Please note, all purchases are final. We do not offer refunds or exchanges for individual classes or multi-class cards.

MIZU DESIERTO: Bodies of Water - Saturdays 12-1:30pm (w/ a substitute on 2/1, 2/29 & 2/7)
Bodies of Water is an imaginative somatic dance practice, integrating elements of Butoh, Noguchi Taiso, contemplative dance and theatre practices. It is an inquiry into the potential of an embodied and deep sensitization, allowing movement to be sourced from a relaxed and generative state of presence and non-doing…as a dialogue between internal and external realities. Slowing down time into a microscopic awareness of one’s cells, tissues and organs, we are moved by bodies of water— contained by our own unique relationship to weight, gravity, fluidity, adaptivity and the planet we stand upon. Through the receptive body emerges a pathway of imagery and natural response between the unconscious, intuitive and elemental. This is the source from which we can create our own intelligent and healing movements in the world and on the stage. Open to movers of all bodies, all ages, and all abilities

ABOUT MIZU DESIERTO:
Mizu Desierto (They/Them) is an interdisciplinary artist and feminist farmer whose life = art research explores themes of gender fluidity, ancestry, social deviance, and radical creative living. They are the founder and director of Portland’s Water in the Desert, a hub of numerous projects, including: The Headwaters Theatre, Prior Day Farm & the annual festival that is Butoh College.  They have been studying, performing and teaching inside of the Butoh methodology for 23 years with many mentors, including The Ohnos, The Tamanos, Natsu Nakajima, Yumiko Yoshioka and Yukio Waguri. They have also studied and worked with Anna Halprin, Diego Piñón, Delisa Myles, Suprapto Suryodarmo, Diane Butler and Barbara Dilley. More recently they have been studying with Mari Osanai in her particular approach to Noguchi Taiso for dancers which develops a fluid, soft, relaxed body & mind and increases internal/external sensitivity and receptivity for movement.

CROW LAUREN JEAN: Qi Gong, Cosmic Earth Bodies - Thursdays 6-7:30 pm
This class is a container for cultivating and aligning with life force energy (qi) to balance cosmic and earth energies within the body. Crow will guide the class through Qi Gong exercises based on the principles of yin and yang to encourage circulation of the qi and allow for intrinsic strength to build and clarify. There will be time to slow down and focus on finding dynamic optimal alignment, self-healing through spontaneous movement, and meditation. 
Qi gong is a self-healing energy practice with roots in ancient Chinese culture.

Crow’s background is in the Laughing Dragon practice taught by Master Chris Fernie at the Institute for Internal Transformation. Laughing Dragon is a blend of Hua Gong (transformation practice), Taijiwuqigong (self-healing through spontaneous movement) and Flendenkrais Method. It is a Qi Gong practice that is accessible, powerful, and deeply enjoyable.
Each class is unique and curated to suit the needs of the individuals that are present. Regular practice can profoundly improve physical vitality, emotional stability, and mental clarity. All abilities are welcome, the entire class can be done while sitting or lying down if needed. 


ABOUT CROW LAUREN JEAN:
crow lauren jean (they/them) is a dance artist engaged in performance as a method to unravel and the nefarious underpinnings of supremacy ideologies. Their choreographic work layers altered states, personal narrative, and emotive ritual to unpack their identity as a white non-binary queer and weave it into the larger sociopolitical landscape of this post-apocalyptic moment. crow’s movement language slips between recognizable cultural signifiers and contemporary dance to expose the internalized and often unconscious embodied patterns that allow systems of oppression to perpetuate.

SYDNEY JACKSON: Making Contact - Sundays 4-5:30pm
This multi-level class is a balance between the individual and the collective, the internal and the external. We will practice consent, meditation, and bodywork as tools to help us feel comfortable sharing space with one another and our selves. We will explore aspects of contact improvisation such as weight sharing and entering and exiting interactions. Each class will be specific to the participants present, and we will reach towards individual and collective aspirations. Utensils to journal with and clothing layers are recommended. Please reach out to me if you are interested and curious about accessibility, including bringing a child, or other inquiries to see if the class is for you.
Black participants can attend Sunday's class at no charge.

ABOUT SYDNEY JACKSON:
Sydney Jackson is a movement artist currently based in Portland, OR. She has had the intense pleasure of spending the last six years in Tempe and Phoenix, Arizona. She is a mover and groover, a friend, a sister, a daughter. She is homesick, she is healing, she is trying to be patient. Sydney is a teaching artist, an amateur bodywork practitioner with more heart than certification, a reluctant leader, a good time on the right day. A partner. She looks forward to sharing the resources of this residency, in gratitude.