In this practice I found a container for life. A microcosm that reflects, inside the dance floor, all the dynamics that we experience outside of it.
I found a framework that allows me to discern the point of the dance — of life — in which I find myself.
In the few years of experience I’ve had within the practice of Contact Improvisation, I've seen and heard a great deal. The political drama, territorial disputes, and the back-and-forth about what is and what is not Contact Improvisation.
It is to be expected. Being a practice that reflects life, I am not surprised that the same human problems occurring globally also happen in such a young community.
I may not be an expert on the subject, but I have a heart that feels, and what it feels causes it pain.
If within the space of a generation there have already been multiple fractures, what hope do we have for the future?
There is talk of wanting to maintain the “original purity” of the practice, usually defined by a stage in which athletic bodies (mostly male) energetically tossed each other around.
In contrast, I have been fortunate to have great teachers who, with a child in their arms, taught me the energizing sweetness from which contact can arise.
If we focus on defending that “original purity,” in which the emphasis was on strength and acrobatics, we limit our capacity to explore the sweetness and vulnerability that are also part of Contact Improvisation.
There is talk of spaces without sensuality when contact is sensual by definition. There is talk of spaces without intimacy when contact is intimate by nature.
I'd rather condemn the judgment of the spaces where all this and more is allowed, instead of placing the responsibility on the individuals who choose to abuse these spaces that are so important for expressing our humanity.
Contact Improvisation is punk from its inception. It is anarchic. Its early practitioners quickly began to challenge many of the social norms present at that time. And while I am sure there will be those who feel offended by some of these terms, the following is undeniable:
At the essence of Contact Improvisation lies the innate desire for freedom. Freedom from the gravity that keeps our bodies on the ground. Freedom from preconceived notions that limit our being.
I continuously talk with people from diverse backgrounds, and they all seem to agree on this. So how is it that there seems to be this division between what is and what is not Contact Improvisation?
We all connect at the same point, we converge and diverge. We coincide. We are attracted, only to then be repelled. We are influenced. We find contrasts and intersections. We feel empathy. We collide.
In this — our infinite dance — nothing is left out of the Underscore. As we continue to navigate the space, are we willing to challenge our beliefs about what Contact Improvisation is? Only together, with open hearts and willing minds, can we continue exploring the infinite possibilities of this practice.
In the dance, we find each other, and in the dance, we will understand each other.
So be it.
