Discover movement beyond choreography in this playful, body-led three-week dance series.
Are you curious about moving your body in new, playful, and expressive ways?
Want to explore dance beyond choreography, through connection, curiosity, presence, and sensation?
This 3-week, beginner-friendly, skill-building closed container runs across three consecutive Wednesdays and requires no previous experience - just a willingness to be in your body and an openness to explore, listen, and connect through movement. There’s no choreography to memorise, only the unfolding of the present moment: body to body, breath to breath.
Contact Improvisation (CI) is a playful, touch-based dance form rooted in shared weight and spontaneous movement. More than just dance, it’s a moving meditation, a dialogue of bodies in motion that invites presence, attunement, and surrender.
Together we’ll release the idea of performance and perfection. There are no “right” moves, only authentic ones. Whether slow and tender or dynamic and wild, each dance becomes a reflection of what’s alive in the moment.
CI invites us to soften control, follow the intelligence of the body, and meet the unknown with curiosity. It’s a practice of responsiveness and embodiment, where connection becomes both the method and the message.
When approached with intention, CI is a powerful path back to ourselves and each other, cultivating trust, empathy, and intuition while dissolving the lines between art, play, and presence.
This series is for anyone who’s:
Curious about non-linear movement, connection, and exploring their body in a more intuitive, creative way, especially those new to dance
Seen this art form, but presently feel unsafe to engage with it and move alongside other bodies
Desiring to connect with others through movement
Wanting to feel more grounded, fluid, and at home in your body
Ultimately, this is for anyone who feels a yes in their body reading this, whether it’s a whisper or a full-body spark. Come as you are. You don’t need to be “a dancer” to dance.
Just bring your curiosity and an open mind.
The 3 x weekly 2 hour workshops will take place on:
✨ Wednesday, 11 June 2025 - 6:30pm to 8:30pm
✨ Wednesday, 18 June 2025 - 6:30pm to 8:30pm
✨ Wednesday, 25 June 2025 - 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Each week builds on the last, guiding you gently into the world of CI with a focus on safety, trust, creativity, and body awareness. You’ll learn foundational tools that support both solo exploration and dancing in contact with others. Expect warm-ups, guided exercises, partnered play, and space to reflect and ask questions.
Week 1: Coming Home to the Body
Grounding, solo awareness, and inner listening
Week 2: Connection in Motion
Relational presence, shared weight, and responsiveness
Week 3: The Art of Support
How to offer it, how to receive it, and how to move with another while staying rooted in ourselves
Things to note:
Dance with the body you have on the day, do not rush yourself beyond your current physical limitations
Everything is invitational. Consent, boundaries, and emotional safety are foundational values of this practice and of how we’ll hold the container
Wear comfortable clothes to move in; long pants and a shirt are preferred
Bring a water bottle
Please arrive on time to respect the safety of the container and allow time for your body to warm up
If you are sick one week, please do not attend, due to the close proximity to one another
This container will be capped at 24 participants, so reserve your spot
About your facilitator - Shlomit @mitty.merkaba
Shlomit is a lifelong mover, space holder, and playful presence devoted to the embodied experience of being human. Her journey with Contact Improvisation began in 2015 during a dance exchange at the University of Malta. As someone who had rarely been offered partner work in traditional dance spaces due to her body size, CI cracked open a new world of creation, surrender, presence, and subconscious story. It became a portal to reclaiming space, letting others in, releasing fear of being “too much,” and discovering the joy of moving with others.
Since then, she has danced across Thailand, Malta, Israel, America, and Australia, most recently performing in a week-long CI series at Woodford Folk Festival. She sees CI as a utopian playground for adults - a space where curiosity leads, presence is essential, and the intelligence of human connection is revealed through sensation and play in all its beautiful awkwardness.
For Shlomit, CI isn’t about technique or performance - it’s about following impulse, listening deeply, and being in conversation with the body, the floor, and the moment. It’s a practice of presence, of surrender, and of joy. And she can’t wait to share it with you.
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Things to note:
Centre of You has plenty of bolsters, blankets, and cushions for you to get cosy with. We recommend wearing comfortable, loose clothes to enable deep breathing and sitting/laying upon the floor with ease. Something to cover your eyes, if you wish to do so (eg. eye mask, scarf). A journal is recommended as are any familiar personal items that will aid you in feeling grounded (crystal, teddy, scarf, etc).
Personal responsibility: Please make an assessment on whether you are feeling stable and resourced enough to explore the practices on offer in this event.
No Photo/Video Content Will Be Captured: We recognise that being at an event where content is being captured can impact the personal comfort and nervous system regulation of our community. As such, it should be known upfront that this event is a photo and video free space. No content will be captured. We ask all participants to honor this agreement in respect of the shared experience by placing any recording devices away on arrival.
Arrival: Endeavour to arrive between 6:15pm - 6:30pm. To preserve the experience for all involved, doors will close at 6:45pm. Truly, it breaks our heart to have to turn latecomers away yet the disruption to the whole group experience by virtue of lateness does require management. We ask that you find understanding and consideration for the timebound nature of the container and make every effort to arrive on time.
Driving: Know Centre of You is on Chapel St and ample time to find a car spot is best to be factored into your plans. Park direct on Chapel St (spots unmetered after 5pm) or in Anchor Place, the open-air parking lot in the side street that runs opposite Centre of You (unmetered after 4pm).
Public transport - tram: Both the number 6 tram & 78 tram stop on the corner of High St/Chapel St. This is stop 31 on the number 6 tram (Moreland/Glen Iris) & stop 45 on the number 78 tram (North Richmond/Balaclava).
Public transport - train: Both Prahran & Windsor stations along the Sandringham Line will get you walking distance to Centre of You.
Finding Centre of You: Centre of You is nestled within the arcade that Chapel St Bazaar is in (217 Chapel St). It is up a flight of stairs with a wide landing at the half-way-point. Unfortunately, this current version of Centre of You does not have a wheelchair accessible lift. If you could use support in getting up the stairs or would like to discuss ways to make your experience at Centre of You more comfortable, please reach out via hello@centreofyou.com.au or via DM over on Centre of You Instagram.
Accessibility: At COY we aim to ensure our community and events are inclusive and accessible while alongside upholding the needs and responsibilities of our business and the businesses of our collaborating facilitators. Should you be in a time of financial challenge and unable to pay the full ticket price comfortably, please reach out via hello@centreofyou.com.au or via DM over on Centre of You Instagram
Ticketing T&Cs: We get it, life happens, therefore we will gladly refund you up until 24hrs before the event start time. After that, we have a strict no refund/no transfer to future events policy. If you are no longer able to attend and wish to pay forward your ticket to someone within the community, be in touch via hello@centreofyou.com.au or via DM over on Centre of You Instagram.
Questions? Email hello@centreofyou.com.au or reach out via Instagram DM.
Tickets: $105.00 early bird, $120.00 general exchange - includes all three sessions!