EDAM Performing Arts Society

EDAM is thrilled to announce our Spring Intensive, a series of workshops with ⁠ ⁠ Jonathan Brussolo (Argentina-Mexico) ⁠ May 11-14⁠ @jon_brussolo ⁠ ⁠ Register online at the link in our bio or at edamdance.org/jonathan-s26⁠ ⁠ Mornings / Mon to Thurs / 10am - 12pm Relational Body⁠ • We will consider our attention as a resource that allows us a finer and more sensitive awareness of our bodies, and from which we can explore the different systems and structures of our anatomy, awakening greater presence and awareness in our physicalities…⁠what we feel becomes present.⁠ • For professional dancers and experienced Contact Improvisation practitioners.⁠ ⁠ Afternoons / Mon and Thurs / 1 - 4pm Somatics: Layers of Contact⁠ • We will explore different layers and systems of the body, such as skin, muscles, tissues/fascia, and bones. We will develop our ability to perceive these systems using our attention, and through movement. Continuing these explorations through touch, we will discover the varied qualities of sensation and perception that can unfold with different qualities of touch.⁠ • For professional dancers and experienced movement artists, or those with a regular embodiment practice.⁠ ⁠ Evening / Thursday / 6:30 - 8pm Thursday Evening Class⁠ • We will explore techniques that allow us to refine our internal listening of our bodies, our relationship with space, and our interactions with others.⁠ • For all levels⁠, beginners welcome.⁠ ⁠ Registration available for the full Morning or Afternoon series, or for select indiviudal days. Please register in advance. We will welcome day of drop-ins, subject to space availability. ⁠ ⁠ Sliding scale options in effect for this workshop intensive.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ photos: @proenfoque , @serselva

New Workshop announcement at EDAM⁠! 🌱⁠ ⁠ appreciating improvisation/contact improvisations⁠ 3 kinds of practice–Contemplative Dance Practice, Contact Improvisation & Jamming⁠ ⁠ Saturday, May 30th⁠ 1 - 5:30pm⁠ with Anne Cooper⁠ ⁠ Sliding Scale⁠ $120 - Regular Rate⁠ $100 - Supported Rate⁠ $80 - Subsidized Rate⁠ ⁠ Moving between 3 kinds of practice; Contemplative Dance Practice, Contact Improvisation, & Jamming~appreciating one another's choices & responses as our improvising unfolds through these 3 supportive ways, we'll expand and develop our dancing. We'll begin with 1 hour of Contemplative Dance Practice: a simple, sitting meditation into movement practice, (developed by Barbara Dilley). From there we'll swing into Contact Improvisation study and follow this with jamming.⁠ ⁠ For the CDP (Contemplative Dance Practice), we will have chairs in the circle for sitting as well as foamies on the floor (feel free to bring a cushion). Please arrive on time as we'll begin soon after 1 pm with the sitting meditation. ⁠ ⁠ This day of practice is recommended for folks with some experience in Contact Improvisation, all levels welcome.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Visit our website to register and learn more at edamdance.org/workshops - link in bio⁠ photo: Anne Cooper & Rick Nodine, contact festival freiburg 2024 by Patrick Beelaert

Please give a warm welcome to Franny Valdez as the upcoming Guest Host of EDAM's BIPOC Jam. @culturaartistica__ will facilitate this ongoing BIPOC gathering, happening on Sunday.⁠ ⁠ BIPOC Jam⁠ Sunday, May 10th⁠ 3:30-5:30PM⁠ Register online - edamdance.org/jams, link in bio⁠ or drop-in $15⁠ ⁠ ⁠ About Franny:⁠ Franny is a queer Afro-Latine restorative yoga teacher, Reiki practitioner, and dance artist based in Vancouver, the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.⁠ ⁠ They’ve been dancing and performing for over 20 years, weaving together a tapestry of experience that also includes working in ICU settings.⁠ ⁠ Their offerings are inspired by the elements, especially water, fairies, energy work, spirals, deep wells, melancholy, anatomy, musicality, their ancestors and all things ethereal, forever blurring the lines between the physical and the mystical, the grounded and the unseen.⁠ ⁠ When they’re not teaching or dancing you’ll likely find them nannying sweet toddlers, yapping with their wife or fully committed to the art of a good nap! ⁠ ⁠ ⁠

Up next, we're so happy to welcome Alex Mah as Guest Host at the BIPOC Jam. Long time EDAM friend @astillsound will take the lead this Sunday, faciliating this ongoing BIPOC gathering.⁠ ⁠ BIPOC Jam⁠ Sunday, April 26th⁠ 3:30-5:30PM⁠ Register online - edamdance.org/jams, link in bio⁠ or drop-in $15⁠ ⁠ ⁠ About Alex Mah:⁠ ⁠ Alex Mah is an interdisciplinary performing artist, composer-musician and CI dancer. He composes mostly weirdo experimental music and sometimes sweet songs for dance and theatre. He is grateful to have worked with EDAM/Peter Bingham for 10 years and was fortunate to be a jam musician for 300 dancers at contactfest Freiburg 2024 Europe’s largest CI festival. He is fond of folk music, loves a good cheesecake and prefers taking things slowly.⁠

EDAM is thrilled to offer our first ever BIPOC Intro to Contact Workshop 🤩⁠ ⁠ BIPOC Intro to Contact Workshop⁠ with Natalie Tin Yin Gan⁠ Saturday, May 2nd⁠ 1 - 4pm⁠ ⁠ Sliding Scale⁠ $70 - Regular Rate⁠ $53 - Supported Rate⁠ $36 - Subsidized Rate⁠ ⁠ This workshop is for BIPOC folks who are interested in beginning a Contact Improvisation dance practice. If you've been curious about joining classes and jams, this is the perfect starting point! This workshop is for beginners and those who are brand new to Contact Improvisation. But if you have a foundational understanding of the form, we welcome you to join in and revisit the basics and support our shared practice.⁠ ⁠ Natalie will offer a welcoming and playful space to explore the basic principles of Contact Improvisation including: rolling point of Contact, sloughing (sliding), meeting pressure (continuity of connection), weight sharing, and underdancing (offering mobile support). Witnessing and resting are part of the practice. Options to modify exercises will be available throughout.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Visit our website to learn more at edamdance.org/workshops - link in bio⁠

This Spring, we're continuing our practice of having guest hosts artists facilitate our BIPOC Jams. Up next, we're excited to welcome Andrea Nann, Dreamwalker @dreamwalkerdance as guest host.⁠ ⁠ BIPOC Jam⁠ Sunday, April 12th⁠ 3:30-5:30PM⁠ Register online - edamdance.org/jams, link in bio⁠ or drop-in $15⁠ ⁠ ⁠ About Andrea Nann, Dreamwalker:⁠ ⁠ ​​Andrea Nann (she/her/they) is a contemporary dance artist, deep listener, and founding artist of Dreamwalker Dance Company, as well as co-creator of Conscious Bodies, an embodied community practice. A graduate of York University’s Fine Arts program, she has contributed to over 70 dance and theatre works across Turtle Island. Recognized for choreography, performance, and community action, Andrea’s practice celebrates possibility, plurality, and belonging, guided by a belief that embodied practice can transform how we experience ourselves and one another, deepening awareness of both our distinctiveness and shared humanity, and opening pathways toward wonderment, collective care and possibility.⁠

For our final Guest Artist Host in the BIPOC Jam winter series, we're excited to welcome K!⁠ ⁠ BIPOC Jam⁠ Sunday, March 22nd ⁠ 3:30-5:30PM⁠ Register online - edamdance.org/jams, link in bio⁠ or drop-in $15⁠ ⁠ This term, we're bringing in a few new faces to lead our BIPOC Jams as guest artists. And for the last jam of the term we have K as guest host.⁠ ⁠ About K:⁠ ⁠ ​​K Takano Budworth is an artist currently living on the ancestral and stolen lands of the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nations. K has been dancing their whole life, with a foundation in classical ballet and contemporary. Inspired by various forms of movement and dance styles, they like to explore the body’s natural curiosities of exploring weight and space, while using visual and musical cues to isolate and connect body parts in improvisation. They create ceramics and textile arts whenever they can and are very fond of organic shapes, marine invertebrates and conversations with strangers.⁠

The Underscore returns for the Spring Equinox 🌱⁠ Join us for this long-form CI practice developed by Nancy Stark-Smith.⁠ ⁠ Talk-Through: Sunday, Mar 15th | 3:30 - 5 PM⁠ ⁠ The Practice: Saturday, Mar 21st | 3 - 6:30PM⁠ ⁠ ⁠ New to the The Underscore? This practice is divided into two segments:⁠ ⁠ 🌼 talk-through — This step gives us the "game-plan" that the group will follow during the practice. You can think of this segment as discussing the frame or score that's set together before the practice starts⁠.⁠ ⁠ 🌼 the practice — Where we do the dance! Approaching the space with a shared understanding of the score, we come together to dance The Underscore. The score guides dancers through a series of “changing states“ from moving through our kinespheres to exploring different qualities of connection. This long form session - longer than a typical class or jam - often allows for a deepening of Contact Improvisation⁠ practice.⁠ ⁠ The Underscore is generally not led by verbal cues; the idea is that people “know” it from the talk-through and come together to share the practice. It is generally practiced without music, and without social conversation during the practice itself; snacking and exiting/reentering to the washrooms, as needed, are part of the score!⁠ ⁠ The Underscore is for those with some previous Contact Improvisation experience.⁠ Registration is required. Participants must attend a talk-through prior to attending the practice.⁠ ⁠ Register at link in our bio or edamdance.org/special-offerings⁠ ⁠ Please email [email protected] if you have any questions about attending.⁠ ⁠ photo: Rajendra Serber⁠

Call for EDAM Training Scholarships⁠ ⁠ Training Period: April 6th - June 30th, 2026 (12 weeks)⁠ ⁠ We are now accepting applications for Spring 2026 Scholarships. EDAM’s Scholarship Training Program offers dance and movement practitioners opportunities to deepen their Contact Improvisation practice and develop their professional skill-set while training alongside EDAM’s Company and community members.⁠ ⁠ Requirements: To participate in EDAM’s Scholarship, recipients must attend a minimum of three Morning Class per week, held Monday to Friday, from 10AM to 12PM.⁠ ⁠ Who Should Apply?⁠ ☀️ Dancers and/or movement practitioners who have recently completed a basic training program in dance, theatre, or clown with an established organization within the last five years.⁠ ☀️ Applicants who do not meet the above criteria, but hold a similar level of dance and/or movement training are welcome to apply. Please provide further details within the application.⁠ ☀️ Priority will be given to applicants who have taken a minimum 3 Morning Classes at EDAM within the past year.⁠ ☀️ Priority will be given to artists based in Vancouver.⁠ ⁠ View more call details & the application form at edamdance.org/scholarships⁠, link in our bio.⁠ ⁠ Application Deadline: March 16 at 11:59PM⁠ ⁠ If you have any questions about the Scholarship Program or the application process, please email us at: [email protected]⁠ ⁠ Applications will be notified of results by March 23, 2026⁠ ⁠ photo: Luciana Photography

Our next Fundamentals workshop is coming up!⁠ ⁠ Fundamentals Workshop w/ Francesca Frewer @francescafrewer ⁠ Saturday, April 11th 12:30 - 4:30 PM⁠ ⁠ Are you curious about Contact Improvisation and interested in trying it out? Then register now for our April Fundamentals Workshop. This introductory workshop covers CI basics, providing you with the fundamentals to begin your practice on the right foot.⁠ ⁠ Early Bird: $72⁠ (closes March 27th)⁠ Regular: $92⁠ ⁠ Register online at edamdance.org/workshops⁠, link in bio⁠ * Registration required, no drop-ins.

A warm welcome to our next Guest Artist Host for the BIPOC Jam series, Noelle Lee and RCHRDY⁠.⁠ ⁠ BIPOC Jam⁠ Sunday, February 22nd ⁠ 3:30-5:30PM⁠ Register online - edamdance.org/jams, link in bio⁠ or drop-in $15⁠ ⁠ This term, we're bringing in a rotating cast of guest artists to lead our BIPOC Jams. And we're excited to have Noelle @noael_ly & RCHRDY⁠ @rchrdy guest host the BIPOC jam this Sunday.⁠ ⁠ About Noelle Lee:⁠ Noelle Lee 李茵諾 (lei yan lok) is an interdisciplinary, process-based artist, working predominantly with dance, performance, and visual arts. Her work is rooted in an exploration of the intersections between artistic practice, therapeutic modalities, human psyche, and relational & intergenerational threads. She was born and raised in Hong Kong, and has ancestral lineages in China (Guangdong, Fujian), Hong Kong, and Indonesia (Makassar), currently residing in Vancouver, on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ About RCHRDY:⁠ RCHRDY (pronounced 'richārdy'), Ricardo Hardy, are an emerging interdisciplinary artist, and a good floor mopper, committed to remind themselves that the divine is always small.⁠ Their constellation has revealed through non-traditional artistic training, allowing them to create their own connections between Life and art making, beyond the canonic standards of cultural institutions.⁠ Starting their career in performing Arts, they've explored all kinds of creative endeavors such as installation making, music, collage, poetry, etc. Every material, any idea, possesses aesthetic qualities; An intrinsic excuse to play.⁠ Born in Mexico currently based in the (stolen) territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations (Vancouver, Canada).⁠ Photo credit: @pintorphotographer ⁠ ⁠

Dear EDAM Community, It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of EDAM’s beloved Artistic Director, Peter Bingham. While we have known this moment would come, it is with no less sorrow that we, Peter’s family and EDAM, share this news along with a tribute to Peter linked in our bio and at: edamdance.org/honouring-peter Peter touched so many of our lives. We are forever grateful for his artistry, teachings, mentorship, and love that continue to resonate throughout our community. Peter will always be a part of EDAM. We honour and celebrate his memory as we dance into this new beginning. With gratitude and remembrance, Olivia Shaffer, Artistic Director + Sierra Megas, General Manager + EDAM Ensemble: Anne Cooper, Francesca Frewer, Hayley Gawthrop, Arash Khakpour, Alex Mah, Antonio Somera Jr. — EDAM