Part wrestling, part social dance, Contact Improvisation is a physical investigation of passivity versus activity and demand versus response. Essentially, the form investigates the give and take of weight between two or more bodies, improvised movements immersing the dancers in dynamic... [more]

Part wrestling, part social dance, Contact Improvisation is a physical investigation of passivity versus activity and demand versus response. Essentially, the form investigates the give and take of weight between two or more bodies, improvised movements immersing the dancers in dynamic play. Partners remain connected to one another, making constant contact with all bodily surfaces except the hands, a technique that forces the dancers to use nontraditional means to touch and support the others' weight. Like early forms of Modern dance, Contact Improvisation is motivated by explorations of gravity, falling, and the floor - in this case, these themes are considered in connection with the play between multiple bodies. Collaborating with students while in residency at Oberlin College in 1972, Steve Paxton created the parameters of what quickly evolved into Contact Improvisation. The students discovered the importance of peripheral vision and that a relaxed body is more perceptive and receptive while "contacting". Since Contact is, in Paxton's words, "focused on the phenomenon, rather that on the presentation", performances of the form can be uneven, peppered with dramatic instances of sudden weight shifts, vertical or horizontal changes of direction, or unexpected physical risks taken with relaxed ease. Contact Improvisation is a populist dance form. It has become a democratic, collective movement that operates in local, informal groups made up of dancers and non-dancers who practice or "jam" regularly. [show less]