Your first jam.

What a jam is

A jam is an open session where people practise contact improvisation together. There is no teacher and usually no music. You dance with whoever is willing, rest at the edge when you want to, and leave when you are done. The jams page has the full definition and the Miami listings, and your first jam, step by step walks through an evening hour by hour. This chapter gives you what to practise before you go.

Arrive for the circle

Many jams open with a short circle. Someone states the ground rules, newcomers can say hello, and anyone may add a boundary or a note. It is the easiest moment of the evening to be included, and the one latecomers miss. If you arrive early you also get time to change, find the water and pick a corner of the floor to warm up in.

Say it is your first time if you feel like it. The room tends to meet you accordingly.

Asking for a dance

Dances usually begin with eye contact and an open hand rather than a speech. If you want to be clearer, a short question works: "Would you like to dance?" Then wait. A pause is a legitimate answer, and so is a no. If the answer is yes, start slowly, with one small point of contact, and use the weight-sharing skills from chapter 3.

Leaving a dance

A dance ends when either person ends it. Slow down, lighten the contact and part. Many dancers finish with a nod, a hand on the chest or a short "thank you". Then walk to the edge, drink some water and watch for a while. You do not owe anyone a second dance, and you do not owe anyone an explanation either.

Focus jams

Some jams pick a single theme for the evening, which is called a focus jam. Martin Keogh ran regular focus jams in Boston and kept notes on the format: a theme introduced with a quote or a question, an evening of dancing, and a closing circle where people say what they noticed. Dancers can follow the theme, argue with it or ignore it. If you are not sure whether a jam is a focus jam, ask the host.

Try this: rehearse your two lines

Write down the sentence you would use to ask someone to dance and the sentence you would use to end one. Say each aloud three times. They can be as short as "Would you like to dance?" and "Thank you, I'm going to rest." Having the words ready takes the fear out of the first ten minutes.

Try this: the edge hour

At your first visit, spend the first ten minutes at the edge. Watch two or three dances all the way through. Notice how they begin, how weight moves, how they end, and what the dancers do in the pauses. Pick one thing you would like to try. That is a perfectly good first evening, and it is allowed to be the whole evening.

Where to go

If you live in Miami, the Friday jam page has the weekly details. The jams page lists the sessions this site has verified. Both explain what to bring and what to expect, so this chapter does not repeat them.