12th Warsaw CI FLOW International Dance Festival
Contact improvisation
is a form of dance in which two or more meet in motion through a shared point of contact and explore sensations and impulses together. Steve Paxton, a pioneer of this technique, combined his experience with contemporary dance, acrobatics and Aikido.
By dancing contact, improvisation, we practice the skills of falling, balancing, lifting with minimal effort and being light during “flights”, the ability to listen and respond to partners and the environment. We also practice mindfulness, listening and reacting to partners and the environment.
Contact improvisation is open to all those who want to move. There is no hierarchy or levels of advancement in it, and anyone can dance, regardless of their skills or level of fitness. Just as tango has its milongas and techno has its raves, improvisation has Jams, where the community meet to practice this technique. Contact improvisation is danced without shoes and stimulants, on a clean floor, on which one dances not only while standing. Sometimes the space of the jam is filled with music that supports the dance, sometimes the practice happens in silence.
