“It was difficult not to be a little teary inside. We had spent three days together and a warm bond had grown. Everyone had had fun, been treated with dignity; so we respected each other and felt an intense vicarious pleasure in each other’s smiles and laughter.”

∼Steve Paxton

Founder of Contact Improv

“Participating in DanceAbility made me feel that I was connecting with other people. I learned that people with disabilities can do the same things I can do. They just do it in different ways. I am a Muslim girl and I know what it is like to be different. People have made fun of the scarf I wear. In DanceAbility, we can move together whether we are different or the same! We can be one community. ”

∼Fathia Sheikh

Dancer & Volunteer

Workshops & Programs

Contact Improvisation

Contact Improvisation workshops focus on contact and the study of improvisation as a way to deepen our experience of the roots of the form, as well as to open to the elements of the unknown. Working in duets and small groups we will broaden our awareness of ensemble work within the context of contact improvisation. We will deepen communication and our own dancing through attention to sensation, relation, time, and design. Click here » to learn more about Contact Improvisation.

Breitenbush Jam

The Breitenbush Jam » is a nine-day Contact Improvisation event produced every year in March by Joint Forces Dance Company. The Jam is held at the lovely Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat center in Detroit Oregon and features much open dancing as well as workshops with leaders in the contemporary dance world.

Bodywork Workshops

Alito Alessi is a Licensed Massage Therapist. He has been practicing for more than 25 years, and has taught bodywork internationally for 20 years. Bodywork workshops » focus on preparation, application, and integration. Alito promotes breath & movement as a critical tool for increasing physical awareness in preparation for hands-on partnerwork. Learn how to work towards the proper alignment of pelvis, shoulders, neck, & spine, and acquire a deeper understanding of strength, stretch, and release. Deepen your intuition by listening to our bodies’ messages.

DanceAbility Workshops

Workshops vary in length depending on the needs and interests of groups and communities, ranging from one hour to multiple days or weeks. To learn more about our DanceAbility workshops click here ».

Youth Outreach

Joint Forces Dance Company offers educational DanceAbility performance events for schools in the state of Oregon and beyond. The intention of these performances is to educate teachers and young people about dance and disabilities. To learn more about our youth outreach programs click here ».

Choreography & Presentations

Joint Forces Dance Company Artistic Director Alito Alessi has choreographed pieces for and performed and/or taught at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), at the International VSA Arts Festival, the Governor’s Arts Awards in Eugene, Portland’s “Artquake” and at many festivals, schools, universities and other venues around the world, including Dance Umbrella in Boston, Jacob’s Pillow (U.S.A.), Vienna International Dance Festival, International Festival of New Dance (Brasilia), Bern Tanz Tage Dance Festival (Germany), “Festival of Freaks” (Switzerland), and Contact Arte (Italy). To commission a presentation or a performance to be choreographed for your particular needs, please send us an email ».

Upcoming Workshops & Events

Joint Forces Dance Company schedules multiple events and educational workshops around the world. Be sure to visit our calendar of events to learn about DanceAbility International events in your area; click here ».