This lesson was our second session on flight and going up into the air. I was excited for this class as I was ready to develop on the skills I learnt last week!

We discussed last week’s contact jam as some of the girls were feeling apprehensive about how it went, due to the fact it was the longest period of time we had jammed for and there were new bodies in the room. I felt it was good to talk about it as I think it brought ease to some people’s mind. I learnt that it is normal for movements to not feel good/well connected with another body, because it may actually look interesting to watch to an observer despite it not feeling ‘right’ internally and physically for the Contacters.  I have begun to appreciate that I need to remain open minded about what can actually happen in a jam as many different opportunities can arise; involving changes of speed, dynamic  etc. I need to recognise that it is okay to not be in contact with someone the entire time, there can be moments of separation and playing around in the space with one another without the aspect of touch.  I do find it scary that we have new bodies now joining in with the contact jams; however I understand how great it is to have these new experiences and it also prevents falling into habitual patterns with the usual bodies we move with.  I found that this linked in with something I read in Exposed to Gravity ‘What is most important to remember is that each body disabled or not is unique and presents another opportunity to explore what movement is possible.’ (Curtis & Ptashek, 1988, p. 157)

In class we looked at two videos of two different contact improvisation duets. In the first video we saw The Play of Weight the duet was between a man and woman. It was clear to me as an observer that the male was the most dominant and was predominantly the under dancer. Unlike the other video Mina&Otto who was also a mixed gender couple. This couple had an equal shared balance between who was the over and under dancer. Watching these videos made me realise that it does not matter about sex, height or weight etc. to be able to establish who the most leading partner is. When moving there should be no muscular tension and bodies should be able to move and work as one. This makes me think that I do not need to worry and panic about giving my weight to someone who is smaller or less stronger than myself as when done correctly movements should have no strain. However, I do need to consider not giving or taking ‘weight without listening for the agreement of your partner’s body.’ (Curtis & Ptashek, 1988, p. 158)

We began the physical side of the lesson with improvisation on our own down the room involving:

• Spirals
• Coming up and going down repeatedly
• Rolling
• Creating loud sounds
• Being quiet with our bodies
• Allowing our bodies to absorb into the floor

This was a great way to start the class, as I personally struggle with improvisation, and we have not improvised on our own since the beginning of the module. It was a chance to go back and explore this, and I felt that I was in moment much more and my improvisation has progress a lot. It was a good chance to develop my confidence again as our focus from this has expanded into new areas.

One of the key principles of Contact Improvisation that we looked as today was Surf and Roll! This idea allows the bodies to keep moving and prevents bodies from getting stuck. It made me think:

How can we sustain contact through our torsos?

We then moved onto an exercise that helped me explore this query. In pairs one laid on the floor (back on the floor) and the other lay on top of them horizontally (belly buttons together). We then had to listen and feel for our partner’s breath and initiate movement from this connection of breath I found it easy to feel my partners breath as ‘breathing is done through the diaphragm with each breath being shallow.’ (Curtis & Ptashek, 1988, p. 157) However, I found it difficult to keep the torso’s attached as I wanted to use other body parts, but I thought it was a good way to initiate movements, and it actually led me to find new movements with a partner that I have not experienced as there was a lot of rolling around each other. It was nice to feel the constant change between being the over dancer and then the under dancer instead of primarily being one or the other.

I learnt that there are certain parts of the body that are great ‘anchor points’ for example the hips and shoulders. These points can easily facilitate weight and I plan on using these areas more to move/lift a body. I feel that these are two of the strongest places and I can see why a lot of the lifts we have looked at are positioned around these two anchor points.

One of the questions I asked myself last week was:

How can you incorporate lifts into a jam?

This week I learnt that whilst in a lift if the movement keeps going, instead of just being static it is a much easier way to find exits. As the lifts are only briefly in the air and are a good way to travel and create transitions!

The see-saw lift was interesting today, as I was able to achieve it with Ellie who is much taller than myself, and was not successful with Emma who is that same height as me. I found this fascinating as I thought it would be easier for people with the same body physique. This lift required the ‘scooping down to get up’ principle we looked at last week. I find this tool an excellent way to find the momentum for the flight.

I struggled with the ‘aikido roll’ in pairs in the session. I think this is due to the fact that my rolls seem to end up going to the side rather than forwards. I need to work on this roll before attempting with other people. I also think that if my partner pulled my hips in the right direction this would also help this movement come easier to me.

Trust has been an idea I have always wondered about throughout this module. I believe my trusting skills have improved and will keep growing. I think as the new skills I learn become more difficult I need to keep working on relying on other bodies more. ‘Learning where and how one’s contact partner senses and carries their center of gravity is essential to the development of trust and physical rapport.’ (Curtis & Ptashek, 1988, p. 160)  Especially, in these lifts because someone else is becoming responsible for my body and vice-versa.

A quote that I found inspiring from this week’s reading Exposed to Gravity was ‘An essential quality of improvisation is an appreciation of what is taking place within the present moment of one’s awareness.’ (Curtis & Ptashek, 1988, p. 160) I honestly can say that I do not appreciate what is happening at the time as I am so focussed on what is happening. Therefore I have learnt I need to develop this skill more and just enjoying being in the moment.

The Contact Jam for me this week was very motivating. We were joined by many other new bodies which was very daunting but great experience at the same time. Kirsty showed us how to create ‘conversations’ between two bodies without creating contact. I really enjoyed this, as it produced a playful atmosphere. It was also an easier way to experiment with different speed and dynamics, as I did not have the pressure of having to be in contact with someone else. I think this skill is really going to help progress and develop my confidence in Contact Improvisation.

Next week, we will be doing another Research Lab. I think this will be a good class as we have developed many more skills to work and experiment with in these explorations. I look forward to creating new discoveries, and hopefully finding the answers too many of my questions.

Works Cited

Curtis, B. & Ptashek, A., 1988. Exposed to Gravity. Contact Quarterly. Contact Improvisation Sourcebook I. Vol. 13. ed. s.l.:s.n.