Tara Atkinson; therapeutic yoga/ movement teacher and co-founder of authenticmotion.org; an online platform for somatic movement dialogue talks to us about Contact improvisation, what it is and what it means to her.
What is Contact Improvisation?
It’s hard to sum up what Contact Improvisation truly is without experiencing it, but here goes:
“Contact improvisation (CI) is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation. It is a dance/sport/art form involving an open-ended exploration of movement by listening with our bodies through a moving point of contact.”
That was the official explanation, but if I could describe it to you I would say it is absolute freedom to move with another person without any predispositions or structural rules.
Normally any partner work is formal, we have a role and there are certain things we should and shouldn’t do in order to create beautiful alignment or shapes (or even safety, like climbing relationships for instance). When most partner work is taught normally the language is also structured around achieving an “aesthetic”. In contact improvisation however, we have only ‘guidelines’ for the skills and ‘propositions’ for exercises, with an aim to also use language which relates to feelings in the body. There really aren’t any rules in the jam sessions “just improvisation”.
Observing how we act in society or move with others it’s easy to see how it is all just a formal or functional process. (It blows me away to think how little improvisation there is in the world!). Focusing on just the aesthetic we really move with our minds rather than our bodies creating disconnection.This practise is extremely special; it not only allows us to express ourselves through movement and connect with others, but on a deeper level brings us back to the “soma”; the balance between the body and mind connection and feel instead of think.
Why Contact?
I am a mover, always have been. I have a lot of energy and if I don’t move, climb, surf, slack line, bike I go crazy. I was always interested in the idea of Contact improvisation but never really went in search of it. I feel like contact improvisation found me. I did a lot of Acroyoga and come from a performing arts background, and would normally get my adrenaline fix through very active or high pressure activities like mountain biking or climbing but never felt fulfilled until I over did it! Other than slacklining or yoga which I find very meditative, contact improvisation gave me a truly somatic practise and encompassed my mind and body and allowed me to connect with others in one go without putting too much strain on my being. It’s not just about ‘doing a movement with a partner’ or the aesthetic which is what I found a lot in Acroyoga, but rather finding the smallest dance within yourself and feeling how this can connect and create grounding with another person all without judgement or too much thinking, “just being”. There is so much creative potential in moving with another person that it becomes more of an art form than anything else. From the moving on the floor by myself to flying on some one’s shoulders I really find a sense of freedom in the practise. I have always been interested in partner movement but this practise truly brings me back into my body, back into the present moment, so much so it’s blissful.
Where can we find out more ?
We run a weekly class at the Urban Tribe Studio in Al Quoz 3. To find out more check out Contact Improvisation Dubai on Facebook or follow the link here: www.facebook.com/groups/contactimprovdubai/
authenticmotion.org 