EDAM Performing Arts Society
Thursdays | Foundations in Contact w Hayley
Mar
14
Friday, March 14, 2025 at 1:00 a.m.
to Friday, April 18, 2025 at 2:30 a.m.
303 E 8th Ave
Vancouver, BC V5T 1S2, Canada
FOUNDATIONS IN CONTACT
THURSDAYS
6 - 7:30PM
Drop-ins welcome for any class — the series is not specifically designed to be progressive, however, material from previous weeks may be drawn upon.
This class is beginner-friendly (around 0 to 3 years of experience) and will focus on Contact basics. All levels are welcome to join, supporting our ongoing research of CI skills. We will practice listening with our many senses, while working with presence and possibility in our dancing. Each teacher will lead a 6-week series shaped by their current interests and curiosities within CI. Teacher bios below.
Class format: Class begins with a facilitated warm-up, moving into CI skills and techniques in the form of individual, partnered, and/or group exercises. We may explore a variety of fundamental CI principles including rolling point of contact, sloughing (sliding), meeting pressure (continuity of connection), weight sharing, and under-dancing (offering mobile support). We typically close with a round-robin or score; an opportunity to put our skills into practice and dance together.
There is space to shape your experience within the class; you may participate at your own comfort level in as much or as little as you like. Witnessing is an active form of participation and a welcomed learning method.
About Hayley:
Born and raised in Semiahmoo territory (South Surrey), Hayley Gawthrop is an independent artist based on the unceded ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations (Vancouver). Hayley has been singing and dancing since their beginning and is passionate about gentleness, bodily autonomy, and listening with curiosity.
Since 2015, Hayley has studied Contact Improvisation under Peter Bingham and has danced professionally with EDAM since 2021. Contact Improv serves as a framework for their ongoing exploration of movement, care, listening, disruption, and flight. Their classes balance skill-building with space for personal inquiry, aiming to help students feel thoughtful, brave, and confident in the unknown.
Questions about attending? Please contact us at info@edamdance.org.
Drop-ins and Class Cards welcome. Purchase a Class Card (5-class pass) HERE.
Photo: Olivia and Hayley by Luciana Photography, 2024
Membership
- To participate in activities at EDAM, you must be a member.
- If you are new to EDAM, please purchase a membership along with your drop-in.
- EDAM Membership is a lifetime membership (one-time $5 membership fee).
Waivers
- All EDAM participants (every person who attends an EDAM class, workshop or jam) agree to: EDAM Waiver and EDAM Safety, Consent and Inclusion Policy before coming to the studio.
Refund & Cancellation Policy
- Drop-in purchases are non-refundable.
- We offer class exchanges when contacted in advance. Please email us at info@edamdance.org and allow at least 24 hours to request a class date exchange.
- EDAM reserves the right to cancel classes for any reason. Refunds will be issued and registered participants will be notified.
- EDAM reserves the right to change the teacher if the scheduled teacher can no longer attend.
Accessibility & Building Info
- Accessibility and building info HERE.
- Please email us at: info@edamdance.org if you have specific access requests or questions.