Sebastopol Contact Improv

Dear Community,

tonight our CI will happen at The Galactic Center (https://galactichealthandfitness.com/). Please read below an important announcement and details on tonight's jam.

In solidarity,
Seb CI Organizers (João, Kandace, Rose, Eric)

Special week of dance in Sebastopol next week!

Samuel Samways is a Cross-Modality Social Dance Instructor from Brazil and will be teaching at multiple different dances while in town for the week, culminating in this special "Contact-Fusion Workshop", open to all (but limited to 20 participants).

On his way, he'll teach the class before Sebastopol Contact Improv on Wednesday at 7:15pm. [More info coming on Monday]

||| MORE ABOUT SAMUEL |||
Professor Samuel Samways is a Brazilian performing artist with 15 years of experience in partner dancing. His research extends to acrobatic movements, floorwork, Capoeira, contemporary dance, Contact Improvisation and the Fusion of Latin American social dances, with an emphasis in Brazilian Zouk, Tango, Forró and Samba de Gafieira.

He is the creator of Mutual Leading, an improvisational technique that challenges the hierarchical structures traditionally associated with gender roles in social dance.

Samuel is the director of Terceira Margem, an art collective interested in the intersection between dance, theater and circus. He is also the creator of the dance festival MONSTRA – Festival de Dança de Salão Contemporânea.
Insta

Want to see him move in a "Contact-Fusion" way?
(8 years ago, mind you!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BanBj4gY5xw

Hello Blessed Community,

Here is a Call for Support for an Incredible Project inspired with Keith Hennesy of San Francisco. Please take the time to read his letter below and offer support if you are able!

Keith is one of my long-time CI teachers whom I am in love with, hold in high esteem, within a breadth and depth of honor. His Artistic Activism sturs and contributes, so deeply transforms and touches culture within action. He embodies a tenacity of purity so bright hearted and passionately speaking out and speaking up, inspiring change, wisdom and growth in dance communities and beyond, far and wide.

I am consistently, for decades now, ever changed, inspired, in awe and beholden to how his offerings have held and birthed some of my deepest expressive awakenings.

Here's a letter from him. If you can at all contribute to this project, or if you as well, know of someone who would likely be able to support this important work, please feel free to share this amongst your community and beyond, even on Social Media, which is fine with Keith.

From Keith 🦋 ...

hey all

apologies for repeat emails if you've received this already

I am inviting you to support this summer. Donating is a direct resistance to Trump's insulting and deadly reversal of US policy with Ukraine.

https://gofund.me/b95d2bb0

Besides donating, I really need your help in reaching more CI folks, especially in the US. Please share this email with a note of your own encouraging folks to donate.

All donations help.
The number of donors represents real community solidarity.
Ukrainian dancers have been dancing despite the violent imperial Russian invasion (and all the death, injuries, and crises of economics, ecologies, housing, displacement, infrastructure destruction, mental health...) for three horrible years. Your donations support teacher fees for both Ukrainian and visiting teachers, and will contribute to the studio rent for dance spaces in both Kharkiv and Lviv.

If you're well resourced, please consider giving above the $200 level. A few people giving $500 or $1000 will help us meet our $11,000 goal.

If you have questions or concerns that aren't detailed in the GoFundMe fundraiser, please let me know.

No need to apologize if this isn't a good moment for you to give.

Take care, hold on, thank you, keep dancing
Keith

One more time
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ukrainian-dancers-lviv-festival-2025

Donate to Support Ukrainian Dancers: Lviv CI Festival 2025, organized by Keith Hennessy Greetings dancers and compassionate humans I am going to Ukr… Keith Hennessy needs your support for Support Ukrainian Dancers: Lviv CI Festival 2025