EDAM Dance

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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from EDAM Dance, Nonprofit Organization, 303 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC.

EDAM's mandate is to provide a stable and fertile environment for the development of contemporary dance through teaching, training and the creation and production of choreography and the art of contact improvisation.

10/09/2026

Announcing EDAM’s November 2026 Choreographic Series

Please join us for an evening of new works by:
Rebecca Margolick
Jeanette Kotowich
Raïna von Waldenburg
⁠
November 04, 06, 07, 11, 13, 14
7PM⁠
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EDAM Studio Theatre⁠
303 E 8th Ave⁠

healing

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TICKETS at zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/edam-choreographic-series-november--2026

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If you have questions about attending the shows, please email us at: [email protected]⁠
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EDAM gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of British Columbia, the BC Arts Council and the City of Vancouver.⁠
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We, at EDAM, live, work and create on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.⁠
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photo: Chris Randle

10/06/2026

Our first BIPOC Jam of the season is this weekend!
⁠
BIPOC Jam⁠
Sunday, October 11th
3:30-5:30PM⁠
with live music by RCHRDY⁠
Pay with your Jam card, details at www.edamdance.org/jams
or drop-in $15⁠ at the door, by cash or credit card
⁠
We invite all BIPOC dancers and movers into this open jam time, led by Regalito & featuring live music by RCHRDY . Some familiarity with Contact is encouraged.⁠

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About Regalito:⁠
Regalito, or “Ito” for short, is a financial professional by day and a performing artist by night. His home is Vancouver, BC, on the unceded ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. His artistic practice consists of public speaking, flow arts, and contact improvisation. ⁠
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He began his CI journey in 2023, sparked by a deep curiosity about consent, non-verbal communication, and the relationship between the masculine and feminine. He also goes to music festivals, climbs rocks, makes weird noises, eats sushi, and lives for a good boogie.

09/30/2026

Today is National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, an important day for remembering and honouring the children who never returned home from and the Survivors of Canada’s residential school system, as well as their families.

It’s a time for learning from the lasting impacts of this history, and witnessing how it shapes our land and our culture today. ⁠EDAM is committing to this time of reflection and learning by participating in the Yellowhead School's Land Back course - a seven week course covering the history and present day effects of Indigenous land dispossession in Canada. We encourage our communities to also take part in this free learning created by .

Please note, this year EDAM is closed on Sept 30th out of respect for Canada's Indigenous communities and their families.

Here are some events and gatherings taking place across the city today and this weekend, in honour of Truth & Reconciliation Day.⁠
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⁠Intergenerational March to Commemorate Orange Shirt Day⁠
Sept 30th
11:45 am – 3:00 pm
Meet at 1956 Main Mall, UBC Vancouver Campus
More details at ⁠
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Reconciling: An Afternoon with Larry Grant and Scott Steedman
Oct 3rd
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Dunbar Library Branch - 4515 Dunbar St.
⁠
Cedar Woman by Tasha Faye Evans
Oct 1st + 2nd - 8pm
Oct 3rd - 3pm matinee
The Dance Centre
More details at

🧡

09/29/2026

EDAM is excited to announce a special Open Studio performance to our time with guest facilitator Nica Portavia.

DEAR GRAVITY
a score by Nica Portavia at EDAM

Thurs, Oct 1st
Doors: 12:15 PM
Performance: 12:30 - 1:00 PM
Entry is FREE

Performers:
Nathan Coburn
Jin He
Noelle Lee
Alex Mah
Sophia Makarenko
Nica Portavia
RCHRDY
Hana Rutka
August Winter

Score:
Nica Portavia

Nica is currently visiting EDAM from Italy, sharing their practice with our community. With decades of specialized research in Steve Paxton’s Material for the Spine, Nica’s Contact Improvisation practice is a deep study of empathy, togetherness, difference, precariousness, and solidarity.

On Thursday, we will open up the studio for a celebration of the research that has unfolded over the past two days. We invite you to experience DEAR GRAVITY, an Open Studio sharing.

You can also catch Nica’s Thursday evening class, Unstable Togetherness, open to all levels on Thurs, Oct 1st from 6:30 - 8:00 PM. Drop-in at the door is welcome.

09/18/2026

Our Nica Portavia (Italy) Workshop intensive is quickly approaching!
⁠
⁠DEAR GRAVITY ⁠
Experienced CI Level Workshop⁠
Mon-Tues | Sept 28 + 29th⁠
10:30AM - 4:45PM (lunch break 1 - 2PM)⁠

Sliding scale
Single day $85 - $135
Both days $150 - $250
⁠

(UN)STABLE Togetherness⁠
Open CI Level Class⁠
Thurs | Oct 1st⁠
6:30 - 8:00PM⁠

Sliding scale
$25 - $41⁠
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For full Workshop and Class descriptions, or to register online, visit www.edamdance.org/nicaportavia

About Nica
I was born in Fano, Italy, from an Italian father and a mother from Lebanon. I started dancing as a child, following a Professional Dance School program in Giordan, then in Spain and finalized in Italy. I am a dancer, teacher & researcher, and performer in the field of Contact Improvisation.

I discovered CI many years ago, and mainly trained abroad with many teachers including Steve Paxton, Daniel Lepkoff, Charlie Morrissey, KJ Holmes, and Karen Nelson. I followed the training Material for the Spine, by Steve Paxton, where I had the big pleasure to meet and study with Steve, diving completely into his research. I also followed a 3 year training called Tatto Interno (Deep Touch) that is about the relation between fascia and the nervous system.

I'm currently co-teaching with Karen Nelson our project called 'Faking it with gravity' and we are performing together our research-work called 'Smaller' that is traveling around the world. I’m also co-teaching with Charlie Morrissey at Tanzfabrik Belin school a workshop called Gravity Dances. I have taught and teach in France, Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Russia, Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Portugal, Mexico, and USA.

I am the organizer of national and international events, including the ItalyContactFest and EVERYBODIESAREPOLITICAL, a tightening about politics and dance. With my CI community in bologna we are exploring the topic of IMPACT, dancing in public spaces and creating documentation and writing.

09/15/2026

This year at EDAM, we're excited to announce a new special offering

Awareness Through Movement
with Francesca Frewer
Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30PM⁠
First class Sept 15th⁠

Awareness Through Movement® is a somatic movement practice that re-patterns the nervous system's habitual movement pathways. Through structured movement explorations with specifically directed attention, participants develop greater efficiency and ease in movement — reducing excess tension, building greater integrity and coordination, and refining embodied awareness. ATM helps people find freedom from habitual patterns which may lead to strain, discomfort, or injury, and opens up a world of continual exploration, refinement, and possibility.

If you know our company member Francesca, then you know she has long been a Feldenkrais® practitioner and facilitator. We're looking forward to partnering with her, adding ATM into our weekly class offerings.

Register at edamdance.org/special-offerings.
Pre-registration encouraged; drop-ins welcome space permitting.

Photo by Daniel O'Shea

09/02/2026

Morning class begins NEXT WEEK🍁⁠
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Morning Class
Monday to Friday⁠
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM⁠
starting September 8th

Morning Class offers professional dancers and those at an advanced level of Contact Improvisation a dedicated space to engage in consistent, technical and critical CI training at a high level of practice.

✅️ Permission to attend is required for new participants (check the EDAM website for more details and our New Participant form).
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In a typical class, the teacher offers prompts to guide attention and practice with an emphasis on expanding awareness and skill development. Warm-up organically leads into open contact duets or more structured explorations. Class usually concludes with an ensemble score. Facilitated opportunities for conversation and questions occur halfway and/or at the end of class.
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*NEW* EDAM will pilot a new sign-in process at our Morning Class. Please be prepared for a slightly different flow at the door, and bear with us as we work out this transition 🌱

🌙 $25 per class, or pay by Class Card⁠
🌙 *NEW* Drop-in registration is available at the door by cash or credit. ⁠
🌙 No pre-registration is available, no payment by e-transfers. ⁠
🌙 Our Class Card promo is going strong. Link in bio for details on how to save, or visit www.edamdance.org/classes

08/31/2026

EDAM is pleased to announce our BIPOC CI class, taking place every Sunday this semester!⁠
⁠
BIPOC Improvisation All-Levels⁠
with Natalie Tin Yin Gan (顏婷妍)⁠
Sundays, 3:30-5:30PM⁠
First class September 13th⁠
⁠

A class for BIPOC dancers and movers, Natalie holds a welcoming space to learn Contact Improvisation.

Every class will begin with an opening circle and a warm-up, to bring us into our bodies and our sense of awareness. Natalie will offer CI foundations through individual, partnered, and/or group exercises. Each prompt is an invitation to be in inquiry and creativity together as we train our capacity for listening, responsiveness, and play. We will improvise with our many dance partners: the floor, the space, ourselves, and our fellow dancers.
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BIPOC: This class is for those who self-identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Colour).⁠
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♦️ $25 per class, or pay by Class Card⁠
♦️ *NEW* Drop-in registration is available at the door by cash or credit. ⁠
♦️ No pre-registration is available, no payment by e-transfers. ⁠
♦️ Purchase a Class Card during our promo and save, going on now. Link in bio for details or at www.edamdance.org/classes

08/27/2026

Sundays are back starting September 13th!

Contact Improvisation All-Levels
with Anne Cooper
Sundays, 12:30-2:30PM⁠
starting Sept 13th⁠

This class is a weekly, open level, drop-in class with Anne Cooper, who has been teaching Contact Improvisation at EDAM for over 20 years. She brings her extensive experience and continuous inquiry to this class, meeting participants where they are at in their dancing and offering ways to dig deeper into the practice.

🌙 $25 per class, or pay by Class Card⁠
🌙 *NEW* Drop-in registration is available at the door by cash or credit. ⁠
🌙 No pre-registration is available, no payment by e-transfers. ⁠
🌙 Purchase a Class Card during our promo and save, going on now. Visit www.edamdance.org/classes⁠ to purchase.
⁠

photo:

08/25/2026

✔️✔️ Mark your calendars, EDAM classes are starting up two weeks!

Contact Improvisation Fundations
Thursdays, 6:30-8:30PM
starting Sept 10th

A beginner-friendly class focused on introducing (and re-introducing) Contact Improvisation basics. While the class is targeted for those with 0-3 years of CI experience, we welcome all-levels to sharpen their foundational skills and take part in this shared research of Contact Improvisation.

Teacher Schedule
💫 September 10th to October 29th: Arash Khakpour
🔸 October 1st: Special Class with Nica Portavia
💫 November 5th to December 17th: Francesca Frewer

This class will explore a variety of fundamental CI principles including:
- rolling point of contact
- sloughing (sliding)
- meeting pressure (continuity of connection)
- weight sharing
- under-dancing (offering mobile support)

$25 per class, or pay by Class Card
*NEW* Drop-in registration is available at the door by cash or credit.
No pre-registration is available, no payment by e-transfers.

Psst...don't forget our Class Card promo is going on now! Link in bio for details or at www.edamdance.org/classes

photo:

Address

303 East 8th Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V5T1S1

Telephone

+16048769559

Website

http://www.edamdance.org/

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