Focusing on Steve Paxton’s idea on Contact Improvisation I got a real insight in how he wanted it to be; it’s a form of dance that shouldn’t be taught be but to be expressed through movement. We were able to watch one of his pieces called Magnesium (1972). My thought on the performance is that it’s very raw, it brings a sense of aggression, excitement and dangerous feeling to it. It’s not pre-determined or careful. From what I could tell it was an all-male cast, this led me to believe that they have more weight distribution to play with, which is why it’s interesting to watch them play around with weight balance and the pace they perform in.

Another video that we watched was Blake Nellis and Brando @ Earthdance (2010). My initial thought for this piece was that it’s too bland compared the Magnesium (1972); it seemed slow paced and careful with the movements. Even though the two males performing this piece has good chemistry, being able to trust each other and to do intricate lifts it felt as though they were playing it safe, the movements were too soft and the way they flowed looked as though they had practiced before.

I say that the way Earthdance (2010) looked was bland but it’s also the style of contact that is taught today, which brings me back to the thought of Steve Paxton’s representation of contact and how it’s supposed to break the norm of dance. ‘Paxton, for his part, desired “unique and personalized forms” (131) of dance practice.’(Turner, 2010, 125). Comparing the two different videos there’s a massive difference as to what was and what is; it makes me question what’s changed? When did Contact Improvisation become a set style to be taught? As an overall judgement I would prefer learning Contact in the way of the Magnesium (1972) video, it’s challenging and creative.

The starter task for this lesson was to get connected to the body again and to build momentum in the foetal position, during this task we needed to concentrate on the placement and weight of our head and feet. At the time I didn’t understand why we needed to focus on them two specific areas because we had done this task several times but leading on from this task helped me understand why.

Getting into partners we had to lie on the floor and give the full weight of our head to somebody else. The idea of this was daunting but it was an easier than I thought, I guess it all depends on the person you’re working with. To get me to fully relax I still had to breathe deeply and let the focus out of the back of my head, this was my way of fully releasing the weight. It also helped that before I gave them my weight, they needed to create a connection with me to reassure that they are secure. Moving on from there I slowly moved my body while it’s on the ground so I could build up the pace and let my partner at times be able to fully carry my weight even when I’m in full movement. It felt interesting to see what I could do without using my head to lead and even if I could balance with them holding my head.

The last task was head to head contact, to be able to move when and where we liked but still connected by the head. To do this was difficult at time, wherever the point of connection was, for me I felt that I needed to move the oppositional point to even it out, but there was only so much one side of the body can move, especially when connected with somebody else. Transitioning between partners was even more difficult, by the time I figured out my partner’s movements I would need to go to another person. At one point I was in a trio and I kept loosing focus with at least one of them. I think for me I couldn’t figure out the task for myself which I why I struggled connecting with other people and finding a good rhythm. Hopefully in the near future I will be more in tune with myself.

Aaron Brando (2010) Contact Improvisation: Blake Nellis and Brando @ Earthdance. [Online Video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQRF2sLK1vY [Accessed 13 October 2015].

Turner, R. (2010) Steve Paxton’s ‘Interior Techniques’: Contact Improvisation and Political Power. TDR: The Drama Review, 54(3), 123-135.

Paxton, S. Start Smith, N. [DVD] Magnesium; Peripheral Vision; Soft Pallet. East Charleston:  VT Contact Collaborations/Videoda.