Contact Improv

Name: Contact Improv
Start: 2025-05-19T20:00:00-07:00
End: 2025-05-19T22:00:00-07:00
Location: The 418 Project (Lobby)

Session Date & Time

May 19 2025 (Monday)

8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Location

The 418 Project

In the: Lobby

Ticket sales concluded. This session has already taken place.

About This Event

8 PM - Opening circle and self or community led warm up 8:30 PM - 10:00 PM Weekly rotation between contact improv supportive DJ soundscape, Live music and focused score or creativity incubator. NOTE THIS IS AN EMBODIED PRACTICE: Please no chatting/socializing on the dance floor. Feel free to visit with friends in the adjacent lobby area so that we can keep the studio space for focused jamming. Thank you. SCHEDULE: Monthly schedule of warm up facilitators and soundscape artists or themes exploration to be posted at the beginning of each month. What is Contact Improvisation? Contact improvisation (CI) is a creative dance form emerging from physical contact between partners. It was created by Steve Paxton, a student of Merce Cunningham, in the United States in 1972. The practice transcends the established boundaries between gymnastics, martial arts, meditation and dance. In doing contact, dancers directly experience with their partners the dynamic physical forces which affect all movement: mass, momentum, inertia, friction. The multidimensional nature - physical, emotional and spiritual - of the point of contact also allows the dancers to engage in non-verbal communication in a concrete manner and on several levels

Visiting The 418 Project: What to Expect

House guidelines to ensure a welcoming, inclusive space for everyone

We are committed to a safe, welcoming environment where everyone is treated with cultural and personal respect across all backgrounds and identities. We hold the highest standards for consent—in movement, touch, and conversation. Always check in first, honor boundaries, and ensure that consent is clear, voluntary, and ongoing.

As a community-run non-profit collective with a small staff, we cannot clean everything after every event. Please help us care for the space by picking up after yourself, placing recycling and compost in the bins provided, and treating every room with kindness so it remains welcoming for the next gathering.

We have a filtered water bottle refill station on-site, so feel free to bring a refillable bottle. All restrooms are all-gender, ADA-accessible, and located conveniently on the ground floor.

To ensure everyone can breathe and move comfortably—especially community members with chemical sensitivities and asthma—The 418 Project is a low-fragrance space. Please refrain from applying perfumes, scented colognes, or strongly scented lotions before attending.

As an artist-driven non-profit collective, we believe movement and art should be accessible to all regardless of financial circumstances. Many events feature sliding scale tickets, and we offer work-trade opportunities for community members who wish to volunteer in exchange for admission.

Explore volunteer & work-trade opportunities

Plan Your Visit

Venue & Accessibility

The 418 Project is located in downtown Santa Cruz. We are dedicated to creating an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming space for all dancers, artists, and community members.

Address: 155 S. River St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Accessibility: Ground floor entrances & all-gender accessible restrooms

Parking: On-street parking & nearby River Street public garage

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