CI Groundswell teachers can be arranged for special classes and also teach private lessons.

Get in touch to schedule a lesson.

CI Groundswell Teachers

CJ O’Reilly

CJ O’Reilly started their movement exploration in the world of martial arts and extreme sports, and discovered their love for dance when they unraveled the puzzle of their own self consciousness while traveling in Mongolia. Since then dance has been a part of life. CJ discovered Contact Improvisation as a dance major at University of Colorado, Boulder, but moved to Inner Mongolia China soon after; unable to find other CI practitioners, they studied TaiJi and danced in nightclubs for years until the lack of shared practice become unbearable. In Beijing, CJ helped spawn the mainland Chinese Contact Improvisation scene by translating two workshops by Irene Sposetti & Johan Nilsson and held regular jams. In 2014, They moved to Asheville with a clear intention of learning to cultivate the culture and practice dance in community and began hosting Contact Improv classes and labs weekly. Other than Contact Improvisation and commonly associated modalities, CJ’s movement background is influenced by experience with: Taiji, Aikido, Capoeira Conditioning, Acro Yoga and partner acrobatics, partner dance forms including Swing, Blues and Tango, and a passion for the physics.