Mass of waves

sound and body as an undivided whole 

A residency experimenting with sound within the landscape of contact improvisation

About program

Mass of Waves is a residential program that focuses on the relationship between sound and movement, with particular attention to their interaction within Contact Improvisation. Rather than treating sound as mere background music, rhythmic support, or an emotional trigger for the dancing body, we inquire how sound operates as another partner and as a form of gravity that shapes the body and the dance.

“Language is created by us, while sound and movement have been present from the beginning as primordial creators.”

This exploration of sound and movement invites us to experience, beyond the disciplinary boundaries of music and dance, that all living beings are already sounding and moving. It is not about following artistic rules, methodologies, or fixed forms, but about discovering the sound and movement already inherent in us, and the joy of connecting and unfolding them as an undivided whole. Through this, we come to re-understand body and world from both physical and cosmic perspectives, and to throw ourselves deeply into the vitality of life itself.

creative process 

When we imagine sound traveling across space and arriving somewhere, we can already recognize sound as a form of movement. We sense sound as physical waves with mass and motion, and we experiment with multiple ways of dancing with sound. throughout the process we move through different sonic territories — including voice, instrumental playing, composed music, and everyday soundscapes — and sensitively attune to how sound moves and generates change across the body’s interior and the surrounding space. We also practice and explore how sound becomes a third partner that shapes relationships and generates directions when bodies, awakened to the gravity of sound, dance together.

The residency’s central orientation is toward studying and inquiring into Contact Improvisation, while engaging with various approaches to improvisation that cultivate listening, responsiveness, and spontaneous creativity.

who is it for 

The residency invites people inspired by embodied exploration, experimentation, shared discovery, and experiential, inquiry-based learningIt is open to those with a foundational understanding of Contact Improvisation, as well as practitioners of dance improvisation interested in Contact Improvisation-based practices.

We understand that a committed and dedicated environment is cultivated through the mutual attention and efforts of everyone involved. We ask participants to join with sincerity, openness, and a willingness to support a generous and inspiring atmosphere of shared practice.

Extended text 

Sound and movement are our primary expressions; when given attention through exploration and experimentation, they reveal deeper layers of our being.

As we move in dynamic ways, movement opens states of awareness, understanding, and discovery within the body that are otherwise rarely practiced or consciously attended to—particularly in relation to its visible and invisible connections with the whole. Sound functions similarly in this context, offering a container through which we can deepen our relationship with the body, our instinctive nature, and the inquiry into what lies beyond it.