Learning from touching
Tribute to Steve Paxton – KontaktLand
Három Kincs Völgye, Hungary
14th – 18th July 2026
Learning from Touching
Intensives with Kirstie Simson (UK) and Ray Chung (US). The offer is to choose one.
Kirstie and Ray will share and offer their life research.
Meeting Steve Paxton – Kirstie Simson
After finishing my formal dance training in London, I joined the Rosemary Butcher Dance Company and together we to the Dartington College Dance Festival where Mary Fulkerson was heading the dance department in the early 1980’s.
She brought Steve Paxton and others to the festival including Simone Forti, who were exploring new forms of dance/movement that had emerged from the Judson Church experimentation in NYC in the 60’s and 70’s.
At the festival Steve was sharing new material he was exploring called Contact Improvisation and we were all very excited to take class from him.
In my 2nd class with Steve, I had a profound experience that changed my life forever.
He led us through a simple movement exercise with a partner. We leaned against each other in mutual support and trust, and for the first time I experienced what it was like to share a common physical centre with another.
During this sharing of weight, incredibly, a voice emerged from within my being and said very clearly to me:
‘Everything you will ever need in this life, is already inherently present within you.’
This experience changed my relationship to life forever and became the bedrock of my work in dance.
I instinctively understood that I no longer needed to ‘build myself up’ to become ‘someone’ worthy of inclusion within the human realm, but rather would embark on a process of ‘undoing’ all the conditioned habits and perspectives preventing me from realizing my full potential as a human being with a unique voice. One united within a choir of unique voices, here in service of Life.
At that moment I decided I was an “improviser”.
The principles and practices of improvisation would become my language, and the vehicle through which I have continued to explore, express, and affirm Life.
I had the great good fortune to be invited by Steve to perform alongside him and others over the ensuing few years. This was always an honour.
I also visited him a couple of times at the farm in Vermont where he lived.
I have an enormous amount of gratitude to Steve for having had such a formative and huge influence on my life.
Even though my work has evolved away from the form of Contact Improvisation as we know it, my roots are embedded in the work and exploration of the body that Steve brought into this world.
After finishing my formal dance training in London, I joined the Rosemary Butcher Dance Company and together we to the Dartington College Dance Festival where Mary Fulkerson was heading the dance department in the early 1980’s.
She brought Steve Paxton and others to the festival including Simone Forti, who were exploring new forms of dance/movement that had emerged from the Judson Church experimentation in NYC in the 60’s and 70’s.
At the festival Steve was sharing new material he was exploring called Contact Improvisation and we were all very excited to take class from him.
In my 2nd class with Steve, I had a profound experience that changed my life forever.
He led us through a simple movement exercise with a partner. We leaned against each other in mutual support and trust, and for the first time I experienced what it was like to share a common physical centre with another.
During this sharing of weight, incredibly, a voice emerged from within my being and said very clearly to me:
‘Everything you will ever need in this life, is already inherently present within you.’
This experience changed my relationship to life forever and became the bedrock of my work in dance.
I instinctively understood that I no longer needed to ‘build myself up’ to become ‘someone’ worthy of inclusion within the human realm, but rather would embark on a process of ‘undoing’ all the conditioned habits and perspectives preventing me from realizing my full potential as a human being with a unique voice. One united within a choir of unique voices, here in service of Life.
At that moment I decided I was an “improviser”.
The principles and practices of improvisation would become my language, and the vehicle through which I have continued to explore, express, and affirm Life.
I had the great good fortune to be invited by Steve to perform alongside him and others over the ensuing few years. This was always an honour.
I also visited him a couple of times at the farm in Vermont where he lived.
I have an enormous amount of gratitude to Steve for having had such a formative and huge influence on my life.
Even though my work has evolved away from the form of Contact Improvisation as we know it, my roots are embedded in the work and exploration of the body that Steve brought into this world.
Kirstie Simson
Dance Improvisation Practices that offer Resilience and Support in Difficult Times
Intensive with Kirstie Simson (UK)
Meeting Steve Paxton – Ray Chung
Ray first met Steve Paxton at the Breitenbush Hot Springs CI Jam in the 1980’s. This jam was hosted and produced by Alito Alessi, founder of Danceability whom Steve also worked with. Ray’s work with Paxton brought them together on a few occasions in performance, notably at CI25 (1997), The Improvisation Project (1998) curated by Chris Aiken with Kirstie Simson, Ka Rustler, Steve, Chris, and myself. Rehearsal and research at the NY Improv Festival (2007) was an occasion where we focused on improvising how to improvise.
I’ve had occasional visits to Steve’s home in Vermont to help with gardening, cooking, conversing on almost anything except dance. For many years we had the opportunity to jam together at the Breitenbush Hot Springs jam every March. Over the years we had email exchanges to share thoughts on biotensegrity and related body movement topics. These exchanges influenced his decision to recommend Ray to teach CI at the Swimming in Gravity project in Brussels (2019).
Steve was an inspiration in how to approach learning through transmission by example. He inspired me to approach learning auto-didactically (self-taught) as he had done so himself with CI. This influenced me to learn by doing, using the jams as a laboratory for practice, and research related to teaching and learning.
Historically the development of CI was a collaborative effort with other dancers and students and was an excellent example of social learning, nowadays referred to as crowd sourcing.
Ray first met Steve Paxton at the Breitenbush Hot Springs CI Jam in the 1980’s. This jam was hosted and produced by Alito Alessi, founder of Danceability whom Steve also worked with. Ray’s work with Paxton brought them together on a few occasions in performance, notably at CI25 (1997), The Improvisation Project (1998) curated by Chris Aiken with Kirstie Simson, Ka Rustler, Steve, Chris, and myself. Rehearsal and research at the NY Improv Festival (2007) was an occasion where we focused on improvising how to improvise.
I’ve had occasional visits to Steve’s home in Vermont to help with gardening, cooking, conversing on almost anything except dance. For many years we had the opportunity to jam together at the Breitenbush Hot Springs jam every March. Over the years we had email exchanges to share thoughts on biotensegrity and related body movement topics. These exchanges influenced his decision to recommend Ray to teach CI at the Swimming in Gravity project in Brussels (2019).
Steve was an inspiration in how to approach learning through transmission by example. He inspired me to approach learning auto-didactically (self-taught) as he had done so himself with CI. This influenced me to learn by doing, using the jams as a laboratory for practice, and research related to teaching and learning.
Historically the development of CI was a collaborative effort with other dancers and students and was an excellent example of social learning, nowadays referred to as crowd sourcing.
Ray Chung
Program schedule is coming soon!
And…
…of course we will have JAMS every day. Some of them are focused and open, with live music and also silent. This year the music will be provided by … soon we announce the musicians. There will be one Underscore, maybe outside.
We will also have time for resting and regenerating. SAUNA will work every evenings. There will be space for RESTING and BODY WORKS. And there is forest and endless landscapes to escape and find your space if needed.
In addition we will have discussions, sharings, talkings around CI, community, care and safety. And some topics which will be present during the week.
We are happy to welcome you!