Contact Improvisation News Archives

October 2006

10/24/06

Sophisticated Wheelchair Helps Dancer Realize Her Dreams

Lorna Marsh is the first female wheelchair-user in the UK to complete a mainstream dance degree. Her wheelchair can extend fully upright allowing more freedom than traditional wheelchairs. See a short video clip and read more by clicking on the image below.

10/19/06

Russian Contact Improvisation Ad!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeuuhHXc4MY

This seems to be some kind of Promotional advertisement for Contact Improvisation in Russia!

10/11/06

Steve Paxton:Material for the Spine

"Material for the spine is a system. It attempts to examine the spine of Contact Improvisation. I began it in 1986, in NYC for a workshop at Movement Research. I was interested in alloying a technical approach to the improvisational results which had appeared in the bodies of Contact Improvisers. In allied martial arts, such as Aikido or Tai Chi Chuan, there is an attempt to make the central mass and thus the spine elusive. In Contact Improvisation the spine is given to one�s partner. However baring injury, the spine and some of its musculature work almost invisibly. Via exercise, ideokinetic imagery, and specific examples I wanted to bring to consciousness the subtle sensation, the moments when usage reveals operations of the skeleton, the muscular connections available between pelvis and fingertips, the soft energetic support of leverage which I take to be chi or ki..... It is all to bring movement to consciousness"

Steve Paxton: Material for the Spine, Dance Theatre Journal, Volume 20, no. 4, 2005

Click on the image below for a short video
by Anna Furse from Goldsmiths University of London
© Anna Furse 2005

10/10/06

3D Dance Animation

Artist José Carlos Casado captures bodies merging in ways that are only possible via the 3D animation world he creates, one of the many media that he works in. Click on the images for exerpts of his striking animated imagery courtesy of DVblog
If Contacters could learn these moves we'd really be on the cutting edge!

10/1/06

Cuddle Parties!

Here's an exciting new approach to the age old art of cuddling (Contact Improv's close cousin)! As a connoisseur of safe touch I was very impressed with cuddleparty.com. Representing a new trend in ways to find nurturing touch in our society, REiD Mihalko and Marcia Baczynski started hosting cuddle parties in 2004 with great success. On their website you'll find a calendar of their events held around the globe, led by REiD, Marcia and other trained facilitators. Below you can read an introduction to cuddling in their own words. Hurray for touch!

What's a Cuddle Party? you ask. Well, that's a good question. Cuddle Party is a playful social event designed for adults to explore communication, boundaries and affection. Facilitated by a "Cuddle Lifeguard on Duty," who creates a comfortable, non-threatening environment, it's a great place to make new friends and to learn about yourself.

In a society that is increasingly touch-phobic, many of us aren't getting our Recommended Daily Allowance of welcomed touch. For many people, the only options for getting their touch needs met consist of paying for a massage, having a drunken hookup or getting a pat-down from airport security. Cuddle Parties seek to change that in a way that's conscious, healthy and nutritious.

People come to Cuddle Party events for all sorts of reasons. Some are really touchy-huggy types who can't wait to be in an environment where that's okay. Others are more skittish and aren't even sure that they want to cuddle. Some people come to work on their boundaries with the opposite sex. Some come to make new friends, or to practice their communication skills. Some even come just to take a nap!

Whatever your reasons for coming, Cuddle Party is the perfect playground for exploring new ways of connecting with others and discovering more about yourself. Come to a Cuddle Party, and get back in TOUCH!