It has been said by Daniel Lepkoff “that a certain fundamental understanding or approach to dancing that used to be common knowledge and that once surrounded me is absent” (Lepkoff, 2005, 1), that improvisation now is completely different to what it used to be. Younger dancers who are exploring improvisation or spontaneous composition nowadays are unaware of a wealth of inspired research and developed knowledge that used to be apparent (Lepkoff, 2005, 2). Years ago, dancing and improvisation involved “exploring various interests, and performance was the medium in which we would explore them” (Lepkoff, 2005, 2). Now, dance is considered as a way of expressing your feelings, thoughts and interests (Lepkoff, 2005, 2), a big different as to what both Lepkoff and Simone Forti once saw within the art of dance and improvisation.
Although dance has changed, (some may say developed) throughout the years, dance still continues to have this fundamental impact on our lives and I think Improvisation is one of these considerable factors. Contact Improvisation has advanced into something substantial since Steve Paxton first introduced the idea. The idea of contact improvisation was first experienced and identified in Paxton’s performance Magnesium (1972). Paxton’s initial description of contact improvisation was “to discover, through spontaneous movement (typically duets) with others, human movement (and human behavior in general) that is “pleasant, highly stimulation and elemental” to us as interactive human organisms. There is no set choreography, no specific instruction.” (Paxton, 2010, 123). This definition still stands, (evidently) but the art of contact improvisation has developed drastically. The change in style progresses as culture, community, civilization and society grow, finding new and improved ways of contact improvisation; “the new versions of CI emerging in the discourse and practice, instead of exploring “all the possibilities” seemed to limit them, narrowly defining CI in terms more amenable to (or even as a variation of) Americal liberal cultural practice in general.” (Paxton, 2010, 130). It has taught a vast amount of individuals that when improvising, there is no right or wrong, that it is important to keep going and to never give up. It has found a certain determination in young dancers, me included, to keep progressing on and to learn and develop new ways of dancing, so they can confidently determine their own lives, make their own decisions and be in charge (Paxton, 2010, 129).
This week’s session was completely focused on the idea of releasing your head and activating the eyes. Trusting my entire head weight with someone’s hands is something I felt apprehensive about, but that was the whole point of the exercise; to give my weight to another being. I found that having someone hold my head weight limited my movement, I wasn’t sure where to go nor was I sure where my body was able to go due to feeling very restricted by my partner’s hands. Trust is something that doesn’t come easily, over a period of time us dancers will get to know each other very well, and work extremely closely with one another, developing trust and awareness of ourselves and dance partners (Paxton, 2010, 127). This is something that I feel I am beginning to become more aware off, I am slowly becoming comfortable with giving my weight to someone else, whether that’s just my head, or my entire body. This exercise really helped me understand, although it is difficult, that weight bearing exercises can challenge you (in a good way), and distance you from habitual movement whilst in contact with another being. “The spontaneous physical interaction of contact usually compounds this basic improvisational fear.” (Paxton, 2010, 132).
Using your eyes within contact improvisation is a lot more important and effective than people think. You point of view is a connection to movement and performance, not only does it help you keep that constant conversation between you and your partner, it creates a sense of tension and powerfulness. “To keep the eyes still is a strain”, “You can keep your eyes still, but eventually, when they relax, they move” (Lepkoff, 2005, 4), your eyes follow you, they dance with you. It is important to try you hardest to not look down whilst dancing because you then trap that connection between your fellow dancers and your audience, “I have learnt to feel the movement of eyes while I am dancing” (Lepkoff, 2005, 5). Lepkoff describes the use of sight within improvisation just like a book; imagine when you walk into the space that there is a “reading” that you take. “You cannot get any information from the page of the book if you just blankly stare at the page. You have to place each letter in the center of your vision and move your eyes from letter to letter, only then does the meaning come to you.” (Lepkoff, 2005, 5), you need to use your vision whilst in the dancing space, to create that sense of space you are in, to find where you are in that space, you need to take in that ‘reading’. Use your visual attention to explore your partner, and keep that connection, even if you are not touching. If you then learn to use your eyes in an effective way, that has then also become movement exploration. Using my eyes is something I found benefitted my performance, dancing with another body and keeping eye contact as much as I could really helped my focus, I never found myself distracted or my eyes wondering to see what anyone else in the room was doing, I let go and turned all my attention to my partner.
“She walked into the performing space and began by taking time to tune herself to her physical state; how she felt in the first moment she entered the space, standing before the eyes of the audience” (Lepkoff, 2005, 3), this is something I do before an improvisation jam, I take note of how my body is feeling, I notice the movement in my initial stillness, I don’t hide how I’m currently feeling, I am completely in my own body, I’m “being present” (Lepkoff, 2005, 3). This week’s contact improvisation jam felt a lot different to last weeks, everyone was a lot more relaxed and comfortable now that we all had an idea of what was expected of us. The importance to stay connected during contact improvisation is crucial, as difficult as it may be. This is something I found most difficult in our jam on Thursday. When that connection was broken I turned my attention to back to Tuesday class and returned to my ‘safe place’ and tried again from there. But to challenge myself I also returned back to some fundamental contact exercises we had experimented with during class. These exercises slightly touched on some basic weight bearing exercises that could be used within contact. During the jam, if I found myself stuck or in an awkward position I would roll onto their back, or hand stand over them; things I found difficult during class but very useful to this jam situation. I realized that the more comfortable I get with these trust and weight bearing mechanisms, the more I can encourage them into a jam session and the more I can help myself out of a sticky situation. It also encourages non-habitual movement and removes me from my comfort zone, which is something I am aiming towards. “Taking weight from and giving weight to a partner was to be “slowly developed over months”.” (Paxton, 2010, 126).
This session has taught me a lot about how important contact improvisation genuinely is. I am completely determined to push myself as far as I can go to improve my weaknesses. I want to have confidence in my choices, and learn to have complete and utter freedom within my movement. I am, as a dancer and improviser, experiencing my own brand new experiences that are strengthening me as a dancer.
Steve Paxton’s “Interior Techniques”: Contact Improvisation and Political Power. Full Text Available By: Turner, Robert. TDR: The Drama Review, Fall2010, Vol. 54 Issue 3, p123-135, 13p, 5 Black and White Photographs
Lepkoff, D. (2005) The Movement of Attention. Available at:
http://www.daniellepkoff.com/Writings/Daniel%20Simone%20Interview.php(Accessed 12th October 2016)
Paxton, S. (1972) Magnesium. Available from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FeSDsmIeHA (Accessed 12th October 2016)