We have WEEKLY SUNDAY JAMS alternating between Ann Arbor and Detroit through the end of 2019 and likely beyond (except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Sundays.)
Hosts welcome newcomers and sometimes offer a guided warm-up.
Jams alternate between Detroit and Ann Arbor, on the first and third Sundays in Detroit from 11AM-1PM and on the second and fourth Sundays in Ann Arbor from 3-5PM. Ann Arbor jams are at 124 W. Summit, Suite F. Ann Arbor, MI 48103 , and Detroit jams are at Light Box 8641 Linwood, Detroit MI 48206
You can always confirm a jam is happening on Facebook, here, or by calling us at 313-585-2598.
Please join our google email group for announcements about the jams, etc.
The jams go like this:
Socialize and enter ($5-$10 jam contributions collected) 5 minutes
Opening Circle 5 minutes
Guided Warm-Up 15 minutes
Open Jamming 1 hour 20 minutes
Closing Circle 5 minutes (starts at 4:45pm in Ann Arbor, and at 12:45pm in Detroit)
Socialize and exit 10 minutes
A satisfying 2-hour experience in total (though you can arrive late or leave early if needed.)
Accessibility
Everyone is invited to the Ann Arbor/Detroit jams, regardless of dance experience or physical ability. Our Detroit Light Box venue is wheelchair accessible but SOMA in Ann Arbor has a flight of stairs. There is usually a guided warm-up, and beginners are offered extra instruction and help anytime. Admission to the jams is $5-$10, sliding scale, but no one is turned away if they can’t afford to pay.
Ongoing Classes
We often have ONGOING CLASSES! Please call or text David Brown at 248.505.4674 or Cara Graninger at 313.585.2598 to inquire about classes.
WHAT IS CONTACT IMPROVISATION (CI)?
…a social dance that arises out of modern dance traditions. One of its central principles is a rolling point of contact between two (sometimes less, sometimes more) people through which both dancers give and share weight. It is somewhere between tango, modern dance, aikido, wrestling, gymnastics, and none of the above, and usually takes place without music. People dance contact in any combination of genders, there are no steps, and it’s entirely improvised. CI teaches you to read your partner’s movements and understand your own body. The dance form is hard to define, in part because it’s intentionally undefined and in part because it continues to evolve and change.
“Contact Improvisation is a unique dance that blends the play of the body with the physics of the universe and the wonderful dynamic of physical ‘conversation’ with others.” ~Pam Johnson, Toronto