by Jessie Seetoo
Touching, leaning, lifting, and embracing – these are forms of body contact frequently adopted by dancers and choreographers. For ballerinas and their Prince Charmings, they are poised positionings that enthrall audiences – and especially photographers. Contact improvisation, however, is a highly “movement-oriented” form of dance that uses a series of ongoing movements to compose duets of fluidity. Since each dance is improvised, you never know how it will develop – and therein lies its fascination. “A cross between jitterbugging, wrestling, and making love,” as one improviser describes it. It is an exploration and an experience; the dancers are no longer just performers, they become involved in it. Contact improvisation is based on the physical contact between the dancers. By touching, dancers concentrate on the flow of energy that runs between them, caused by the pressure and the shift of weight when they touch. Dancers remain in contact during the entire experience. And by moving with that flow of energy, an astonishing variety of “body links” are formed – the shoulder to the back, the head to the waist, the toes to the fingers, and much more! From spectators’ point of view, movements can range from tender leanings and pressings to daring crashing, rolling, and tumbling. And it is not limited to duets or trios only; contact improvisers sometimes form a “jam” with many participants. Imagine how exciting that would be! This new approach to modern dance was invented by the American dancer and choreographer Steve Paxton. In 1972, he inaugurated a piece named “Magnesium,” in which he and eleven students performed on several wrestling mats for an audience in a large gymnasium. They staggered about, crashed into each other, fell, and rolled about. A lot of pulling, dragging, loss of balance occurred. This was the prototype for contact improvisation. The final part of the piece is called “the stand,” in which the dancers stand, facing different directions, and meditatively feel their own subtle shifts of weight within. The result appears to render a gentle swaying of their torsos. This technique was later adopted for the training of beginners, in order to practice inward concentration and spontaneous movement. As a dance lover myself, I have also tried contact improvisation and found it extremely interesting. Unlike more common forms of modern dance, which require years of technical training, contact improvisation is very easy to approach. Of course you need to practice certain skills, but they are not as grueling as ballet. We began with “the stand” in our first class. The aim is to allow yourself to concentrate on and “listen” to your own body. Then you are asked to lie on the floor, to feel more sensitively the different parts of your body against the floor, and roll in different positions to experience your own weight while gradually making your movement smoother. During the process, you sort out the best way to roll without painfully hitting your joints against the floor, since yielding and softening are also essential in contact improvisation – you don’t want to hurt yourself, right? Then you and your partner take turns rolling on each other’s back while the other remains lying on the floor. This helps you to feel the parts of your partner’s body and his or her weight. Finally, you can start doing contact improvisation and enjoy “sticking together” with your partner(s)! Participating in this unique form of dance, I was truly inspired. First, I felt the unlimited possibility of my body movements in response to my partner’s, and also to space. The astonishing curves and spirals we form by chance can never be choreographed, nor can they be duplicated. We can only be overwhelmed with more surprises as they develop. Then there is the excitement of dancing with different people. Somehow, through the body, you can sense the subtleties of different dispositions in different people. And it’s simply exciting to see what kinds of “conversations” you can strike up. Finally, there is a magic quality of mutual, wholehearted trust between partners, through touching and attentive responding. No one is dominant; everyone has to play the role of the “listener.” When you overcome your self-consciousness you are deeply involved with the others, and it just makes you feel blissful and relaxed, as if all barriers have been removed and you and your partner’s feelings resonate beyond words. For this last reason, contact improvisation has also been adopted for dance therapy. For me, well, I like the concept of dance purely for its own sake. And if you wish, you can always feel free to take part without having to memorize any steps. Why not give it a try and experience it for yourself? The university’s dance club holds regular classes (see PTT: 140.112.30.142 NTU-MD board 台大舞蹈社現代舞組 for further information), and there is a weekly workshop held by Prof. Ku Ming-Shen (古明伸老師), the chair of the Dance Department of National Institute of the Arts (國立藝術學院), on Fridays at 7 p.m. There’s also a “jam” every Saturday at 4 p.m. at _____________(Chinese address). a
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May 2024
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