 Contact improvisation: an introduction to a vitalizing dance form.
Author: Pallant, Cheryl Published: 2006 In most forms of dancing, performers carry out their steps with a distance that keeps them from colliding with each other. Dancer Steve Paxton in the 1970s considered this distance a territory for investigation, and his study of intentional contact resulted in a public performance in 1972, and the name 'contact improvisation' was coined for this new form of unrehearsed dance. In this book, the author draws on her own extensive experience and research to explain the art of contact improvisation, in which dance partners propel movement by physical contact. The text begins with a history, then describes the elements that define this form of dance. Subsequent chapters explore how contact improvisation relates to self and identity; how class, race, gender, culture, and physiology influence dance; how dance promotes connection in a culture of isolation; and how it relates to the concept of community. The final chapter collects exercises from teachers across the United States and abroad. |
