Embodied Play: Playfight meets Consent Work

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About the weekend

Over the course of 3 days (Friday 19 September to Sunday 21 September), we will journey together into a heady mix of play, connection, experimentation, and empowerment - learning to see ourselves and each other in new, surprising and inspiring ways. Elena and Roy are passionate about play fighting, communication and consent, which are all embodied practices that play with boundaries and empower people in the process. So it made sense to bring together Consent work, Contact Improvisation and Play Fighting.

What is Playfighting?

It is all about connecting to your own body and energies flowing through it first. Only from that space you can wrestle and play in a wholesome, connected, delicious way with other beings. What you discover in this kind of deeply embodied connection with others is likely to surprise you! Perhaps your body - and spirit - crave gentleness and flow. Perhaps there’s a lot of passion, fire and wildness yearning to be expressed. You might awaken your creativity, meet your inner child or feel totally and utterly silly and full of life!
In the workshop, we will discuss and demonstrate specific safety aspects and playfighting techniques and journey through a series of exercises to warm up and connect with ourselves and others. Importantly, we will explore ways of communicating consent verbally and non-verbally. Everyone who wants to experience playfighting first hand, will have a chance to do so. You are welcome to bring in all your energies – playful, silly, competitive, gentle, caring, soulful. Please note that this workshop is non sexual.

What is consent work?

We all face challenges from time to time, with asserting personal boundaries or understanding others' limits clearly. Learning about consent can help us get comfortable and establish trust when interacting with others.
We will explore various tools for discovering and expressing your boundaries based on the framework of the Wheel of Consent.
What does consent feel like in the body, and how to navigate situations when you’re not sure. You will feel more comfortable interacting with others, understand how to track your own boundaries and get more comfortable expressing them, and play with the verbal and non-verbal consent to make interactions more smooth and enjoyable for all parties involved.

What is contact improvisation?

It is a postmodern dance practice that explores movement through shared weight, touch, and physical awareness. Originating in the United States in 1972, contact improvisation was developed by dancer and choreographer Steve Paxton, drawing on influences from modern dance, aikido, and somatic practices. Contact Improvisation emphasizes the interplay of gravity, momentum, and improvisation, fostering an experimental approach to movement that invites both professional dancers and newcomers into its global community. The practice involves continuous physical touch between dancers, where gravity, momentum, inertia, and friction shape their interactions.

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Our rough agenda:

Friday (6-9pm):
- Evening potluck dinner - with opening circle introductions
- Gentle movement and body check-in
- Pods for sharing during the weekend (meet each morning) 15m
- Contact Improvisation facilitated movement and connection

Saturday (10am-6pm):
- Morning check-in pods
- Non-verbal, embodied consent practices
- Lunch
- contact improvisation dance
- Playfight workshop
- Slowing down

Sunday (10am-5pm:
- movement and massage
- Morning check-in pods
- Soft playfighting
-Lunch
- Conscious touch games
- Group play fight
- dance/fight Jam
- Group cuddle and slowing down

About the facilitators:

Roy Graff
Roy is a psychotherapeutic counsellor and relationship therapist who draws on his training in Psychosynthesis psychotherapy, Radical Honesty, Nonviolent Communication, and Wheel of Consent training to offer therapy and coaching to individuals, couples, and polycules. He has been facilitating playfighting workshops and consent workshops since 2022 in London, Berlin, and other cities across the UK as well as in various festivals.

Elena Zanchetta
Elena is a Certified Playfight Facilitator and massage therapist based in Amsterdam. Her vision is to develop spaces for platonic human connection using touch and authentic communication.

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