“One of the most important elements of Contact Improvisation is communication by touch, both by touching and by being touched, in the course of which a wide range of information is exchanged trough the skin”
Dieter Heitkamp (2003)
Contact Improvisation what is it? How do we move together? How should I support someone? What if I drop someone? What will it be like sharing that contact with someone? Before starting improvisation these are all questions I had running through my head, learning how I should communicate through skin to skin contact with someone.
Getting into improvisation I have realised how different it is to choreographed contact for example, Wim Vandeokeybus piece called Blush it was all contact based however it was choreographed contact where as a contact jam by Berlin K77 you could see a big contrast between the two. In the video Blush they had interesting transitions between each scene and even though it looked choreographed it was set improvisation contact. In comparison to the jam in Berlin they took things a lot slower and it was much more controlled with what they were doing, they were constantly communicating with each other whilst rolling on the floor and lifting one and other. It looked very experimental compared to the set choreography, it was also very interesting to watch the jam because in comparison to some they were communicating constantly and in some improvisational jams they do it silence but they are constantly in contact with each other.
Once getting a full understanding as a group we were asked to stand in a space in the room, lights turned off, curtains closed and eyes closed, place our hands in front of ourselves and walk around to find people and shake their hands, later on developing into hugging the others. This I found very intriguing and interesting to do as it enables you to come across bodies that you’ve never partnered with both. It really enabled you to get a feel of each other and provide some sort of framework around you and that person before moving on. Although you a relying on touch it wasn’t always easy because there would be a cluster at points and you always seemed to find the same bodies. To try and find the bodies you had to constantly listen for breathing or footsteps around you. By using a different sense beside eyesight it allowed new experiences to happen with in the body and gave a new feeling to the movement when I came to producing material. Shaking hands gave the effect of feeling welcome into the space of that person and the hugging made you feel close to that person and again welcoming, it gave you a sense that you could start doing some sort of contact.
I found doing contact across the floor with different partners allowed us to get used to each other’s bodies and you found a sense of trust. The four things we had to do:
• Rugby tackle position resisting and pushing against each other
• Back to back crab walking across the room
• Pushing arms against each other, legs slightly out to the side walking across the room
• Holding each other’s wrists and balancing out to the side walking across
These tasks I found helpful with engaging in each other’s bodies allowing that new connection to happen. One thing I found when doing this with some people they wouldn’t communicated with the other instead they would move out of the position causing the partner to fall. There needs to be a sense of engagement and connection between each other as it allows better understanding between the bodies and people you are working with. Also preventing any injury from happening big or small.
Overall, I really enjoyed the introduction to contact improvisation as it’s made me excited for further development of it and has allowed me to experience new bodies and ways people work. It’s given me a sense of excitement as it will enable me to develop the practice further. Also allowing me to see how I will work with new people and how their bodies move with mine. This allowing me to see how I connect with them and how well I am able to communicated with the new bodies I haven’t worked with much.
Bibliography:
Heitkamp, D. (2003). Moving from the Skin: An Exploratorium. Contact, Vol. 28:2. Pp. 256- 264Quarterly/ Contact Improvisation Sourcebook II