✨🌸✨ Equinox Blessings to you ,
Welcome to Spring! We are basking in the balanced energy of this time, when day and night are equal. Holding all of the beautiful complexities of dark and light, and wishing you increased brightness as the days lengthen 🌓
Last Fridays in Hillsborough are back! We’re putting on an epic DanceWalk on March 29th to launch the season! In preparation, this Sunday 10:30AM at LAC, Marielle Hare and Aubrey Roze will offer a FREE opportunity to learn some optional super easy movement prompts to play with during our dancewalk…
Join us this Saturday for our epic night-time Living Arts Dancewave. These dances have been so groovy and sweet!
Make it a double wave and get down with us on Sunday morning. Bring something to share and take something home from the Care to Share table.
Followed by a Shekere workshop with master percussionist Baba Bradley Simmons and Malian Dance class with Baba Solo Sana March 24th! A collaboration with Africa Unplugged and Living Arts Collective.
Can’t wait to wilggle with you soon!
In Rhythm,
~ LAC crü
Consider sustaining this movement by becoming an LAC Sustainer with a monthly contribution amount of your choice. Your presence and support is treasured and makes all the difference.
BECOME A SUSTAINER HERE
Upcoming Events
This Weekend:
Saturday Night Dancewave (Saturday, March 23rd, 8:00 – 11:11 PM)
Living Arts Dancewave (Sunday, March 24th, 11:33 AM – 1:11 PM)
Shekere Class with Baba Bradley Simmons & West African Dance with Solo Sana (Sunday, March 24, 3:30 – 6:15 PM)
Upcoming Events:
4th Monday Contact Improvisation Jams (Mondays, March 25th & April 22nd, 7:00 – 9:00 PM)
Last Friday DanceWalk (Friday, March 29th, 6:00 – 8:00 PM)
Read more about each event below…
Saturday Night Dancewave
Saturday March 23rd
8 PM – 11:11 PM
@ Living Arts Collective
410 West Geer Street
Come and experience the magic of this special, epic night time dance! Stay tuned as we will announce some additional Saturday night Living Music along with costume dance party!!
Schedule:
7:40 PM Arrival & Warm up
8:00 – 9:30 PM Opening Circle & Dancewave!
Inspired by Ecstatic Dance through the lens of Ousia (oo-see-ah), the Living Arts Dancewave is an immersive dance experience with curated music woven in a wave format. Living Arts Dancewaves are inclusive and intergenerational spaces for people to move freely and express themselves creatively.
The Living Arts Collective facilitates experiences that are welcoming of all ages, physical bodies, cultural backgrounds, identities and dance abilities. We stand in authentic, lasting solidarity with our BIPOC & LGBTQ+ friends and family. Dancewaves start slowly, build to a peak and then return to stillness, during which time you will get to experience the euphoria of music, rhythm and connection. We co-create an environment intentionally free from verbal conversation and cell phones to support a more fully embodied experience.
The Dancewave lasts for 90 minutes, during which we encourage you to take care of your well-being, to move at the pace and in ways that feel best to you, and to honor others by always seeking consent in your interactions.
LAC Song Circle
Sunday March 3rd
(1st Sundays of the month)
10:10 AM – 11:11 AM
@ Living Arts Collective
410 West Geer Street
Schedule:
10:00 AM Arrival
10:10 AM Opening Circle
11:11 AM Closing Circle
You’re invited to come together and sing, as we honor this sacred life we are blessed to share, recognizing the range of grief and joy.
You’re encouraged to bring a song to share, one that we can learn and sing together. Instruments are optional.
You’re also welcome to come in silence, bask in the beauty, stretch, and prepare for the Living Arts Dancewave that will follow.
This event is free and serves as a gift to the community. If you feel called to contribute, your support is appreciated.
*Please see website calendar for song circle guidelines and requests. Thank you.
Living Arts Dancewaves – Sundays @ LAC
Sundays
11:33 AM – 1:11 PM
@ Living Arts Collective
410 West Geer Street
Inspired by Ecstatic Dance through the lens of Ousia (oo-see-ah), the Living Arts Dancewave is an immersive dance experience with curated music woven in a wave format. Living Arts Dancewaves are inclusive and intergenerational spaces for people to move freely and express themselves creatively.
The Living Arts Collective facilitates experiences that are welcoming of all ages, physical bodies, cultural backgrounds, identities and dance abilities. We stand in authentic, lasting solidarity with our BIPOC & LGBTQ+ friends and family. Dancewaves start slowly, build to a peak and then return to stillness, during which time you will get to experience the euphoria of music, rhythm and connection. We co-create an environment intentionally free from verbal conversation and cell phones to support a more fully embodied experience.
The Dancewave lasts for 90 minutes, during which we encourage you to take care of your well-being, to move at the pace and in ways that feel best to you, and to honor others by always seeking consent in your interactions.
Schedule:
11:11 AM Arrival & Settle 6pm
11:33 AM Opening Circle
1:11 PM Closing Harvest Circle followed by Restoration of the Space
Please Consider sustaining this movement by becoming an LAC Sustainer with a monthly contribution amount of your choice. Your presence and support is treasured and makes all the difference.
Our Spring Contact Improvisation and Somatics season has something for everyone!
Six-Week Tuesday Night Series starts March 19th~
Starting in March, we are thrilled to be offering our signature Spirit and Technique of Contact Improvisation Series taught by *TWO* NEW teachers, Coda Badamo-Conners and Len Foyle. This series is beginner-friendly, and will also have much to offer for CI practitioners of all levels. Students must sign up for the entire series~ We have found that these longer series are the ideal way to deepen your skill as an improviser and create meaningful relationships. 7-9pm at Shared Visions Retreat Center, Tuesdays March 19th-April 23rd.
CI Fundamentals with Coda and Len
On Sunday, March 10th, Coda and Len will be offering their take on Contact Improvisation Fundamentals. Come try CI for the first time or re-engage with the basics from a new perspective. This is an ideal way to try out Len and Coda’s teaching before committing to the 6-week series. 3:30-6pm at the Downtown LAC Space. Sunday, 3/10.
All Day with Ray!
Saturday, March 16th
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
@ Shared Visions Retreat Center
3717 Murphy School Rd, Durham
Exploring the Innate Wisdom of the Moving Body and the Three Brains: A Somatic Dimensions Embodiment Laboratory
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM Part 1
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM Lunch
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM Part 2
A spacious time for folks who would like to set aside a day for embodied presence. Using a series of gentle exercises and improvisational structures that focus on anatomical and physiological harmony, we will explore The Three Brains: Gut, Heart, and Head – as developed by the Center for Body Movement, an ISMETA approved Somatic Movement Education program with certifications and activities in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States.
The facilitator, Ray Eliot Schwartz, draws on over 40 years of the influences of Body Mind Centering®, Authentic Movement, the Feldenkrais Method®, Modern Dance Studies, Contact Improvisation, Traditional Thai Massage, and Zero Balancing™. These modalities form the foundations of a creative approach to embodiment and movement education. Their principles guide us on a journey towards understanding the powerful wisdom contained within the substance of the human body as well as how this substance is expressed through patterns of movement.
While the workshop is open to anyone, people who have comfort with emotional safety, boundaries, and consent in touch-based dancing and movement practices are optimal participants. As well it would be good if you felt like you knew a bit about sharing weight safely, and the ability to move up and down off the floor. A capacity for self-generated experience, active listening, a spirit of playfulness and adaptability, and a desire for collaboration and communication are highly helpful.
Afro Cuban Dance & Shekere Workshop with Vladimir Espinosa & Baba Bradley Simmons
Sunday, March 24th
3:30 – 6:15 PM
@ Living Arts Collective
410 West Geer Street
Shekere workshop with master percussionist Baba Bradley Simmons from 3:30 – 4:30 PM and Malian Dance class with Baba Solo Sana from 4:45 – 6:15 PM
Tix are only $20 for each class or $30 for both
Register here https://livingartscollective.as.me/afrocubanshekere
These classes are for all levels and ages
Last Friday Dance Walk
Friday, March 29th
6:30 – 8:00 PM
@ Hillsborough River Park
228 S Churton St
We are excited to share that the Last Friday season in Hillsborough returns!!
We will launch with a Dance Walk through the streets of Hillsborough!
Picture this: Vibrant beats pulsating through the air as we bring the rhythm of some groovy tunes to life. We’ll transform the sidewalks into our own personal dance floor, inviting everyone to join in the fun. To facilitate playful connection, we will offer some optional, super easy movement prompts to play with during our walk .
Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or simply love to groove, this is your chance to let loose and express yourself in the heart of our community.
It’s FREE & we ask that you pre-register here so we have an idea of how many people are going to bless the streets with our playful mojo/ groovin dance moves
Facilitated by: Aubrey Roze, Marielle Hare, and friends of Living Arts Collective
Event details:
Arrival + Improvisational movement prompts with Marielle and Aubrey 6:00 – 6:30 PM
DANCE Walk 6:30 – 7:30 PM
Close 8:00 PM
More details:
START & END LOCATION: Entrance of Hillsborough River Park (228 S Churton St, Hillsborough)
If you’d like to volunteer to be a SAFETY Escort: email booking@livingartscollective.com
A note to parents *we have mapped a route that only has one road crossing, we will stay on sidewalks – good for wagons and strollers.
Dress in colorful clothes in celebration of Spring’s arrival
Bring minimal STUFF as we’ll be walking
Bring a water bottle
4th Monday Contact Improvisation Jams
4th Monday Jams + LIVE music by aubrü roze, gareth dicker & friends.
On the 4th Mondays of the month Feb-April, join students enrolled in Ray Schwartz’s Study Group for Dedicated Improvisers for open jamming with live music! 7-9pm at Shared Visions Retreat Center. Ray’s group has 30 in it, and we are opening 20 spots to the public for a lively jam in a big, open, ballroom! This event typically sells out and pre-registration here is required. Mondays 7-9pm, 3/25, 4/22.
*** Please note that our CI and somatics events are capped at 24-30 participants and regularly sell out weeks in advance~ please register early! ***