FORMS THAT INVITE THE FORMLESS

 

 

5-Day Technical Contact Improvisation Workshop

 

with

Reimar Wen Shen · Francisco Borges · Nikolai Denz · Alexa Papa

 

May 13 – 18, 2026 · Portugal

 

Hosted by ASSEMBLY

at QUINTA TEN CHI

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ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

 

 

Forms that Invite the Formless

 

This workshop prepares the body for a dynamic, physically rigorous Contact Improvisation practice.

 

We will delve into forms and principles of dynamic CI to cultivate a body that is ready:

ready to fall, ready to fly, ready to meet the ever-changing immediacy of a dynamically emerging physical reality.

 

A dance that is Quiet & Wild.

 

The inspiration for this work is preparation of the body — what we recognize as a more dynamic approach to Contact Improvisation, closer to how the form was practiced in its early chapters by its founders, Steve Paxton and Nancy Stark Smith.

 

“Improvisation is not unprepared. It is highly prepared, but not predetermined.”

— Nancy Stark Smith

 

While we deeply appreciate the somatic, inclusive, and communal dimensions of Contact Improvisation, this particular container is dedicated to deeper research into the physicality of the form.

 

For this reason, we invite participation from those who already have some experience in CI, or a grounded background in embodiment and movement practice.

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APPROACH & TRAINING AXES

 

We will approach the training from multiple, interwoven perspectives:

 

 

FORMS

 

Forms are recognizable dynamic partner movements in CI that help us discover principles and open new dimensions of movement — such as backspace forms, inversions, and spiraling lifts.

 

These forms are not studied as an end in themselves, but as a means to embody the principles that make them possible, so they can be applied beyond the form itself and modulated freely within the dance.

 

“The form depends on a very specific physical intelligence. Without that, it collapses into habit or chaos.”

— Nancy Stark Smith

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FALLING

 

The basis of a dynamic Contact Improvisation dance is our readiness and comfort with falling.

 

We will work with falling from low, medium, and higher levels, developing the ability to:

 

• remain oriented while falling

• meet the ground safely

• use the energy of the fall to continue dancing

 

We will have access to soft Aikido mats, allowing us to deepen falling technique, reduce fear, and cultivate intuitive readiness.

 

“Contact Improvisation is about learning how to survive falling.”

— Steve Paxton

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FLYING

 

Flight — and the embodiment of lightness — supports our ability to move through space with ease, in solo, duet, trio, and ensemble dances.

 

The foundation of flying is, counterintuitively, a precise awareness of the ground — how we meet it in our own bodies, or through the body of a partner. It involves sensitivity to dynamically changing support and an ongoing modulation of how our mass is distributed in motion.

 

Flying is not a predetermined technique, but a deep adaptability to ever-changing momentum and the capacity to reach into the support available in each moment.

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PRINCIPLES

 

We work with foundational principles such as:

 

• weight sharing

• mutual support

• gravity

• reaching, releasing, and modulating

• embodied awareness

• spatial awareness

• orientation and disorientation

• listening

 

Our embodiment of these principles creates the ground for the dance. There is no upper limit to how deeply or subtly they can be embodied, especially as situations become more complex and dynamic.

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PERCEPTION

 

The depth of our dance is directly born from how clearly we perceive body, space, and time.

 

The clearer our perception — of our own body, shared bodies, and their emerging futures — the more precise, responsive, and daring the dance can become. This becomes especially important when we are disoriented and required to reorient within a spherical, multi-directional space.

 

Awareness and listening are the ground of the dance.​​