones, and Chris Aiken. She has taught Contact Improvisation and Improvisation throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Colombia, and Peru including featured artist/teacher at International Festival in Freiburg, iDance Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, West Coast Contact Improvisation Festival, Moab Jam, and the Montreal Jam. She received her MFA in dance from the Ohio State University. She is currently a Professor at Smith College in Massachusetts (USA.)
CANCELLATION POLICY:
• If CIB finds it necessary to cancel the event for any reason, we will refund the entire registration fee of registered participants.
• If a registered participant withdraws from an event for any reason by midnight, Friday, one week before the event, we will fully refund their registration fee.
• If a registered participant withdraws closer to the event for health (or Covid exposure) reasons and notifies the registrar, a full refund will be issued.
• If a registered participant withdraws closer to the event date for non-health related reasons or does not notify us, no refund will be issued. Also applies to no-show.
• We will consider hardship situations for refunds before and during the event. Please notify the registrar.
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE AND DANCE!