BIO
Ilona Kenova is a dancer and teacher whose work bridges body awareness, somatics, and creative exploration. Her teaching supports dancers in developing subtle listening and embodied intelligence.
Tonus and Motion
Contact Improvisation Class: Tonus and Motion
Teachers: Mirva Mäkinen & Ilona Kenova
Level: Open Level (some CI experience recommended)
Class Description:
In this Contact Improvisation class, we will explore the interplay between the tonus (muscle tone) and motion in our dancing bodies. Our investigation begins with a deepening awareness of internal sensations—tuning into the subtle shifts of muscle engagement, relaxation, and readiness.
What is tonus?
- Tonus is the continuous and passive partial contraction of the muscles, a key element in how we organize our movement, weight, and responsiveness. In CI, our tone shapes how we give and receive weight, how we fall, roll, lift, and flow with a partner.
Throughout the class, we will:
- Explore variations in muscle tone: from soft and receptive to activated and ready.Practice listening through touch, recognizing how changes in tone signal intent or direction.
- Move between states of stillness and motion, discovering how tone supports transitions.
- Work solo, in duets, and in group scores to research how tonus influences connection, timing, and spontaneity.
- Investigate the quality of motion born from different tonal states, and how these impact shared weight and movement pathways.
Our aim is not to “correct” tone, but to expand our awareness and range—to support more versatile, responsive, and expressive dancing.