Intimacy Choreography for Live Performance Program

We are excited to be offering a new training program this year for intimacy professionals called Intimacy Choreography for Live Performance. The program will be taught by Rebecca Johannsen, who is an IPA-certified intimacy coordinator and holds a PhD in Theatre from UC Irvine. She taught Theatre Studies at NYU's Tisch Drama program, with emphasis on feminist approaches to theatre history and dramatic literature. She has also taught in the Theatre Departments at Fordham University, CSU Northridge, UC Irvine, MiraCosta College, and Mercy College. Her doctoral dissertation focused on the impact of the performative female body.

This program was specially formulated to address the various types of live performance and to also give students an international perspective on the work to prepare them for multicultural environments. In addition to units on foundational topics like consent and boundaries, trauma awareness, and sexuality and gender literacy, some of the topics specific to live performance that will be covered in the program include:

  • A History of Intimacy Choreography/Direction

  • Types of Live Performance and How Intimacy Choreography is Applied

  • Consent in the Rehearsal Room

  • The Rehearsal Process

  • Understanding Different Types of Theatres and Hierarchies: Professional Equity, Opera, Community Theatre, International Theatres, and Educational Institutions

  • Intimacy Choreographer Protocols for Live Performance

  • Supporting a Production After it Opens

  • Intimacy Choreography for Live Performance

  • Chemistry Exercises

  • Closure Practices

The program consists of 15 consecutive weeks of online classes that will be delivered over the course of approximately 4 months. Classes are held every Sunday on Zoom and are approximately four hours long. Once the online portion of the program is complete, students will be required to participate in a multiday in-person choreography workshop.

IPA offers a handful of work-study positions each year and prioritizes giving these spots to applicants from diverse backgrounds to increase training accessibility for underrepresented groups in the field of intimacy coordination. We also offer a variety of payment plans for accepted students, and these can be combined with work-study.

Applications for CLASS OF 2024 - CLOSED

Applications for the Class of 2024 are now closed. Please see below for information related to this year’s training for informational purposes about how the application period is structured and additional information about the program:

Applications Open: June 10, 2024

Application Due Date: August 23rd, 2024 at 11:59pm Pacific Time

Interview Period: July 31 to September 1 (by invitation only)

Admissions Decisions Made By: September 15

Program Start Date: October 6, 2024

If you are interested in applying to be part of the Class of 2024 or want to learn more, please find below some helpful links:

Below you will also find an informational Q&A video about the program. Feel free to reach out to training@IPAinternational.org if you have any questions about the program or the application process.