2026 FACT/SF WINTER DANCE LAB
February 26 - March 1
10am-4pm Daily
(except February 26, which is 3pm-7pm)
ODC Theater, 3135 17th St, San Francisco CA 94110
Sophie Minouche Allen - Photo by Kim Doeleman
Charlie Slender-White - Photo by Alina Fejzo
OVERVIEW
The 2026 FACT/SF Winter Dance Lab is open to dancers new to Countertechnique and those with prior experience. The Lab is led by Charlie Slender-White and Sophie Minouche Allen. More information about the Winter Dance Lab can be found below.
DAILY SCHEDULE & DETAILS
February 26 - March 1, 2026
February 26, 3pm-7pm
February 27, 10am-4pm
February 28, 10am-4pm
March 1, 10am-4pm
The Winter Dance Lab will focus on Countertechnique basics, providing dancers new to the practice with an introduction to the technique and its underlying principles. For dancers already familiar with Countertechnique, the Lab will allow them to return to fundamentals in greater detail, discovering new opportunities to apply Countertechnique tools (especially during the simplest of exercises). Classes will co-taught by Charlie Slender-White and Sophie Minouche Allen. All participants will receive individual guidance and coaching from Charlie and Sophie, and more experienced dancers will additionally be offered opportunities to work with more complex movement patterns and greater nuance. Each day will start with an extended Countertechnique class followed by explorations of anatomy, space, momentum, and cognitive awareness.
TO APPLY
We want to learn more about you! Interested dancers should send in their application materials via THIS APPLICATION FORM.
Please email rbermudezsanders@factsf.org with any questions.
Within one week of applying, applicants will be contacted by FACT/SF regarding their participation in the Dance Lab. Please note: FACT/SF will be on vacation from December 22 - January 4. Applications received during this period will be reviewed after returning from holiday.
TUITION
$280 (applications received by January 16th)
$440 (applications received after January 16th)
Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis until the Lab has reached capacity (20 dancers).
Once applicants have been accepted into the Lab, they will need to pay a $75 security deposit to reserve their spot. Security deposits are non-refundable.
Remaining tuitions are due by Thursday, February 12, 2026.
FACT/SF has already selected two dancers to receive scholarships and work study opportunities to the 2026 Lab.
SELECTED PARTICIPANTS
Once notified of acceptance and successful processing of tuition, participants will receive a Welcome Packet. Information will include: nearby grocery stores and restaurants, directions, public transportation, parking, Dance Lab Detailed Schedule, and supplemental information on Countertechnique.
QUESTIONS
If you have any questions or would like more information, please email the FACT/SF Operations Manager, River Bermudez Sanders, at rbermudezsanders@factsf.org.
ABOUT COUNTERTECHNIQUE
In the 2026 FACT/SF Winter Dance Lab, Countertechnique will be taught by Charlie Slender-White and Sophie Minouche Allen.
Countertechnique
Countertechnique provides tools for body and mind to deal with the demanding dance practice of the 21st century. It is a movement system to help the dancer understand the dancing body, focusing on the process of incorporating information into action.
Within a clear structure of exercises, the Countertechnique class thoroughly prepares the body for rehearsal and performance. It enables dancers to move bigger, more fluidly and more spatially, while becoming stronger and more flexible. Dancers are encouraged to be proactive in discovering connections and solutions, to be less concerned with judging themselves, and to work in a healthy way with regard to both body and mind.
Countertechnique was created and developed by Dutch choreographer, dancer and teacher Anouk van Dijk, former Artistic Director of Australian dance company Chunky Move.
Underlying Principles
By continuously and sequentially directing and counter directing parts of the body through space, Countertechnique enables dancers to work with an ever-changing dynamic balance. This dynamic balance reduces pressure on the overall body structure and can be changed at any given moment. The consistent use of the counter direction in all movements is key to the technique; both the awareness and application of this principle are trained throughout the Countertechnique class.
The Countertechnique theory is organized around two guiding concepts: the ‘toolbox’ and ‘scanning’. The toolbox is the systematically organized collection of tools for body and mind with which Countertechnique works, often visualized as a virtual map that dancers carry with them. Scanning is the process in which dancers continuously and actively observe their mindset and body in order to choose the most appropriate tool(s) from the toolbox for their situation. Scanning allows dancers to actively use the toolbox in their daily practice of training, rehearsing, and performing.
Class Description
The Countertechnique class is a contemporary dance technique class. It stretches, coordinates and strengthens the body, making dancers sweat, build stamina and really move.
The class starts with a recurring set of exercises, allowing dancers to investigate the Countertechnique principles in detail. The second half of the class consists of varied components, working towards luscious movement combinations, and sometimes including jumping at the end.
The Countertechnique class results in dancers using more efficient energy, losing their fear of taking risks and gaining speed in both level and directional changes.
ABOUT THE TEACHERS
Sophie Minouche Allen. Photo by Sarah Jeffers.
SOPHIE MINOUCHE ALLEN
Sophie Minouche Allen performs, choreographs, teaches, and collaborates throughout Chicago and beyond. She imbues playfulness and nuance in all her endeavors and loves to make people smile. In addition to her independent projects, Sophie has had the pleasure of performing with INSÉKTA, Helen Lee/Momentum Sensorium, The Seldoms, Bob Eisen, Darling Squire, Niko8, Ayako Kato/Art Union Humanscape, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, and many others. Her choreography has been commissioned and/or presented by FACT/SF, The College of DuPage, Thodos Dance Chicago/DanceWorks Chicago, Midwest RADFest, Detroit Dance Exchange, Side Street Studio Arts, and COMMON conservatory among others. As a teacher, Sophie nurtures a nonjudgmental, uplifting class environment in support and pursuit of the joyfulness of learning and dancing together. She is currently on faculty at The Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet, teaches open classes throughout Chicago, and is honored to have guest taught at several companies, universities, and organizations such as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The University of Chicago, DanceWorks Chicago, Chicago Movement Collective, FACT/SF, Western Michigan University, Denison University, DISCO RIOT, and many others. Sophie holds a BFA in Dance and BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) from the University of Michigan. She is also a certified Countertechnique® Teacher. Sophie first encountered Countertechnique® in 2019 and successfully completed the Countechnique® Teacher Training program in 2023. To her, teaching and practicing Countertechnique® is both a thrill and a welcomed invitation to meet the challenges and pleasures of each moment with ease and courage. www.sophieminouche.com
Charlie Slender-White. Photo by Alina Fejzo.
CHARLIE SLENDER-WHITE
Charlie Slender-White is a queer, San Francisco-based contemporary dance artist of mixed European and Roma descent. He is an instigator, organizer, dad, husband, teacher, choreographer, performer, and the Artistic Director of FACT/SF. Charlie has been a Countertechnique practitioner for 20 years, and became a Certified Teacher in 2012. Charlie has taught Countertechnique at the American Dance Festival, throughout the Bay Area, across the United States and Canada, and in the Netherlands, Australia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, and Croatia.
Charlie founded FACT/SF in 2008, and is the lead architect of FACT/SF's Fieldwork programs. Over the past 18 years, Charlie has created 46 works, with commissions by the US Department of State, CounterPulse, Acid Rain (Chelyabinsk), Dialogue Dance (Kostroma), the Yekaterinburg University of the Humanities (Yekaterinburg), and others. Described as ‘utterly absorbing’ and ‘mesmerizing’ (SF Bay Guardian), Charlie’s choreography has been performed throughout the United States, Russia, the Balkans, and in Hong Kong. Charlie currently serves on the Board of Directors for DISCO RIOT (San Diego) and on the Strategic Planning Committee for Velocity Dance Center (Seattle). In 2012, Charlie was a mentee of Elizabeth Streb as part of CHIME Across Borders at the Margaret Jenkins Dance Lab. He began his dance career in 2006 with Tatiana Baganova’s Provincial Dances Theatre in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and graduated with honors from the University of California, Berkeley, with degrees in Dance & Performance Studies and English Literature.
Banner Image by Kim Doeleman (L) & Alina Fejzo (R)