TEACHER
joão paulo pereira
João Paulo Pereira started improvising in contact in the mid 2000's in their homeland, Brazil, and has been exploring and sharing somatic movement for over 20 years. You can find them facilitating contact-like experiences in warm water around the Bay Area, traveling overseas to train yoga therapist, or on the mat sharing their bodywork practice. Researching playful and attuned ways to instill a 'less ambition, more curiosity' mindset in themself and other dancers is João's greatest inspiration in CI. You can follow them on www.basayoga.com
MUSICIAN
alex gilman
Alex Gilman (Aletheia) is a psychedelic, improvisational musician from Sonoma County, CA. Using electric guitar loops, his ambient soundscapes explore timbral textures, harmonic richness, counterpoint melodies and rhythms, and the hidden complexity in simplicity. His music aims to evoke embodied presence and cosmic delight. You can find some of his recordings on his Bandcamp: https://aletheiamusicca.bandcamp.com/
Organizer
merrick jacob
Merrick Jacob is a lover of movement, continuously in awe of the body and its potential for delightful expression, wild creativity, & authentic connection. Influenced by her practices of contact improvisation, figure skating, acroyoga, and hand-balancing, she guides playful movement experiences as an opportunity for deep listening, research, and co-creation. Merrick teaches & hosts contact across the SF Bay Area and beyond.
