CONTACT @ the DOJO
Contact Improvisation (CI) class & jam
Mixed level, open to beginners and advanced
Gabrielle Revlock and Kristin EttingerAikido Dojo, Florence MA 2024
2026
1st & 3rd Sundays
2/1 Funda Gul
2/15 Neige Christenson
3/1 Patrick Crowley & Erica Skye Roper
3/15 Lani Nahele
4/5 Patrick Crowley
4/19 Sarah Young
3:00–6:00 pm
3:00 Class, 4:30 Jam
Countering: How to Find Rest, Balance, and Recovery in CI w/ Funda Gul
The more intense the movement, the deeper its imprint on the body. Even the most nourishing practices — the ones we believe are wholly “good” for us — can, over time, leave behind subtle traces of strain. In the worlds of Qigong, with its dance of yin and yang, and Yoga, with its mindful counter poses, this truth is not only acknowledged but woven into the heart of the practice. Every exertion meets its release. Every reach finds its return. It is this rhythm of effort and restoration that sustains the body across a lifetime.
So what about Contact Improvisation (CI)? Yes, it’s a dance form — fluid, alive, endlessly creative. And yet, like most dance practices, some less experienced facilitators rarely lead classes with longevity in mind. Over years of practice, the body begins to whisper… then speak more loudly… about the effects of certain repeated patterns. Movements that once felt light and harmless can, through quiet accumulation, become strain or injury.
CI is a vast and rich field of embodied play, but it also asks something of us: awareness, care, and the wisdom to balance intensity with restoration. I believe facilitators can offer more than inspiration — we can offer the knowledge and tools to make this practice sustainable, so that our dancing can grow with us, not against us. Especially in high-energy, high-intensity styles, balance and recovery become not just helpful, but essential.
Funda Gul is an adventurous explorer of movement who has been studying various disciplines as part of her spiritual and intellectual journey. She began her exploration in the world of Aikido in 2005, which ignited a passion that shaped her path. Along the way, she also immersed herself in Systema, where she honed her skills as an instructor. Funda's interest in Yoga philosophy led her to complete a 500-hour teacher training program in the Krishnamacharya lineage of Yoga, where she discovered the power of personalized and adaptable practices.
Since 2016, Funda has been deeply involved in Contact Improvisation as a student, teacher, and facilitator. She collaborated with esteemed dancers to organize engaging workshops and events, including two memorable workshops by Nita Little in the heart of New York City. Drawing from her background in Yoga, Aikido, Taichi-Chuan, and Systema, Funda effortlessly tailors her teachings to suit the diverse needs and abilities of her students. Her goal is to create an inclusive space for movement exploration guided by the profound philosophy that "Function Creates the Form" where our alignment with our physical body and all other forces around it leads the dance. She was already planting the seeds for content for this class for a while now ; however, the Summer CI Festival at the Field center constructed a building with even more architectural strength, inspiration, and sophistication.
In particular, as a practitioner of martial arts, Funda has long been fascinated by the concept of the Center and its significance within Contact Improvisation. Funda seeks diverse methods to reveal/hide one’s own center and recognize its pivotal role in the dance. She is particularly drawn to the idea of mutual support and the exploration of a common center, building a strong structure that is essential when two bodies meet in the art of dance.
CONTACT @ THE DOJO
Once a month, Patrick Crowley teaches the contact improvisation class, and once a month, he curates other teachers, who hold and convey Contact Improvisation with a comprehensive depth. Contact @ the Dojo began in Oct 2021, meeting twice a month on Sundays.
Dojo comes from “Do-”, a variation of Tao/Dao (the way) and “jo” (immersive learning space)
Teachers: Aaron Cantor, Chisa Hidaka, Chris Aiken, Danny Lepkoff, Erica Skye Roper, Frieda Kipar Bay, Funda Gul, Gabi Revlock, Jeff Bliss, Lani Nahele, Lilianna Kane, Neige Christenson, Patrick Crowley, Paula Choi Lionetta, Rythea Lee, Sarah Young
3-4:30 pm CLASS (general description)
A broad range of Contact Improvisation will be explored — states, skills, scores/Underscore, artistic practice, life learnings.
In Contact @ the Dojo, dancers play with movement pathways in contact with a partner — in relationship with weight, gravity, momentum, inertia, and friction. We work with ease and natural tone in our tissues and neurology. We explore rolling, falling, and flying in CI with the safety of the mats as our floor.
The slow and subtle brings us to the big and enthusiastic, and vice versa. Center, perception, integrated body, solo/follow/lead/3rd entity, reflexes, experimentation, readiness, rigor, heart, awareness, and enlivening will all be in the mix.
Please arrive a little early. Most people who come for class stay for the jam.
January Workshop 2012 © Emily Bowman4:30-6 pm JAM
The jam will be open space to play and practice — with some music and possible structure/warm-up.
For those experienced and new to CI, honoring different abilities. ~10–25 people. BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ welcoming. Please come w/ no symptoms: Health safety agreements.
What is Contact Improvisation?
WHERE: Aikido of Northampton
30 N Maple St, #14, Florence, MA 01062
(Park in parking lot to right of building. Come in entrance in parking lot. Go in and upstairs to right.)
Dojo Etiquette:
- Take shoes off outside the door
- Bow to space when entering & exiting.
- Hygiene & what to wear: Bathe that day. Clean feet, cut & filed toenails. Wash or sanitize hands upon entering. Wear pants that are free to move in — no belts. Little/no jewelry, no belt buckles.
Other Info:
- Please come early (5-15 min) to leave enough time (for finding the Dojo, parking, settling in the space, and making payment if you haven’t).
- The Dojo is in the center of Florence: 30 N Maple St, #14, Florence, MA 01062. Upstairs.
- Health safety: come with no symptoms; no exposure to someone with illness in the last 3 days. Health safety agreements
- Here is my approach to CI.
- Be ready. The class can be quite physical and there is a lot input in a number of ways. You may not be able to do everything so you can always modify and/or witness/take breaks.
- Bathrooms are downstairs to right.
Aikido of Northampton Dojo © Emily Bowman