Ontario Regional Contact Improv Jam 2006

The Ontario Regional Contact Improvisation Jam 2006 is open to anyone, from anywhere on the planet, who is interested in contact improvisational dance. You don't even have to know where Ottawa, Ontario is to dance with us, we provide maps!

The jam is open to all; beginners and all skill levels are welcome. We will have introductory classes on Contact Improvisation for new and old beginners alike.

The Ontario Jam is hosted in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada this year, in the studios of The School of Dance at 200 Crichton St., a few blocks north-east of downtown.

• All dance studios have sprung black vinyl Rosco ("Marley") surface floors - bring dance socks if sliding is an essential part of your improvisation style.
• The Rosco/Marley floors have been cleaned only with water and vinegar; no chemical products are ever used.
• Filtered water is available from on-site water fountains - bring your own closed-mouth water bottles.
• The building is accessible by public transit: The nearest Route 3 bus stops are near Crichton/Dufferin, with stop number schedules available by téléphone at 560-1000 ext.8765 (to downtown) and 560-1000 ext.7008 (from downtown). (The OCTranspo timetables and maps show the Crichton/Beechwood intersection, which is a few minutes walk from the School.)
• Limited time (3 hour) neighbourhood street parking is available.
• The whole building is a shoe-free environment - leave your street shoes at the door.
• Only pure water is permitted in the dance studios - no flavours or essences please.
• Only closed-mouth water bottles may be brought into the dance studios.
• The School of Dance is a fragrance-free building.
• Showers are available.
• See photos of The School of Dance.

Google Maps Driving Times to 200 Crichton St., Ottawa, from:

See the note below the table regarding these driving times.

Cornwall ON: 1 hr 35 min Potsdam NY: 2 hr 13 min Montréal QC: 2 hr 39 min Killaloe, ON: 2 hr 43 min Kingston ON: 2 hr 45 min Magog QC: 4 hr 31 min Peterborough ON: 4 hr 41 min Sherbrooke QC: 4 hr 45 min Burlington VT: 5 hr 6 min Ithaca NY: 5 hr 41 min Rochester NY: 5 hr 43 min Montpelier VT: 5 hr 53 min Toronto ON: 6 hr 12 min Quebec QC: 6 hr 13 min Barre VT: 6 hr 13 min

Kitchener ON: 7 hr 31 min New Paltz NY: 7 hr 39 min Earthdance MA: 8 hr 9 min Northampton MA: 8 hr 14 min Brattleboro VT: 8 hr 29 min New York NY: 9 hr 26 min Boston MA: 9 hr 30 min Detroit MI: 11 hr 10 min Washington DC: 12 hr 23 min Bonaventure QC: 15 hr 41 min Halifax NS: 18 hr 41 min San Francisco CA: 2 days 3 hours Vancouver BC: 2 days 4 hours Whitehorse YT: 3 days 10 hours Juneau AK: 4 days 17 hours

Note: The above "Google Maps" driving times are quite generous. The bus company does the Ottawa/Toronto trip (given above as 6 hours) in less than 5 hours! Lucien and Ian drove Burlington/Ottawa (given above as 5 hours) in less than 4 hours 30 minutes with no speeding.

You can get explicit driving directions using the "To Here" feature of this online map.

We offer a language-agnostic bilingual (English/français) environment as best we can; volunteers to help connect the two languages during circles and workshops are warmly welcomed.

Nos voisins du Québec/Montréal sont chaleureusement invité(e)s.

Contact Person: Eileen

Bring your own washable eating utensils: plate, bowl, mug, cutlery and cloth napkin.

See a tenative weekend menu.

Vegetarian snack-type food will be provided throughout the weekend in a room adjoining the dance space. All meals are provided on-site. We will have bagels and cream chese for breakfast both days.

Saturday we will provide breakfast and lunch. The Table vegetarian restaurant will provide a vegetarian meal for supper.

Sunday we will provide breakfast and lunch.

Contact People: Lucien (téléphone) or Ian (email)

Arrival: after 6pm (18h00) Friday, April 14, 2006
Departure: after 3pm (15h00) Sunday, April 16, 2006

Let one of us know if you are arriving early and would like to help us set up ahead of the jam.

We are pleased to have Elizabeth MacKinnon and Kenneth Emig leading our Friday evening introduction to Contact Improv.

We are pleased to have Peter Ryan leading our Saturday afternoon workshop on "cooperative resistance and physical chess" - playing with giving and receiving support.

On Saturday Evening, contact improv will take place with live musicians Mike Essoudry - drums (mikeessoudry@hotmail.com), Ken Easton - kalimbas, kora and percussion (keaston@magma.ca), and Linsey Wellman - saxophones and flutes (linseywellman@hotmail.com).

We are pleased to have Pam Johnson leading our Sunday morning workshop:

Luscious Dancing: following kinesthetic desire. In this workshop we will engage in a deep exploration of the kinesthetic journey from breathing quietly on the floor to fluid dancing. Desire will be our guide. Breath and sensation will steer us. Imagination will be our fuel. Come on board.

We have a tentative weekend schedule.

Contact Person: Mitsi

Billeting in area homes (before April 1)

Paid Accommodation - Hostels / Hotels / B&Bs

Contact People: Lucien (téléphone, postal) or Ian (online/web)

Weekend registration: $75 CDN (after March 31 2006)
Inscription pour la fin de semaine : 75 $ CDN (après le 31 mars 2006)

At-the-door, drop-in, and partial registration fees:

• Full three-day weekend: $75 (includes five meals)
• Friday Evening Only: $15 (light snacks)
• Saturday Full Day: $60 (includes three meals)
• Saturday Morning and Afternoon Only: $45 (includes three meals)
• Saturday Evening Only: $30 (includes supper)
• Sunday Day Only: $30 (includes two meals)

To register by mail-in cheque, bank draft, or online credit card, proceed to the O.R.C.J. Registration Form.

Use the online Web form to pre-register (easiest for us); or, please print clearly these three things:

1. Your name
2. Your email address (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY)
3. Your area code and telephone number

on a cheque or bank draft for $75 CDN payable to:

Lucien Martineau
A-20, rue Ste-Ursule, Gatineau
Quebec, Canada J9A 1B6

Once you are registered, please read our Registration Letter. You will need to sign a Liability Waiver to dance with us.