Blindfold Jam (Helsinki)

The next Blindfold Jam in Helsinki will be on Saturday 19.4.2025.

Sight as a sense defines greatly all our action – and also how we experience dance. And still most of dance is something totally different – experiencing movement, feeling the movement and sensing oneself, others and the world we are immersed in.

In this blindfold jam based on contact improvisation the temporary removal of the sense of seeing grants a possibility to sensitize into a deeper and more subtle perception and feeling of movement without the control of sight.

The session consists of preparation, shared and facilitated tuning-in, dancing and warming down. You can leave the space and return to it at any time between (beyond the shared tuning-in), but you can be and dance in the space only blindfolded.

Removing the sense of sight may take the dance into more sensual direction than usual, but it can also stay on the level of just exploring movement. Regardless of the form, consent needs to be negotiated with care. We will give tools for this at the start of the jam.

There is one person in the space taking care of general safety and taking case of the rules of safer space.

You don’t need to have experience from contact improvisation to attend.

Please arrive in the beginning (by 19.30) so we can make sure everyone has the same instructions on safety.

You can bring your own blindfold with you if you wish, but we also have plenty for everyone. There will be also be specifically curated sounds and lights in the space.

The structure of the session:

19 – 19.30 Preparation: Arriving in the space, choosing your blindfold and doing your own warm-up.

19.30 – 20 Beginning: Instructions about safety in the space and shared tuning-in while blindfolded.

20 – 21.30 Dance: Dancing blindfolded in the space. You can leave and come back any time, but you can be in the dance space only while blindfolded.

21.30 – 22 Warming down: You can move in the space also without the blindfold or still keep it on a while longer. We’ll have a short circle in the end to check on everyone.

You can come and go as you like between 19 – 19.30 and 20 – 22. Between 19.30 – 21.30 you can move in the space only blindfolded.

Price and link to webshop:

13e

https://holvi.com/shop/everything/product/0ce25382208a314e1d00381504a194f9/

Jam place:

Eskus – Performance center, studio 1.

(Eskus – Performance Center, Puhdistamo (building n:o 6) 2. fl.

Official address: Kaasutehtaankatu 1/33, 00540 Helsinki.)

Facilitator:

Samee Haapa is an actor FIA, dancer and a dj, who has 20 years of experience in organising alternative clubs and raves and teaching and making radical contemporary dance.

Special notes:

Letting go of the control of the sight changes your perception of others, space and boundaries. **Please consider whether this is something you’re ready for.** There are multiple safety precautions in place in the jam to keep everyone safe, but ability to recognize and articulate your own boundaries is essential.

For this jam we’ll only sell tickets beforehand so we can anticipate the amount of people attending. This has to do with safety and so we can prepare the blindfolds beforehand. The blindfolds are carefully washed after each use and handled hygienically before given to you.

Please ask for further information about our precautions or send us feedback by sending a message to centerforeverything at gmail dot com.

We might take some photos and shoot some video at the jam. If you’d rather not be seen in these, please tell it to the facilitator and we’ll sort it out.

Blindfold Jam is committed to the principles of safer space. This means respect for all genders, sexualities, backgrounds, bodies and abilities. Racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or other oppressive behavior is not allowed.

Feedback from Blindfold Jam:

‘There’s really no sense in making performances after this!’

‘It was a bit like contact improvisation, but also kind of like totally its own thing.’

(Photographer: Marko Mäkinen. Taken from a dj jam)