Beyond the Head and Hands
Invitations From the Whole Body
Contact Improvisation Workshop and Jam with Richard Parker
This workshop looks at how easily the hands and head can pull us into directing, planning and shaping the dance from ideas. When the hands take charge, the dance can drift away from improvisation and toward something more controlled or managed. By stepping away from this habit, we open the possibility for a more responsive and co-created dance where movement emerges from what we discover between us.
Together, we will explore ways of initiating and staying in contact with parts of the body we might not usually rely on. Legs, hips, back, shoulders, head and the outer edges of the body all offer different qualities and different kinds of invitations into movement and weight sharing. Working from these places brings us into a more instinctive and less idea-driven way of dancing, and it also opens pathways into surprising moments of shared elevation. When the body is organised through these wider options, lifts often appear naturally as a result of good listening rather than planning.
We will also look beneath the surface. Contact does not only live in the skin. There are deeper layers of tone, structure and responsiveness that can guide and inform the dance. By paying attention to these layers, we discover a quieter and more grounded quality of listening and offering.
A key focus of the day will be clarity. How do I invite someone without using my hands. How do I offer or receive weight through a leg, a back, a hip or a shoulder. How do I call someone or send someone through contact without pushing or shaping their path. These subtleties are often missed, and yet they open the door to a much richer shared experience.
We will practice:
Making and receiving contact through a wide range of body surfaces
Noticing how touch and tone move through deeper layers of the body
Offering and recognising invitations through clear shifts of angle, tone and readiness
Initiating dynamic exchanges from legs, hips, back and shoulders rather than defaulting to hands and arms
Allowing co-creation to lead the dance rather than directing from ideas
Discovering how non-habitual points of contact can open unexpected and supported pathways into lifts without effort or push
Why it matters
When the whole body becomes available for relational touch the dance opens up. We become more adaptable, more curious and more able to follow what is actually happening instead of what we think should happen. This supports dancers of all levels to find more ease, more nuance and more possibility in every moment, including moments where shared momentum lifts us off the ground in ways that feel organic rather than engineered.
We move from doing something to someone to discovering what becomes possible with them. This supports shared agency, deeper listening and a more alive improvisation.
This workshop offers space to:
Refresh habitual patterns and discover new pathways
Build sensitivity and clarity in your approach to contact
Develop tools for inviting movement without effort or force
Explore how deeper layers of the body support dynamic and expressive dancing
Jam
The afternoon will open up into a Contact Improvisation Jam with a gentle guided warm-up. Live music from multi-instrumentalist Simon Leach and Hang player Chris Cousins will create a responsive soundscape for exploration, whether you choose quiet attention or more dynamic play.
Level
Open to all levels from beginners upwards.
Timings
Morning Workshop: 10am - 1pm
Lunch: 1pm - 2.30pm
Afternoon Workshop: 2.30pm - 3.30pm
Jam: 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Venue & Travel
St Margaret’s Institute is on the outskirts of Oxford city centre. It has free on-street parking (on Sunday’s) and is only a 20-minute walk from Oxford Railway Station. Upon booking you’ll be sent more info about how to find us, parking and given access to a lift-share document.
The venue has a sprung wood floor, plenty of heating and natural light, with access to a kitchen.
Inclusivity:
At Emerging Hearts we hope to make our events as accessible as possible. We understand that while we try to price our events reasonably, support may still be needed. If you are on a lower income, we offer the option of paying in instalments, or at a reduced cost if the price is truly out of your range. Please visit our inclusivity page and we will be happy to assist you. Please note that while we offer further support beyond instalments, only a certain amount of these spaces may be available.