CI on Saturday
One Saturday per month: a full day of Contact Improvisation at SerVivo
A whole Day of Contact Improvisation
We’re excited to present a new Contact Improvisation format at SerVivo. One Saturday per month we open our doors, our studio and hearts for a full day of dancing and practising Contact Improvisation. We will sometimes invite teachers bringing diverse perspectives and different approaches to this wonderful dance form.
In the morning we will dive deep with a 2.5-hour CI class, followed by a break with a potluck lunch to connect and rest. Then we go in the second round: the afternoon jam, also for 2.5 hours.
Let’s spend the day together in Arrábida, cultivating presence, community, and exploring the unknown!
Do you have questions? Send us an email:
Irene Pons & Jo Bruhn
Schedule & Prices
- CI Class (10:30 AM – 1:00 PM)
Sliding Scale: €15 to €30
Open for Beginners
Registration is mandatory - Potluck Lunch
(Bring a dish to share during the break) - CI JAM (3:00 PM – 5:30 PM)
Sliding Scale: 8€ to 20€
No registration needed
Register for the class
Register for the class
Dates & Facilitators
8th November 2025
Nikolaï Denz:
THE LIMINAL PHASE – Making space for the in-Between
We live our days moving from one moment to the next – point A to point B – chasing endings, marking beginnings, caught in the pulse of what comes before and after…
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Here, we do not rush towards falling by defining it as the mere shift from standing to lying, but rather, we listen to the unfolding potential of the fall itself. Time stretches, space expands, and transformation arises by itself, rather than being controlled. Can we allow ourselves to not understand a lift by its start and end in order to welcome other, infinite possibilities?
This is not about arriving. This is about becoming. Let’s meet in the liminal. Where direction remains open, not fixed. A place where movement is not a decision, but a question.
ABOUT NIKOLAÏ DENZ
Still a child, Nikolaï was more interested in Egyptian papyrus scrolls than his native alphabet. Increasing interest in foreign material and immaterial cultures in following years led him to study Cultural Anthropology, Indology and Precolumbian Studies. Working in academia he eventually found himself mentally and corporally stuck and questioning research, academia and science, yes, maybe even humanity in general.
On a long quest for the missing link between the mind and the body, he became successively interested in movement, somatic practices and embodiment. Profoundly altered by the encounter of Gaga dance classes some years ago, he fell later into Contact Improvisation and defines progressively is home nest in it. Also, he tries himself in other disciplines like Physical Theatre, Butō, Contemporary Dance, Fighting Monkey Technique and Partnering.
Nikolaï is currently interested in becoming friends with his past. After many years of separation, he finally gives it some hugs in appreciating the inspiration for movement coming from linguistics, epigraphy, anthropology and words, always researching the physical and corporeal meeting point and asking himself every now and then, if it’s all already there.
Register for the class
Register for the class
What is Contact Improvisation?
Contact Improvisation (CI) is a postmodern dance practice that explores movement through shared weight, touch, and physical awareness.
Originating in the United States in 1972, contact improvisation was developed by dancer and choreographer Steve Paxton, drawing on influences from modern dance, aikido, and somatic practices. Contact Improvisation emphasizes the interplay of gravity, momentum, and improvisation, fostering an experimental approach to movement that invites both professional dancers and newcomers into its global community.
The practice involves continuous physical touch between dancers, where gravity, momentum, inertia, and friction shape their interactions.
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The dance is further described by Paxton:
“The exigencies of the form dictate a mode of movement which is relaxed, constantly aware and prepared, and onflowing”.
Known for its open “jams,” contact improvisation is both a social dance and a tool for movement research, offering a unique blend of physicality and mindfulness. Formally, contact improvisation is a movement improvisation that is explored with another being. According to one of its first practitioners, Nancy Stark Smith, it “resembles other familiar duet forms, such as the embrace, wrestling, surfing, martial arts, and the Jitterbug, encompassing a wide range of movement from stillness to highly athletic.”