In Relation: Dancing as a Living System
With Laura June Albert and Loretta Laurin
June 18 - 23, 2021
Experience your body as a living system in relation to nature and our wider social-political-cultural landscape. Explore embodiment practices, dance technique, and movement research to expand your range and capacity for interconnection. Elements include western contemporary dance, solo and contact improvisation, anatomy, and nature immersion.
“With Loretta, every class is a new journey. Wherever I am, she provides the grounds for me to work on what I need. I gain insight into my body in each class, but more importantly, I’ve gotten the answers to some of my toughest life questions while moving with her!” –A. Bozorgzadeh, Past Participant
Your body is a wholistic and dynamic system. We can take inspiration from natural ecosystems and bring more spaciousness, flow, rootedness, and awe into our relationships with our bodies and somatic understanding of ourselves.
Your body is also not separate from the external environments that you operate in. Our nervous systems are affected by oppressive systems such as patriarchy, racism, and colonialism. Our capacity for physical range supports deeper resiliency in facing these challenges. The ability to release, soften, and let go; finding pleasure and ease. As much as the ability to adapt, re-orient, and resource strength and community when needed.
“Laura June is an amazing teacher who has made a profound impact on my life. I have learnt an incredible deal about myself, my body, movement, creativity, and being in the world. I also greatly appreciate the fact that she brings the social justice perspective into her teaching. It has been a truly transformative experience working with her.” -A. Gaisenok, Past Participant
In this immersive program we will dance in relation to:
- Ourselves. Deepen your awareness of your personal, unique anatomy, and explore functional movement sequences.
- Each other. Widen your self-perception and enhance kinetic and spacial awareness with other dancers.
- The land. Find inspiration and connection through outdoor nature immersions.
- Wider systems. Increase your resiliency by expanding your tonal range (release technique and centring practices). Dive into study, learning from voices at the forefront of more interconnected understandings of the body.
Schedule
Please check back for a full program schedule.
Terms & Conditions
You may find our terms & conditions here.
Online Recordings
Catch a replay of Laura June’s free online 2020 Hollyhock workshop Unpacking Systemic Racism: Resilience & Capacity Building
Presenters
Laura June Albert, MA, is an educator, researcher, cultural organizer, and artist, based in Vancouver, unceded Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil- Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) territories. Her research investigates the experiential body as a liberatory landscape for anticolonial and anticapitalist self-determination and liveness. She has worked in the arts as a performer, instructor, and lecturer in over ten cities in North America and abroad. laurajune.ca
Learn more about Laura June Albert
Loretta Laurin (they/them/she/her) is a lover of movements and thrives in the juicy space where art meets activism. They have been teaching a variety of embodiment modalities for 10 years, including Bellyfit®, Pilates, yoga, contact improvisation, and fusion partner dancing. Drawing upon diverse modalities and experiences, Loretta’s workshops strike a unique balance of grounded depth and light-hearted play. They are based in the unceded Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil- Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) territories (currently known as Vancouver). See their current class schedule here. Loretta is also an SFU graduate with certificates in Applied Human Nutrition, Religious Studies, Sustainable Community Development, and Liberal Arts; and is currently working…
Learn more about Loretta Laurin