Contact Improvisation: Theory and Practice

In this course we will examine the fundamental practices and ideas behind Contact Improvisation, a postmodern dance form emerging in the early 1970s in the United States that is based on a “rolling point of contact” between two or more dancers. To investigate this partnering dance form (sometimes called an “art sport”, “movement meditation”, “urban folk dance”, or “experiential physics”), we will respond comparatively to the writings of Contact Improvisation practitioner-authors, and practice contact improvisation ourselves, engaging the athleticism of falling, rolling, lifting, and improvising with the architecture of shared weight between two bodies. Students will also write from a subjective standpoint in both poetry and prose about the feeling of improvising with weight, gravity, and a partner. No dance background necessary, open to all students regardless of training or ability. 3 hrs. sem.