Check out our past 2019 festival below. The Festival is presenting its fifth season in the fall of 2020 in Toronto. The festival will be online as well as outdoors due to COVID-19. Details coming soon.. Deadline for submission is Junel 30 2020.
"Water We Are" Studio Screening An afternoon screening of short dance films Saturday, June 29, 2019
2:30 pm
$15
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto (Wheelchair Accessible) Tickets
"Dive in Toronto" Studio Screening Screening of short films from local filmmakers and guest artists Sunday, June 30, 2019
2:30 pm
$15
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto (Wheelchair Accessible) Tickets
"Move Me" Studio Performance and Screening Live performance and film screening
Sunday, June 30, 2019
8:00 pm
$15
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto (Wheelchair Accessible) Tickets
"Streaming the Consciousness" Gala Screening and Awards Monday, July 1, 2019
7:00 pm Creator Chat
7:30 pm Gala
$20
Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Street, Toronto (Wheelchair Accessible). Please note the Revue Cinema does not have a fully accessible washroom but The Westerly restaurant directly across the street has offered that we can use their accessible washroom. The after party is at The Westerly and will involve a complimentary drink and food. Tickets
Meet The Teachers
Please note Workshops and jams that are designed to be accessible for those with disabilities are indicated by a "Sun" symbol . We have contact improvisation teachers coming from all over the world with varying degrees of experience designing accessible dance workshops. Therefore there are some workshops that are not specifically designed to be accessible and do not have a "Sun" symbol. However, to open up accessibility of these workshops there will be an integration assistant who will support teacher/s in offering accommodation where needed. If you have an accommodation that you would like to arrange in advance please contact kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com
Pre-Festival Workshops Under Water Dance Workshop with Marisa Cecchetti (Italy)
Underwater dancer and certified free-diving instructor Marisa Cecchetti will teach basic of free-diving breathing techniques. Two freedivers from the Toronto group Enjoy Free Diving will be acting as life guards. In the workshop we will have some information about : - physical and mental relaxation
– diaphragmatic breathing, pranayama with use of the app
– lung and muscle stretching
– exercises of improvised dance, contact improvisation after that we will go into the water for:
– use of mask, snorkel and nose clip
– static apnea, maternage, rescue
– dynamics on the surface of the water
– contact improvisation in water
– upside down equalization
- use of things to improvise: stairs, fabric....
We will dance with the water that is our 1st partner, feeling the freedom of our body that is without edges and mixes with water.
Level:
Being able to swim well in the deep-end is a prerequisite for this workshop.
Thursday June 27, 2019 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
$40 (limited to ten people) George Harvey Collegiate Pool
1700 Keele St, York, ON M6M 3W5
PLEASE NOTE THE POOL IS NOT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSABLE DUE TO THERE BEING FIVE STEPS UP TO THE POOL.
The CDIFF team is happy to offer assistance getting devices and individual people up these five stairs. The workshop will be taking place in the deep-end of the pool and is open to all those that can swim well in water.
Film-making Workshop with Blas Payri (Spanish) Filming Strategies in Contact Dance: The interaction between camera and body movements. A look at examples of different dance films. Practical application of dance filmmaking techniques with participants. If you have editing software please bring it. Everyone needs to bring a camera. Camera ranging from professional to smart-phone cameras are welcome. Blas Payri is a professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain) of Sound Design, Film Sound Analysis and Film Music in Postproduction. He is active in Soundscape, Electroacoustic Music and Screen-dance.
Friday, July 28, 2019
12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
FREE
Charb Arts Studio, 2238 Dundas St West (Wheelchair Accessible)
Register ahead (workshop limited to 20 people) Tickets
Thank you to Embajada de España en Canadá / Embassy of Spain in Canada for making this workshop possible.
Training in Accessibility In Dance with Shay Erlich and Jenna Roy
Friday, July 28, 2019
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
FREE
Charb Arts Studio, 2238 Dundas St West (Wheelchair Accessible)
Register ahead Tickets
Three Day Morning Workshop Intensives
TIINA Jääskö (Finland) and GUY LEON (Barcelona)
Contact Improvisation INTENSIVE
All levels
"Attention and Awareness" - An all levels Contact Improvisation intensive. This Contact Improvisation (CI) intensive will focus on physicality, presence, acceptance, and understanding one's emotional states. We will develop an understanding of the underlying physical principles of CI to create and cultivating organic and economical ways to move. We will investigate our resting and moving bodies and how they relate to gravity. Understanding the function of our joints and skeleton – and how we can move efficiently. We will practice practical anatomical, physical, and perceptual skills to open up avenues of awareness. Technical aspects of CI will be combined with improvisation and body-work to explore dialogue, sensing, connecting, disconnecting, responding, resisting, playing, availability and flow.
Saturday, June 29 to July 1, 2019 (three days)
10:00 am to 1:00 pm (all three days)
$210
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Drop-in first day only. Register if you want to take full series
Accessibility? This intensive is not specially designed with disabilities in mind. However there will be an integration assistant present in the intensive to support the teachers in offering accommodations where needed. If you have an accommodation you would like to arrange in advance please contact kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com Tickets
GURU SURAJ (India) and ARIANE BERNIER (Quebec)
Contact Improvisation INTENSIVE
For Intermediate to advance level contact improvisers
"Moving through Presence" - In this intensive, we will research on what it really means to be present in the movement. We will research and observe the moving physicality of the body and its weight and the relationship with gravity. How our senses and the shifting of our attention affect the dance and the feeling of being present to it. We will decode momentum to ride moving support — riding momentum is about letting go without being out-of-control. We’ll track flying centers of gravity. We will revisit the basics of contact improvisation and practice flying, catching, landing, fluid acrobatics, and deft maneuvers. We will use some tools to warm up, center and to re-enter the “beginner’s mind” of contact improvisation. In this intensive, we will research on what it really means to be present in the movement. We will research and observe the moving physicality of the body and its weight and the relationship with gravity. How our senses and the shifting of our attention affect the dance and the feeling of being present to it. We will decode momentum to ride moving support — riding momentum is about letting go without being out-of-control. We’ll track flying centers of gravity. We will revisit the basics of contact improvisation and practice flying, catching, landing, fluid acrobatics, and deft maneuvers. We will use some tools to warm up, center and to re-enter the “beginner’s mind” of contact improvisation. We will be building group safety and trust and practice taking the aerial work into improv. The deeper theme will be exploring the work on being in contact—with ourselves, others and our reality. We start at zero to connect with our bodies, our interest, and spontaneity. Part of the session will be inspired by partnering-tools and different fighting styles.
Saturday, June 29 to July 1, 2019 (three days)
10:00 am to 1:00 pm (all three days)
$210
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Drop-in first day only. Register if you want to take full series
Accessibility? This intensive is not specially designed with disabilities in mind. However to open up accessibility there will be an integration assistant present in the intensive to support the teachers in offering accommodations where needed. If you have an accommodation you would like to arrange in advance please contact kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com Tickets
Drop-in Saturday, Sunday and Monday Morning Workshops
Intensives
You can drop-in to above Intensives on the first day.
see info above for details
Kathleen Rea and Lelsie Heydon (Toronto)
Contact Improvisation WORKSHOP
All levels
"Relationship in Movement" - In this class we will look a relational aspect of contact improvisation and how we show up in our dances. The class will move in an out of experiential material and discussion.
Sunday, June 30, 2019
10:00 am to 1:00 pm
$60
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Drop-in or register ahead
Accessibility: This workshop is designed to be welcoming of those with disabilities. If you have an accommodation you require please contact us and let us know. (kathleen.rea@reasodnetre.com) Tickets
Alejandro Barboza (Costa Rica)
Contact Improvisation WORKSHOP
All levels
Description: coming soon
Sunday, June 30, 2019
10:00 am to 1:00 pm
$60
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Drop-in or register ahead
Accessibility: This workshop is designed to be welcoming of those with disabilities. If you have an accommodation you require please contact us and let us know. (kathleen.rea@reasodnetre.com) Tickets
Drop-in Taster Workshops, Saturday, June 29, 4:00pm - 5:25pm
ARIANE BERNIER
(Quebec) Contact Improvisation WORKSHOP
All levels
In this class we'll look at different ways to offer and give support to one another. Finding ways to create surfaces and offerings while keeping a strong yet supple structure. With acute awareness, we learn how to recognize opportunities and take initiatives.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
$30
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Register or dop-in
Accessibility? This intensive is not specially designed with disabilities in mind. However to open up accessibility there will be an integration assistant present to support the teacher in offering accommodations where needed. If you have an accommodation you would like to arrange in advance please contact kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com Tickets
Alejandro Barboza (Costa Rica)
Contact Improvisation WORKSHOP
All levels
Workshop Description: coming soon
Saturday, June 39, 2019
4:00 pm to 5:25 pm
$30
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Drop-in or register ahead
Accessibility? This intensive is not specially designed with disabilities in mind. However to open up accessibility there will be an integration assistant present to support the teachers in offering accommodations where needed. If you have an accommodation you would like to arrange in advance please contact kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com Tickets
KATHLEEN REA
Contact Improvisation WORKSHOP for Beginners
For beginners and those that want to review basics
Learn rolling point of contact, giving and taking weight, how to start end and redirect a dance plus more.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
$30
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Register or drop-in
Accessibility: This workshop is designed to be welcoming to those with disabilities. If you have an accommodation you require please contact us and let us know. (kathleen.rea@reasodnetre.com) Tickets
Drop-in Taster Workshops, Saturday, June 29, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
GURU SURAJ (India)
Contact Improvisation WORKSHOP
All levels
"Sink into Gravity and Suspend into Space"
We will explore how to release the physical mass into gravity with time and space to facilitate a movement in ease and learn how to make offerings to your partners that allow them the freedom to move without restriction on the floor and in the space. To find a mutual agreement in what’s on offer we are able to explore our edges, develop a movement conversation together. Suspending into space through the support of your partner, to play and explore by encountering gravity, momentum and weight to enjoy rolling falling and being upside down. The joy of Exploration through playfulness.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
$30
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Register or drop-in
Accessibility? This intensive is not specially designed with disabilities in mind. However to open up accessibility there will be an integration assistant present to support the teachers in offering accommodations where needed. If you have an accommodation you would like to arrange in advance please contact kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com Tickets
TIINA Jääskö (Finland) and GUY LEON (Barcelona)
Contact Improvisation WORKSOP
All levels Saturday, June 29, 2019
Description coming soon
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
$30
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Register or drop-in
Accessibility? This intensive is not specially designed with disabilities in mind. However to open up accessibility there will be an integration assistant present to support the teachers in offering accommodations where needed. If you have an accommodation you would like to arrange in advance please contact kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com Tickets
Kim Simons and Olivia Proudfoot (Toronto)
Contact Improvisation WORKSHOP
All levels
Description: coming soon
Saturday, June 29, 2019
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
$30
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Drop-in or register in advance
Accessibility: This workshop is designed to be welcoming to those with disabilities. If you have an accommodation you require please contact us and let us know. (kathleen.rea@reasodnetre.com) Tickets
Jams
Saturday Night Dance Jam with warm-up by TIINA Jääskö (Finland) with music by JENNIFER GILLMOR
Saturday, June 29, 2019
8:00 - 8:15 Opening Circle
8:15 - Warm up with Tiina Jääskö
8:45 to 10:15 Jam with music by Jennifer Gillmor
$15
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Register or drop-in Tickets
Sunday Afternoon EVERY BODY Can Dance Jam with warm-up by SHAY ULRICH and JENNA ROY followed by music by CHERYL OCKRANT Sunday, June 30, 2019
4:00 pm Shay and Jen Jam Opener Class
5:00 Jam
6:00 Jam with live music by Cheryl Ockrant
$15
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Register or drop-in Tickets
Monday Afternoon Dance Jam with music by LEAH TROTTIER
Monday, July 1, 2019
2:30 Jam
3:30 jam with live music by Leah Trottier
$15
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto. (Wheelchair accessible)
Register or drop-in Tickets
Teachers' Biographies
Ariane Bernier is a dancer, performance artist and teacher originally from Canada. She earned a Bacchelor degree in dance from l'Universite du Québec in Montréal. She has worked as a Freelancer for dance companies in NYC and collaborated on installations, site specifics projects, dance films and publicities with artist of various fields. Her way of approaching movement is greatly influenced by her curiosity and ongoing studies of contact improvisation, modern dance technique, somatic practices and yoga. She has been teaching dance and contact improvisation and conducting yoga workshops and retreats between the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa. www.arianebernier.com
Marisa Cecchetti
Graduated in Physics, Marisa has practiced various types of dance during her life. At the moment she dances contact improvisation. As a child she liked to be in the water. She is an expert scuba diver and freediver. In 2014 she tried to dance deep underwater at the deepest pool in the world, Y-40, and that was the beginning of a new kind of research in movements. Marisa has written a book with the results of her research: “Deep water motion manual“, In 2015 she received a special award from the European Dive exhibition for the first video she made: Inediti Y-40 . On March 2016 Marisa was one of the testimonials of the launch of the book “Blue Mind” (W. J. Nichols) from an important Italian publisher.
On June 2017 Marisa was contacted by Depeche Mode staff to be in their official web site and FB page for the inspiration that their music has given to her for the first deep underwater dance. On March 2018 Marisa received an Award as best dancer from Geo Film Festival for her video “Underwater Salt Pier dance in Bonaire Island”. On March 2019 she won the Eudi Movie Contest with the video “Underwater Psycho“. Her official web site about all the videos she made dancing underwater at the Y-40 pool and in the sea is Freediving Dancer. From 2014 she has created more than 100 underwater video dance published on Youtube channel Freediving Dancer using her knowledge in computer science and video editing. She is the instructor of Apnea Life Style Dance of ESA school. For Marisa the creation of Deep Underwater Dance Festival is the ralization of one of her dreams.
Shay Erlich is a wheelchair dancer and performance art critic. They have recently co-founded the Cyborg Circus Project (a disability-led dance and circus company) with their partner Jenna Roy and write about Disability Art at the-wheelchair-critic.tumblr.com as well as in mainstream publications such as NOW Toronto and The Dance Current.
Tiina Jääskö is a professional dancer and dance teacher based in Finland. She's interested in discovering our personal ways of dancing with playful dialogue. It’s not about how to do. It’s all about how to listen and share. It’s not about being passive or active, it’s about how we find the point of connection where all happens. https://www.facebook.com/tiina.jaasko
Blas Payri is a professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain) of Sound Design, Film Sound Analysis and Film Music in Postproduction. He is active in Soundscape, Electroacoustic Music and Screen-dance.
Jen Roy is a wheelchair dancer and performance artist. She recently co-founded the Cyborg Circus Project with Shay Erlich. Her practice stems from their experiences as a queer, mad, multiply disabled person. They envision a future where disability justice-informed art has permeated the fabric of the arts in Canada.
Kathleen Rea danced with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen, National Ballet of Canada & Tiroler Landestheater (Austria). Kathleen is a certified instructor of the Melt Method (Hand and Feet) and teaches Contact Dance Improvisation at George Brown Dance. She has choreographed over 40 dance works and has been nominated for five DORA awards. Kathleen is a recipient of a K. M. Hunter Award and is a published author (“The Healing Dance”, Charles C. Thomas). She has a Master’s in Expressive Arts Therapy and is a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO) with a private practice for the past 15 years. In January 2015 Kathleen became a candidate teacher of the Axis Syllabus. Recently Kathleen graduated as a Brain Advancement Coach (Pyramid of Potential Method). More Info: http://www.the-healing-dance.com/
Guru Suraj graduated from The Government College of Fine Arts in Chennai and then continued to receive a master’s degree in Philosophy of Yoga. Years of study in various somatic and artistic teachings have taught Guru to be open and accepting of many other methodologies in addition to his traditional system of practice.He started practicing C.I. 10 years ago and hasn't stopped since. Guru is the founder of the Contact Improv India Organization, which focuses on spreading Contact Improv around India and making it accessible for everybody. One of the initiatives of ci-india organization ( http://ci-india.org ) is the exchange of cultures utilizing contact dance in many possible spaces. Guru has dedicated his life to being immersed in the diversity of different culture. "I see dance as not only everyone's birthright. It is one of the greatest tools of awakening one's consciousness and awareness. Dancing can be a mirror to look deeply into our self. What we have to do is stay and watch. I trust in playfulness, Intuition, and spontaneity. "
Musician's Biographies
Jennifer Gillmor musical exploration has covered rich and varied territory. She is a multi-instrumentalist with a musical family that includes bass guitar, cello, kamel n’goni, didgeridoo, found and made objects, flutes, various percussion, berimbau,musical saw, jaw harp, and sample-based sequencing. She has performed and recorded in projects ranging from funk to folk, rock to reggae, music influenced by traditions of African and Celtic cultures as well as experimental projects that can draw few comparisons. Jennifer composes and records for film, video, dance, theatre and multimedia projects. She has toured internationally and appeared in nationally broadcast music videos and on various local and national television and radio shows. With a residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point in the winter of 2019, Jen is creating a new body of solo material intended for performance and a new album. Her debut solo album, High Road Haven, is available through Bandcamp https://jengillmor.bandcamp.com/album/high-road-haven. Jen’s current performance focus is Jennis, a duo with Dennis Gaumond. Their second album is due out in the fall of 2019. Bodywork is another way Jen likes to channel positive energy through her hands. Learn about her practice here: www.harmonyhands.ca For more details: jengillmormusic.ca
Cheryl Ockrant has been improvising ever since a sudden breeze blew her music away while busking in Spain. Cheryl has been part of the improvising scene in Toronto for many years, beginning as an early guest of the Planet of the Loops ensemble and soon becoming a regular performer at The Ambient Ping series.
A 2008 participant in the Banff International Workshop for Jazz
and Creative Music, Cheryl had opportunites to work with Dave Douglas, Wayne Krantz, Hugh Marsh and Thomas Morgan. With a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Toronto, and studies with Matt Brubeck and Ted Quinlan, cheryl has studied and performed music from early Baroque to Contemporary prior to her current focus of experimental, jazz and improv. Cheryl is a founding member of quasiMODAL, a floating electro-accoustic improv trio with Steve Sauvé on keys and synths, and Eric St.Laurent on guitar. Using her cello with electronic and looping technologies as well as unusual noise makers, cheryl creates textures, rhythms and soundscapes over which she layers her cello, creating washes of sound and colour, as well as her trademark soaring melodies.
Scholarship Participants in need of a scholarship, please contact Kathleen at kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com
Billeting Participants traveling to the festival from out of town who are in need of accommodation, please contact kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com
Access Info
Accessibility of workshops?
Workshops and jams that are designed to be accessible for those with disabilities are indicated by a "Sun" symbol . We have contact improvisation teachers coming from all over the world with varying degrees of experience designing accessible dance workshops. Therefore there are some workshops that are not specifically designed to be accessible and do not have a "Sun" symbol. However, to open up accessibility of these workshops there will be an integration assistant who will support teacher/s in offering accommodation where needed. If you have an accommodation that you would like to arrange in advance please contact kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com
All locations are wheelchair accessibleaccept for George Harvey Collegiate Pool which has fvie step up. Here is further access information on each venue:
Celia Franca Centre - 400 Jarvis Street, Toronto:
- wheelchair accessible entrance
- large elevators
- wheelchair accessible washroom (although they do not have an automatic door. The hallway is busy and there are usually people around to help open doors)
- the building is not close to subway with elevator. The closest subways with elevators are Dundas, Bloor-Yonge and Broadview subways)
Revue Cinema - 400 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto:
- please let us know if you are attending in a wheelchair so we can reserve a spot for you in the theatre
- wheelchair accessible
- the Revue Cinema does not have a fully accessible washroom but the Westerly restaurant directly across the street has offered that we can use their fully accessible washroom (we are checking if they have an automatic door) This is the restaurant we are having the after-party at.
- the closest Subway with elevator is Dundas West (accessibly ramp does not work for streetcars on Roncesvalles Ave. due to curb size)
The Westerly Restaurant - 413 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto:
- wheelchair accessible
- wheelchair accessible washroom (we are checking if they have an automatic door)
- the closest Subway with elevator is Dundas West (accessibly ramp does not work for streetcars on Roncesvalles Ave. due to curb size)
Charb Arts Studio - 2238 Dundas St West, Toronto
- wheelchair accessible entrance to the building
- wheelchair accessible washroom (we are checking if they have an automatic door)
- the closest Subway with elevator is Dundas West
George Harvey Collegiate Pool - 1700 Keele Street, Toronto
- There are five steps up to pool. The CDIFF team is happy to offer assistance getting devices and individual people up these five stairs. The workshop will be taking place in the deep-end of the pool and is open to all those that can swim well in the deep-end.
Volunteer
Would you like to be a bigger part of the Festival? Lend a hand to make sure the festival is the best it can be. Contact kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com
. We have contact improvisation teachers coming from all over the world with varying degrees of experience designing accessible dance workshops. Therefore there are some workshops that are not specifically designed to be accessible and do not have a "Sun" symbol. However, to open up accessibility of these workshops there will be an integration assistant who will support teacher/s in offering accommodation where needed. If you have an accommodation that you would like to arrange in advance please contact 
