London Contact Improvisation
London Contact Improvisation (LCI) is an organisation that ran a weekly programme of Contact Improvisation Class and Jam for 20 years.
Due to Covid-19, in-person classes were suspended and went online until July 2021. The LCI team is on sabbatical until further notice.
Contact Improvisation a dance practice that involves training reflexes, touch, disorientation and reorientation. It is an open-ended exploration of the kinaesthetic possibilities of bodies moving through contact. Sometimes wild and athletic, sometimes quiet and meditative, it is a form open to all bodies and enquiring minds. It started in 1972 with a performance in NYC as a project of American Choreographer Steve Paxton and has evolved to a whole new way of moving.
In-Person Classes are led by experienced teachers and we rotate for a variety of styles and approaches.
Classes are open to all and on a drop-in basis. We try to make the work accessible and affordable.
There is always a mix of newcomers, professional dancers, long time LCI dancers and visitors from abroad.
As a international hub, London attracts many people from different walks of life and our jam reflects this.
Most weeks there is a musician who improvises during the jam, we often have the last Saturday of the month "music free" to allow for deep listening and use of the ambient sound in the space.
There is a core team and a team of helpers that support the running of the jams. See Team page for more details.
London Contact Improvisation (LCI) was formed in April 2001 by Robert Anderson, Kate Hilder and Joukje Kolff as an unincorporated association. See the History page for the full story. The current organising team includes Robert Anderson, Colleen Bartley and Tim Clark.
LCI also organises day workshops, longer intensives and weekend jams.
Due to Covid-19, in-person classes were suspended and went online until July 2021. The LCI team is on sabbatical until further notice.
Contact Improvisation a dance practice that involves training reflexes, touch, disorientation and reorientation. It is an open-ended exploration of the kinaesthetic possibilities of bodies moving through contact. Sometimes wild and athletic, sometimes quiet and meditative, it is a form open to all bodies and enquiring minds. It started in 1972 with a performance in NYC as a project of American Choreographer Steve Paxton and has evolved to a whole new way of moving.
In-Person Classes are led by experienced teachers and we rotate for a variety of styles and approaches.
Classes are open to all and on a drop-in basis. We try to make the work accessible and affordable.
There is always a mix of newcomers, professional dancers, long time LCI dancers and visitors from abroad.
As a international hub, London attracts many people from different walks of life and our jam reflects this.
Most weeks there is a musician who improvises during the jam, we often have the last Saturday of the month "music free" to allow for deep listening and use of the ambient sound in the space.
There is a core team and a team of helpers that support the running of the jams. See Team page for more details.
London Contact Improvisation (LCI) was formed in April 2001 by Robert Anderson, Kate Hilder and Joukje Kolff as an unincorporated association. See the History page for the full story. The current organising team includes Robert Anderson, Colleen Bartley and Tim Clark.
LCI also organises day workshops, longer intensives and weekend jams.
LCI Honours Nancy Stark Smith
From NancyStarkSmith.com
Nancy passed away May 1, 2020 after a struggle with cancer. Many did not know about her cancer, so it is understandable if this is a shock. Her partner and collaborator, Mike Vargas, was by her side at home. Nancy was able to see the lilacs, which she loved so dearly, start to bloom outside before she passed.
All are invited to share remembrances and inspirations on a Facebook page created by Contact Quarterly: Nancy Stark Smith Harvest.
We will find ways to continue dance to together online, and to share our gratitude and grief about Nancy Stark Smith. Nancy has been one of the main driving forces behind the development of CI and much more. In a time of great uncertainty, it seems vital to practice the principles of the work together/alone because we can't physically touch or meet in person during the pandemic. Despite these restrictions, we continue to improvise, innovate and fall into the unknown in partnership with gravity (and life forces) and space which is one of fundamental inquiries of Contact Improvisation. - Colleen Bartley
Nancy visited the UK many times over the years first in London, Cumbria, Bristol and more. Her last visit was in 2012 Nancy with Mike Vargas for the Underscore Workgroup at Roehampton University, at Moving East and an Underscore at Siobhan Davies Studios.
Nancy visited the UK many times over the years - first coming to Dartington College, then visiting London, Cumbria, Bristol and other places. Her last visit was in 2012, with Mike Vargas. She led the the Underscore Workgroup at Roehampton University, taught at Moving East and hosted an Underscore at Siobhan Davies Studios and the Global Underscore at Chichester University.
In addition to her own teachings, Nancy initiated countless projects including Contact Quarterly, ECITE, The Underscore , Contact Connections, and has endlessly supported the development, propagation and discourse about the practice all over the world.
Nancy passed away May 1, 2020 after a struggle with cancer. Many did not know about her cancer, so it is understandable if this is a shock. Her partner and collaborator, Mike Vargas, was by her side at home. Nancy was able to see the lilacs, which she loved so dearly, start to bloom outside before she passed.
All are invited to share remembrances and inspirations on a Facebook page created by Contact Quarterly: Nancy Stark Smith Harvest.
We will find ways to continue dance to together online, and to share our gratitude and grief about Nancy Stark Smith. Nancy has been one of the main driving forces behind the development of CI and much more. In a time of great uncertainty, it seems vital to practice the principles of the work together/alone because we can't physically touch or meet in person during the pandemic. Despite these restrictions, we continue to improvise, innovate and fall into the unknown in partnership with gravity (and life forces) and space which is one of fundamental inquiries of Contact Improvisation. - Colleen Bartley
Nancy visited the UK many times over the years first in London, Cumbria, Bristol and more. Her last visit was in 2012 Nancy with Mike Vargas for the Underscore Workgroup at Roehampton University, at Moving East and an Underscore at Siobhan Davies Studios.
Nancy visited the UK many times over the years - first coming to Dartington College, then visiting London, Cumbria, Bristol and other places. Her last visit was in 2012, with Mike Vargas. She led the the Underscore Workgroup at Roehampton University, taught at Moving East and hosted an Underscore at Siobhan Davies Studios and the Global Underscore at Chichester University.
In addition to her own teachings, Nancy initiated countless projects including Contact Quarterly, ECITE, The Underscore , Contact Connections, and has endlessly supported the development, propagation and discourse about the practice all over the world.
