As this was my first class of contact improvisation I was anxious to see what we would be doing throughout this semester. From doing improvisation in my first year I was excited but also nervous to see where the connection between two bodies would emerge. The first activity we was given involved us reconnecting with the floor and using our body in many different ways which included rolling, pushing and pulling. I found this difficult to start with as I had not been able to do an improvisation lesson over the summer so I had to refresh my body and mind. When watching my peers improvise I noticed their habitual movements, for example some people stayed down on the floor more than standing. The feedback I was given was that my movement always initiates from my shoulders. When improvising I always improvise on the floor, this is something which has become a habit to me which I need to eliminate and expand my movement knowledge.
One of the most interesting and challenging exercises from the class was when all dancers had to walk around the room with our eyes closed. This pushed me to the limit as I personally don’t like being in the unknown, not knowing if I was going to hit or bump into anyone scared me. The way contact was brought into this exercise was when two dancers touched one another we had to hug. I was hesitant to start with as I did not know who I was hugging and the vibes which I was getting from the other dancers was that it was awkward. Once we repeated this task more I felt like everyone was more comfortable as the hugs as they were more meaningful, tighter and longer.
In the next exercise we improvised in partners and one peer touched a body part of another where ever there was an opening. From observing, I noticed everyone was touching lightly on their partner’s body. The dynamics also made a difference to the force of the touch. When I observed the partners doing the movement with sharp dynamics, I noticed that their touching was fast and quick so they was able to keep up with the other person. When the dynamics were slower I feel like the dancers had more time to think about where they were touching and where they were placing the hand. When my partner pressed with more force onto my body this restricted my movement slightly as I was unable to move in the way I wanted. This exercise allowed me to connect with my partner and enabled me to communicate through our movements rather than our voices. This exercise benefited me by allowing me to grow in confidence with my peers and grow closer and more intimate with each other.
The final exercise involved us being in partners and jabbing the air whilst facing each other. Every time we jabbed in the same area we had to complete the same movement. The closer I was to my partner the more uncomfortable I felt. When performing this exercise I always felt like I was going to jab in their space causing injury. The more we completed the movement the more comfortable I became with the person I was working with meaning I was able to feel the movement and communicate with my body.
From Heitkamp’s reading ‘Moving from the skin’. I can relate to ‘one of the most important elements of contact improvisation is communication by touch, both by touching, and being touched’ (Heitkamp, 2003, 256). From my experience today this idea is relatable to the activities which I performed. In the way that by touching one another you are communicating through the body and audience without speaking which can be empowering to watch and also perform. Touch is an importance in contact improvisation as this is the starting point which then can lead onto many difference pathways.
Do different dynamics effect the way we contact throughout improvisation?
How would you initiate contact through the improvisation?
Bibliography
Heitkamp, D. (2003). Moving from the Skin: An Exploratorium. Contact Quarterly/ Contact Improvisation Sourcebook II, Vol. 28:2. Pp. 256- 264.