My first Contact Improvisation lesson began with an introduction to the module and what it entailed; this made me feel very apprehensive. However, as the lesson progressed I began to feel less worried and more motivated about all the new skills I will be learning. What initiated my eagerness was that, as part of the module assessment at the end of the semester, we will be asked to perform a Contact Improvisation duet that has been choreographed. To help give us an idea of what these duets may look like we were shown two clips of two different duets, by two companies we need to be looking into throughout this module: La La La Human Steps and Ultima Vez. Watching these made me excited to think about what I may be able to achieve at the end of this semester.
Firstly we were asked to lie on the floor and create tension in separate areas of the body e.g. lower back. I found it quite difficult to isolate different parts of my body; however the results after completing this were surprising as my body felt much more relaxed and lengthened. The idea of this was to recognise and feel comfortable in our bodies and skin which helped lead onto what we were asked to do next. We were asked to play around with the ideas of pushing, pulling and rolling whilst we were on the floor. To begin with I found it challenging to let go and to not think and care about what I looked like. This idea of ‘letting go’ made much more sense to me after feeling it physically from reading about how Heitkamp describes one of the most important elements of Contact Improvisation being ‘what is happening right now, letting it happen, letting oneself go, being in flow.’ (Heitkamp, 2003, p. 259) However, I could feel myself falling into habitual patterns such as doing a back roll if I did not know what to do with myself. I noticed that the floor was my safe place and I like to lead my movements with my head. I feel that these habitual patterns are not uncommon when first exploring Contact Improvisation as Albright discusses how people seem wary and unable to let go of conscious control, and how disorientation, fear and fixed habitual responses can be noticed. (Gere, 2003, p. 180)
The lesson progressed fast, as we were suddenly asked to be in pairs, and as one of us improvised the other had to touch the person improvising and make a point of contact. I found it interesting to observe a pair as they did this exercise, because it was fascinating to see whether the place of touch influenced the next movement or rejected it and went in the opposite direction. This related back to Heitkamp’s suggestion of how touching can suggest a direction. (Heitkamp, 2003, p. 263) I learnt that either way is right, it is all about how the body feels to what transition it makes. A question that entered my mind whilst watching this exercise was:
‘What happens and changes when speed and dynamics change?’
I feel that the game ‘Ninja Jabs’ really helped me realise how important it is in Contact Improvisation to make bodily communications to people. The game started as a simple arm exercise and slowly developed into how bodies can fit together. I personally felt that it became much easier to get closer to another person and bend into the knees to really see and make a connection between two bodies and to see where best they could piece together.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed the class today and was amazed by the natural and organic movements that my body was able to create in the moment. I look forward to exploring my body’s movements more, as well as being in contact with another and seeing how they link and interchange together. It excited me how quickly we progressed and learnt new skills and I cannot wait to develop these skills further.
Works Cited
Gere, A. C. A. &. D., 2003. Taken by Surprise: A Dance Improvisation Reader. s.l.:Wesleyan University Press.
Heitkamp, D., 2003. Contact Quartely/ Contact Improvisation Sourcebook II. s.l.:s.n.