Contact Improvisation is the dance of shared balance, gravity, and trust — a meditation in motion where movement emerges through listening rather than leading.

In this one-day workshop, we’ll explore the physical foundations that make Contact both safe and expansive:

• How to support another’s weight through clear structure and alignment

• How to become light and responsive when being lifted

• How to stay grounded in your own center while opening to connection

As we build technical clarity, we’ll also deepen into the art of improvisation: the moment-to-moment awareness that transforms dance into dialogue. When no one is leading, and both are fully present, a quiet intelligence moves through — spontaneous, alive, and unplanned.

This day is for movers of all backgrounds — from newcomers to seasoned dancers — who want to refine their skills, expand their range, and enter more deeply into the meditative heart of Contact. We will enjoy healthy doses of play, and restful integration to support your nervous system.

Come ready to move, roll, lean, lift, and be moved by the dance that only exists between us.

Please arrive at 10:30am to park, settle in, and connect with the land and yourself.

Opening Circle begins promptly at 11am. **

**Please respect the container, and each other, so we can begin together at 11.

Bring your own food for the day.

Lunch break: 1:30-2:30pm

Dinner break: 5-6pm

Contact Jam with Live music: 6-7:30pm with light facilitation of Score to deepen your experience.

Sliding Scale: $150-$225.

Sliding Scale is set up in 4 different Tiers

Limited tickets at lower price points.

Please choose which price point best fits your current financial situation.

Give more if you can. Pay it forward.

Tier 5 is where you can pay directly witih venmo/paypal links and receive the email confirmation that comes through 'buying' a ticket on my website. (no fee)

ABOUT SHANNON

Shannon Sahaja is a somatic educator and meditation guide who feels most at home in the woods, on a dance floor, in warm water or engaged in silly shenanigans. She holds a BFA in Dance from S.U.N.Y Purchase, and has 2 decades of experience as a movement facilitator. Shannon brings delight to the space with her unique ability to create safety while spicing things up with humor and spontaneity. She is well known for her loving approach to yoga that was developed during her 8 years of living and teaching at Harbin Hot Springs and through her mentorship with Angela Farmer.

In 2010, she founded: Being Danced.  Experiments in Communal Play! 

• A body of work designed to bring you embodied presence seasoned with playfulness.

• A safe place to revel in your inner child's creative genius.

• An improvisational playground for collaborating in community through movement, theater, and humor.

She has studied extensively with many of the early pioneers of Contact Improvisation, including Nancy Stark Smith, and loves articulating the mechanics of weight sharing for those unfamiliar with the form.

From 2017-2024, Shannon enjoyed being the manager and sacred space holder for Ecstatic Dance Oakland and was a resident Yoga and Contact Improvisation teacher.

Her personal dedication the last few years has been to deeply regulate her nervous system through integration, big doses of time in nature, and media fasting.

From this she birthed,  Nesting And Resting: The art of Togetherness.  ​

•  Container for healing your nervous system from overstimulation

•  Slowing down to receive ourselves in the company of others.  

•  A safe and structured environment for practicing and experiencing safe, platonic intimacy. ​

• An environment for rest and recalibration in a co-regulatory ecosystem of attuned humans.

She is devoted to inspiring students to experience their own essence through play, inner strength and nourishment.

Her passion is to bring presence and emotional intelligence into the field.  To show up as a safe space for the younger parts of ourselves to thaw out and open up. Shannon creates environments where people feel safe, seen, held, respected, and honored in their uniqueness.