As a rising senior at Rutgers, I have the pleasure of taking classes that I enjoy that are outside the curriculum required of my major. So, this summer I enrolled in Modern Dance I with T. McCree. In the small intimate dance studio at Mason Gross, the evening’s burnt orange sunlight beamed across the wooden floors. Six students shyly circle up and whisper generic facts about ourselves. A blur of six weeks later we enjoy the connection of our partners in totally comfort through an exercise; contact improvisation. CI is inspired by Steve Paxton‘s Magnesiu (1972) and has become evolutionary due to the strength and grace of Nancy Stark Smith. The once awkward rough house style has transformed into a powerful cohesion of dance and science; sensitivity of neurons and touch of the skin, the physics of movement and momentum and the emotional connection to one’s partner.
Smith and her partner’s work is abstract yet inspiring. At first we wrinkled our nose at the idea of constant touch and lifts and throwing our bodies at a partner. After a short documentary we embarked on our own CI journey; we went for it! Seated on the floor, back to back, feeling the breath of our partners, letting the air shape our backs into one another. From the movement of the air filling our lungs, raising our chest, and exhale. Eyes closed, we rocked, swayed and moved together, learning the essences of our partners. With the beat of the live drum, we followed the rhythm of our partner. With no predetermined destiny, we moved, reshaped, became airless, and bared the weight of one another. The exercise of movement, touch and physics created something fresh and innocent.
Explore the world of contact improvisation:
