Enlivening contemporary with Ashley Handel

Class will begin with a warm-up of active stretch and strengthening, using principles of Vinyasa style yoga to make space in the joints of the body, tone the muscle and bone structures, and warm our relationship to gravity and the breath. We will progress into a series of set as well as improvised exercises to work our sense of placement and locomotion. A practice across the floor of both solo and partnered tasks will continue our exploration of sensation, weight, articulation, gravity, touch, resistance, following, and spatial awareness. The class will culminate in phrase work, where the dancers have the opportunity to practice movement using the awareness of both self and other they have cultivated.

Ultimately, the class is a guide for dancers to address the principles of contemporary movement that interest them most, while also building an awareness of body that ranges from the subtle and minute to the dynamic and expansive. Dancers will leave aware, engaged, and physically ready.