Week 5
What is Contact improvisation? It involves many techniques and concepts, including release technique, the line of the centre, leavers and anchors, momentum, catching on the up, jigsaws, pendulums, suspending, hooking, hanging and maintaining a connection. However, in this weeks practice I have realised that it more than this, it is “putting the body into unusual, disorientating and often emergency situations” (Lepkoff, 2008, 1) and this “empowers the individual to rely on their own physical intelligence to respond” (Lepkoff, 2008, 2). Grasping these newly learnt concepts gave me a base and from that base I could explore. After working with one partner with a planned line of action, in the jam the unpredictability and the different bodies made it challenging and exciting, awakening the insightful imagination of my mind and dancing body (Lepkoff, 1999, 3).
I feel that my confidence and release technique is dependent upon my mind, as Lepkoff states that “releasing is not simply release of excess muscular tension, but releasing deep physical pre-conceptions as well” (Lepkoff, 1999, 2) I have tried to erase my preconceptions that it may go wrong before I try a new weight bearing exercise or entering the space in a jam. In doing so I am more released, which makes my practice safer and freer. Considering the line of centre and having a shared line of centre was crucial in the pulling and flying through the space exercise, the strong connection through the line of centre and the resistance made the movement travel and feel as though the bodies were one as we glided along the studio. I drew on my release technique and Mary Fulkerson’s “system of anatomically based images that map out functional pathways through the architecture of the body” (Lepkoff, 1999, 2) to realign the body so that the weight is supported through the centre.
In the following exercise we used our knees and hips as leavers, by going down to go up, and using anchors to create stability and trust. We laid over each other’s backs whilst standing and we also developed our surfing by coming onto all fours and releasing onto our partners backs. I felt in this session we explored supporting and taking more weight on more body surfaces, for example rolling up and down and twisting, hanging our weight and giving and receiving. Lepkoff explains that contact “demands accessing support from any area of one’s own body surface, in physical contact with any area of another person’s body surface, both which are in motion” (Lepkoff, 2008, 1) this requires coordination and the skill of maintaining a contact point, which is harder than it appears once you start exploring being upside down and twisted, new shapes, parameters and levels.
I discovered that most exercises were successful when there was momentum, for example when we connected the sides of our bodies and wind milled our legs, travelling across the space, it was more successful if you aimed for fluidity by being released and keeping the connection and not stopping or jolting, as it could hurt your partner. In the jam it was easier to travel when there was momentum. The times that it did not work were due to tiredness, lack of energy and momentum, a lost connection and frustration.
Another technique to aid our practice is catching on the up, it requires less effort as there is less weight to support. I discovered this through a partner exercise in which my partner jumped and I cached her on the up, it took some time and the person needed to jump high, we developed this by sitting on the floor and being pulled up onto the others shoulder. It required focus and links to the Duet Form, receiving real time information and the exchange and decisions between bodies (Lepkoff, 2008, 2).
The image of a jigsaw also aided this session, for example when hanging spine to spine the backs need to slot together into the curves. Similarly the curves on the side of the body need to come together and fill the gaps during the travelling exercise in which the legs wind mill round. The spine to spine hanging brought to my attention that my back is weak as it felt uncomfortable, so I need to do conditioning exercises, work out where to position my body and practice more so it does not feel so unfamiliar.
I also discovered a newly found swinging pendulum quality, which had momentum, flow and an equal balance of weight, as we connected the side of our legs, wrapped our hands around each other’s waist and lifted each other. We found it easier when we travelled this movement as there was more momentum. It felt free and required minimal effort from our bodies and brain, I did not feel stressed or pressured.
Finally, suspending, hooking and hanging brought a new dynamic to our movement, for example being pulled up from the floor onto our partners shoulder, lifting our partner and twisting them around our body and holding under our partners leg and lifting them up. Suspending, hooking and hanging along with the other concepts mentioned created “never before seen movement pathways, physical sensations and relationships” it was all very new to my body, but I felt as though it settled well and I enjoyed it, as it created new challenges when working with different people more so than the previous sessions.
Lepkoff, D. (1999) What is Release Technique? Available at:
http://www.daniellepkoff.com/Writings/What%20is%20Release.php (accessed 01/11/16)
Lepkoff, D. (2008) Contact Improvisation: A Question? Available at: http://www.daniellepkoff.com/Writings/CI%20A%20question.php (accessed 01/11/16)