Updated September 10 2026 – Mis à jour le 10 septembre 2026
Let’s Dance! Subscription information is at the bottom of this newsletter. – Ian!
Attend a free Contact Improv Basics Class and dance jam 11:15am on Saturday September 12 led by Ian! and Soukeyna. All Welcome!
Hello, Ottawa/Gatineau area dancers and movers.
Events in or originating from the local Ottawa, Gatineau, Wakefield, Lanark, Carleton Place Region
Events that recur weekly or monthly show only the nearest upcoming event or two. Follow the link for future events.
The events in this section recur mostly weekly, with some exceptions. Check the official event page to make sure the event is scheduled on the day you want to attend.
Beginners: If you’re new to Contact Improvisation Dance, first please attend the next free CI Basics class/jam on September 12 led by Ian! and Soukeyna – see the information below.
Experienced: CI dancers who have already taken a CI Basics class in Ottawa are welcome to attend any of our drop-in almost weekly Saturday CI jams starting September 19 2026, for experienced CI dancers only.
Dance to Nature takes place mostly weekly, all year round. In Ottawa, dances take place with headphones in “Silent Disco” style, outdoors in nature at Mooney’s Bay. You may also participate remotely in your favourite nature place if you are elsewhere.
These Thursday evening Ecstatic Dances usually take place around 7pm or 7:30pm on the first and third Thursdays of each month at the Rosemount Orange Hall in Ottawa. See below for the current dates.
Free CI Basics classes will be led monthly by Ian! Allen and Soukeyna. (They will not be dressed in black like in this photo.)
Come to our free CI Basics class and dance jam, open to everyone, on Saturday September 12 at 11:15am. Invite your CI-curious friends! All Welcome! No experience necessary! We teach you everything! Please arrive on time (11:15am) for the consent talk.
The accessible, community-run Ottawa/Gatineau Contact Improvisation Dance classes and jams run a free all-welcome CI Basics class and dance jam at 11:15am on Saturday September 12 open to everyone, especially people new to CI dance. Follow this link for details on time, location, and what to wear: Contact Improv Dance Basics. Please arrive on time (11:15am) for the consent talk.
CI dancers who have already taken a CI Basics class in Ottawa are welcome to attend any of our weekly CI jams running mostly weekly during the fall/winter/spring (check the schedule!) on Saturday at 11:5am from September 12 2026 until late June 2027 and then resuming weekly again in September 2027 after a summer (July+August) break.
The ODD/CDC studio “B” is fully accessible, with a large accessible washroom on
the same floor as the dance space.
An evening of inspired improvised performance and a Group Improvisation with Refreshments.
Gull Cry Dance Theatre and the Ottawa Contact Improvisation community warmly welcome you to the season opener of our fall performance series: “Radical Duets.” These performance evenings welcome improvisers across different disciplines to engage in duets with each other, with a view to asking, after the late Russian poet Lev Rubinstein: “after all that has been and might be – what else is possible”?
We view improvisation as a necessary act of resistance against increasingly scripted modes of being; a way to stay alive and fresh in a world increasingly determined by invisible algorithmic command. We view live performance with bodies creating-in-the-moment as a vital force – intimacy-in-action. Thank you for gathering with us.
Through music, movement, and shared encounters, explore the life within you and its natural connection to the world around you.
Each class invites you to experience your aliveness and sense your place within the living web, nurturing a more affective way of relating and a deeper belonging to life.
Ecstatic dance offers a space for people to let go of inhibitions, connect with themselves and others, and experience the joy of movement in its purest form. It can be a deeply transformative and liberating practice for those who engage with it regularly.
The start time and schedule shown here are approximate; they keep changing. These weekly dances are run by different people who may do things differently, so you have to check the facebook event for the current week to know the actual start time and dance schedule.
These Thursday evening Ecstatic Dances usually take place on the first and third Thursdays of each month at the Rosemount Orange Hall at 41 Rosemount Avenue in Ottawa. Different people run these events, each with their own facebook sites, so you have to look in multiple places to find out the details. The start times aren’t always the same; check online before you head out. The events are only visible on the facebook; there is no public web page. Try looking in all these places for the upcoming events:
The Rosemount Orange Hall is not accessible; there are many steps up to the dance floor and the washroom is too small for a wheelchair.
Ecstatic dance offers a space for people to let go of inhibitions, connect with themselves and others, and experience the joy of movement in its purest form. It can be a deeply transformative and liberating practice for those who engage with it regularly.
Alchemy Fest is back at LabO on Saturday, September 19 for an evening of contemporary & fusion dance performances by Canadian artists.
Alchemy Fest is returning for a third year with another lineup of captivating performances! This year’s event is features a lineup of unique performances that explore, experiment, and celebrate the diverse landscape of dance. With an array of incredible solo acts and group performances by artists from across Ontario and Québec, audiences can look forward to a spellbinding evening in celebration of the magic of dance.
Special thanks to Upasana the Spirit of Dance, City of Ottawa, and Ottawa Dance Directive for their support in bringing this event to life.
We welcome you to our Dances of Universal Peace.
Please join us every First Friday from 7 till 9 pm
We will dance at the First United Church in the Westboro neighborhood of Ottawa on the first Friday of each month, 347 Richmond Road Ottawa. Room 7/8. Please enter through the back door at ground level on Madison Street. Pat and Jessica and Elyse will lead us through a program of joyful and contemplative dances.
Dances of Universal Peace are monthly, participatory simple circle dances and songs drawn from the earth’s sacred traditions, such as: Jewish, Christian (Creation Spirituality, Aramaic & Gospel), Islamic Sufi, Buddhist, Native American, Hindu, African, Celtic, Zoroastrian, and other Universal songs of peace. Sacred circle dances and mantric chants from a variety of mystical traditions focus on opening the heart in community. All dances are taught on the spot.
Dress casual. Singles and couples are welcome. Bring a friend if you like. Live music by (leader(s)) & friends. $10–20 donation requested at the door. No one turned away for lack of funds. Venue is accessible at ground level. Women’s washrooms are up 3 stairs.
You are invited to dance for peace – bring a friend! The Dances of Universal Peace are a 40 year old tradition of dancing to simple chants from a variety of the world’s religions in a simple and peaceful moving meditation. Newcomers are happily welcomed. No previous experience or dance partner needed. All dances and movements are learned on the spot.
This location is wheelchair accessible with an accessible washroom.
Unfortunately, the various Ottawa dance organizers don’t cooperate and list their events on one site, or even on each other’s sites, so you have to watch a half-dozen different places to know what’s going on. Many events don’t have public web pages, so you have to sell your soul to The Facebook to access their information. We’ve included links to some of the dance events we know about, below.
Except for the community-owned, community-run Ottawa/Gatineau Contact Improvisation Dance group, all dances are privately run.
Events outside the local Ottawa, Gatineau, Wakefield, Lanark, Carleton Place Region
Contact Ian Allen about car pooling from Ottawa to some of the above dance events.
Friday, Oct 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM to Sunday, Oct 11, 2026 at 4:00 PM EDT
As we head into the season of harvest and coziness, we want to dance with you at the “Falling into Autumn” annual weekend-long jam!
We’re creating a weekend of dancing, connection, and care—centered on trust, open communication, and being in space together. This jam is access-focused and intentionally welcoming, with efforts to remove barriers so more folks can join us.
Contact improvisation is magical because it’s not codified—everyone brings their own style. We celebrate dancers of all experience levels, identities, and body types. Your presence, your body, and your lived experience are what will make this jam amazing.
Whatever your style, we offer options to support you: technique classes with local and traveling teachers, guided jams with themes like the Blindfold jam, and open jams for unstructured exploration.
Inspired by the season, we’re making the space cozy with cushions and mats in the studios for when you want to rest while staying in the room. Saturday night we’ll share a catered dinner and enjoy film screenings of contact dance from around the world, including local submissions. With just 1–2 events at a time, there’s space to breathe, dance, and truly get to know each other.
We hope you’ll finish this weekend feeling a sense of collaboration and togetherness with your fellow dancers, and a sense of excitement and inspiration for your own dancing.
40 Years & Counting: A Community Visioning Lab for Earthdance’s Future with hosts Asa Benjamin and Faith Rathbun.
This falling leaves jam will be a time to gather and celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earthdance and to bring focus to the future of our beloved Earthdance. There will be time and space to gather around a warm autumn fire, dance til you drop, and connect and nourish, as always.
We will reflect on the past, be present with what is here now, and dream of days to come. A seed of intention in our time together is to tend to our relationships at Earthdance with more thoughtfulness in regards to our future. Weaving connections now so that what is to come here at Earthdance is strong and beautiful and life-giving.
Contact Ian Allen about car pooling from Ottawa/Gatineau to this event.
40 Years of Community Dance & Living: An Honoring of Earthdance Roots
Save the date.
Contact Ian Allen about car pooling from Ottawa/Gatineau to this event.
40 Years of Community Dance & Living: An Honoring of Earthdance Roots
Save the date.
Contact Ian Allen about car pooling from Ottawa/Gatineau to this event.
NOTE: The web page may still show the 2026 camp dates.
2027 will be the 17th year of celebration.
See the Big Heart Learn More page for details about Big Heart Dance Camp.
Contact Ian Allen about car pooling from Ottawa to this event.
Recurring Events outside the local Ottawa, Gatineau, Wakefield, Lanark, Carleton Place Region
Some of these events changed during the pandemic. If the listing below seems out-of-date, please contact the organizers.
facebook: Groove Tonic PEC hosts a weekly barefoot, free-form movement and dance event in Picton (Prince Edward County).
For wheelchair and washroom accessibility information, contact the organizer.
Dear contact dancers (or those who want to do contact improvisation!), Suzanne and Opal are continuing to host Contact dance Jams in Peterborough, after a summer hiatus. Details are below. Please feel free to share widely! Contact Improvisation is movement inspired by the spontaneous interaction between two people playing with weight, momentum and gravity. Beginners welcome! Contact Dance Jam is hosted 4–5pm on the 4th Sunday of the month (with some exceptions - see below).
Fueled by Public Energy!
This location is wheelchair accessible with an accessible washroom.
For other Peterborough dance events, e.g.
OnDanse Val-David est un collectif soutenant la pratique de la danse extatique. Offert hebdomadairement, la danse suit une courbe musicale particulière pour induire un contact à soi à travers l’expression corporelle et une exploration personnelle dans le mouvement. Une rencontre entre le festif et le sacré!
A monthly therapeutic conscious dance journey, where we express ourselves and all of our big feelings by moving freely in community without judgment.
Our mission: to invite pure, unabashed self-expression through movement, in a warm, permissive, nonjudgmental space. NOTE: the capacity of our space is limited to 65 people; therefore, please register ahead so that you can ensure you have a spot.
This is a dance intended for all bodies, and St. Peter’s Church is an accessible space with an elevator. There are no “moves” or “steps,” but rather just an invitation to do what feels right. This kind of dance can look like anything – it can be big, small, upright, or lying down. As long as you are moving and breathing, you are doing it right.
Dance and celebrate – Danser, se rassembler, célébrer, s’émerveiller …
Classes in Biodanza and Authentic Movement in and near Montréal and Val David with Catherine Fabiola Lessard
Currently (February 2026) only the French pages are up-to-date. The English pages still date from 2021. Use the French pages.
I recall always dancing. A tiny, faded 3×3 photograph of me in traditional garb with hair in plaits doubled over, age 4, in my village in India, shows me dancing (and caught self-consciously!). I’ve tried many forms of movement and 5Rhythms® is my home-coming. 5Rhythms® is free-form movement meditation, in every class we dance through the five energies/rhythms of Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, and Stillness®. There is a vast ever-changing inner landscape of our bodies and psyches for us to be fascinated by and navigate with curiosity. Certified at the Waves level of this practice, philosophy, and perspective, you can find out about my classes here. As an accredited 5Rhythms® teacher, all class and workshop hours with me count towards teacher training prerequisites.
I produce workshops where I invite teachers to Montreal/Ottawa to share their wisdom, experience, perspective, and learnings. Upcoming workshops can be found here.
Freeing the Creative Spirit Teaching people to experience the pulsating sensual energy inside them and awakening their connection to flowing breath, rooted feet and a centered alive pelvis – reach up, root down, live in the heart center. Visit Erik Iversen Web or 5Rhythms: Erik Iversen or contact Erik Iversen for more information. (For wheelchair and washroom accessibility information, contact Erik.)
Lynne Adams runs 5 Rhythms classes in and near Montréal. (For wheelchair and washroom accessibility information, contact Lynne.)
facebook: Contact Improvisation Bas-Saint-Laurent
Groupe pour faciliter l’épanouissement de la communauté de contact impro dans la région. Cours, jams, covoiturage vers des activités ailleurs au Québec, etc.
Bienvenue à tous. Les jams de Contact improvisation seront annoncés dans le groupe par le biais d’évènements. Consultez la publication épinglée pour plus d’information.
Classes are facilitated in French (with possible English translation on request): Biodanza Sherbrooke: français and Sherbrook Biodanza: English (The English pages may not be updated; use the French pages!)
Shake! Mornings, afternoons, and evenings
facebook: ~bioLUMINosity®~ Edge of Trance dance, meditation, playground.
Dancing is not just getting up painlessly,
like a leaf blown on the wind;
dancing is when you tear your heart out
and rise out of your body
to hang suspended between the worlds.
We have come to be danced
not the pretty dance
not the pretty pretty, pick me, pick me dance
but the claw our way back into the belly
of the sacred, sensual animal dance
the unhinged, unplugged, cat is out of its box dance
the holding the precious moment in the palms
of our hands and feet dance
[…]
If people ask me how to Contact Improvise, I simply say, “Start small” or, “Start small for a long time.”
After fifty years of all this, I realize I should have said,
“Go beyond small to the place where no message is being given. Start there. Let small be the first of the pleasures to come.”
Accept the first perturbation of that emptiness as the focus of the next moments. It is not a dance about you, or your partner. It is a dance about its movement.
There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. … No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.
[…]
At the still point of the turning world.
Neither flesh or fleshless;
Neither from nor towards;
at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement.
And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered.
Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline.
Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance,
and there is only the dance.
I can only say, there we have been: but I cannot say where.
And I cannot say, how long, for that is to place it in time.
[…]
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
[…]
Dancers who pursue graceful movement must practice being aware of their bodies and being aware of wordless communication. These skills are particularly important today, when we spend so much time sitting and in virtual realities. Our way of life has taken us further from our own physical experiences and the understanding of the wordless emotional messages of others. For example, contact improvisation makes the dancers listen attentively to the body of their partner. Touch is known to reduce pain, fear and anxiety.
