Movement Partnership - Looking Deeper into Contact Improv

These past 4 months, I have had the pleasure of taking my first class in Contact Improvisation through the School of Dance at Florida State University. Contact Improv, or “CI,”  is the exploration of improvised movement while making physical contact with another’s body. It is as ambiguous and intimate as it sounds. As someone who is interested in the conception of contact and how to do it better, this class was totally mind-blowing.

The teacher of the class was amazing and established a welcoming environment that facilitated powerful creativity. She titled the class “Contact Improv/Social Justice.” 

Why? Because Touch is incredibly political. Touch is loaded and that is why the concept of consent to touch is so important

We would start each class with a Check-In and end class with a Check-Out or Reflection. After Check-in, we’d do an individual movement exploration. Mindful, intuitive movement is my favorite way to start the day and this was something I looked forward to when I dragged myself out of bed for this 9am class.

After this individual exploration, we would then make contact with our classmates. Typically, we were guided by a prompt or technique. This could be as simple as “look at those you pass and give them a High Five” or as complicated as supporting your partner’s weight on your backs. Sometimes, we would do something called a “Jam” which was free improvisation without a prompt.

When we spent individual time with a partner, we would quickly check in again to share anything about our bodies that day with our partner. I would typically share that I have scoliosis and sometimes  struggle to bend backwards or support weight. There were no qualifications for what we could share in this Check-In – bruises, feelings that day, soreness – all was fair game.

Typically, one of three things would happen: 

First, my partner may become particularly  careful and verbally check in throughout the “jam.” This was nice because it made me feel heard but I sometimes worried I was inconveniencing them. 

The second possibility was that the mover would acknowledge the information I provided and then move as they normally would. They would understand that the line of communication had been opened and know that I would speak up if uncomfortable. 

The third possibility was a mix between the two: my partner would occasionally check in verbally and keep my condition in their periphery so they could move authentically and mindfully without letting my personal limits get in the way of exploration. 

I do not recount these three types of responses to label them as Right or Wrong but rather as an observation worth unpacking.

Those who checked in consistently and verbally allowed me to feel seen and taken care of. Those who proceeded to move freely challenged my boundaries as a mover even though I may have struggled deciding when it was time to speak up for myself or not. Those who found a nice balance between the two made it easy for me to explore and play while still taking on my safety as part of their responsibility as my partner.

This leads me to ask you: what type of partner do you want to be? 

If you’re one who would rather be safe than sorry, how can make sure this doesn’t get in the way of the work?

If you’re one who cares about challenging and exploring freely with your partner, how can you do this without making assumptions? How do you make sure your partner has the confidence to speak up for themselves when you’ve crossed their boundary?  

If you prefer a balance, what metric(s) are you using to judge how to act?