Kinga and George by Kinga Michalska

KINGA MICHALSKA + GEORGE LONGSHADOW — Queer Contact (Class and Jam)

Feb. 15, 2020 – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
$ 15 to 30 (sliding scale)
Open to artists of all disciplines / Bilingual teachers
Capacity: 26 people

To us, contact improv is a dance practice that lies somewhere between dynamic cuddling and play fighting. Unlike other forms of partner dancing, CI has no predetermined gender roles. In this workshop we will explore CI’s queer potentials using somatic and clown techniques to warm up our connections to play and pleasure. We will use CI as a tool for practicing different ways of embodied relating while exercising healthy boundaries, and imagining alternative economies of touch. Inspired by pleasure activism and emergent strategies by Adrienne Maree Brown we will revel in the political act of caring for ourselves, for each other, and for our communities through imaginative sensuality and vibrant tactility. We will practice verbal and embodied consent. We will use play to create space for safer vulnerability, and gentle diving into the unknown – imagining and creating possible futures where safer, caring, non-sexual touch is accessible to all who need it. The workshop will be divided in half – starting with structured improvisations leading to an open jam space. It is suitable for all bodies and all levels of experience. 

George is a white, trans, neurodivergent, parent living in Tiotia:ke AKA “Montreal”. He is a playful and experienced clown, dancer, event organizer, and facilitator. With 15 years of partner dance, 9 years of clown, and 7 years of teaching experience. His work blends clowning with various dance conventions in a supportive and playful environment. George works to create spaces in which people can meet themselves with curiosity and allowance, and then using that for processing everyday life stuff through embodiment and play. Previous students have expressed gratitude for a space in which they can practice dance without the usual trappings of hetero and cis-normativity or consent trespassing; instead, they felt a sense of acceptance, agency, and allowance.

Kinga is a queer Polish artist based in Tio’tia:ke, Montreal. Their work explores questions of identity, body, sexuality, memory, cycles of life and healing. Coming from visual arts, they supplement their image based work with various somatic practices – primarily contact improv. They have been practicing CI for over 10 years and facilitating contact workshops and jams for the last 5 years both as an ACI teacher and independently. They consider CI as a way of living which continues to teach them how to expand their abilities to feel the world and relate to themselves and to others. They are seeking to radicalize CI by creating safer, more inclusive environments which prioritize marginalized bodies and cultivate a culture of care and consent. 


All workshops are for professional performing artists. Some require advanced dance training.

Registration – Please contact (514) 393-3771 or at info@studio303.ca. To reserve your spot, payment is required 2 weeks before the start of the workshop.

Payments – check, cash, credit card (3% fee) or by Interac transfer (write to info@studio303.ca for procedures)

Reimbursement policy– No reimbursement possible without a good reason (ex: sickness or injury).

Studio’s accessibility – Consult this page for detailed information.