Contact Improvisation is widely known as a dance form in which the dancers use each others bodies for movement exploration. It is most frequently danced as a duet, but can be danced by more people. Music can accompany the piece or it can be performed in silence. It is about trusting each other, passive and active, energy and awareness.
The exercise we were instructed to do was a little different from the conventional form. We were told to get into pairs and label each other A & B. A's were told to manipulate B's. A's were in control of B's bodies. A's were allowed to push the physicality of their partners, being very aware of their physical ability. A's were required to become passive in order for B's to have full control over their body. A's were allowed to move their partner around the space, using different levels and rhythms. A's had to be aware of the people around them as well as their partners. Once A's had finished exploring, B's then swapped roles and became the manipulator. The teacher would then say swap spontaneously and the roles would then change rapidly. The transition needed to be smooth so it would look undetectable to the audience.
The emphasis of this exercise is on the flow of energy and on an awareness of one's own body and that of one's partner rather than on producing body lines and shapes. The key concept requires co-operation and sensitivity to your partner to enable the exercise to unfold.
This type of exercise could be useful to demonstrate the power of status & manipulation. In the play 'Macbeth', Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth's mind and makes him subject to her. Lady Macbeth controls Macbeth as a puppet on a string and leads him to commit murder. The status levels of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth fluctuate through out the play. At the beginning of the play Macbeth had a higher status than his wife, then leading up to the death of Duncan his status drops and Lady Macbeth rises. When he has done the deed and is crowned as king his status rises once more, but once he sees Duncan's ghost he begins to lose control and Lady Macbeth has to take control.
The exercise we were instructed to do was a little different from the conventional form. We were told to get into pairs and label each other A & B. A's were told to manipulate B's. A's were in control of B's bodies. A's were allowed to push the physicality of their partners, being very aware of their physical ability. A's were required to become passive in order for B's to have full control over their body. A's were allowed to move their partner around the space, using different levels and rhythms. A's had to be aware of the people around them as well as their partners. Once A's had finished exploring, B's then swapped roles and became the manipulator. The teacher would then say swap spontaneously and the roles would then change rapidly. The transition needed to be smooth so it would look undetectable to the audience.
The emphasis of this exercise is on the flow of energy and on an awareness of one's own body and that of one's partner rather than on producing body lines and shapes. The key concept requires co-operation and sensitivity to your partner to enable the exercise to unfold.
This type of exercise could be useful to demonstrate the power of status & manipulation. In the play 'Macbeth', Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth's mind and makes him subject to her. Lady Macbeth controls Macbeth as a puppet on a string and leads him to commit murder. The status levels of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth fluctuate through out the play. At the beginning of the play Macbeth had a higher status than his wife, then leading up to the death of Duncan his status drops and Lady Macbeth rises. When he has done the deed and is crowned as king his status rises once more, but once he sees Duncan's ghost he begins to lose control and Lady Macbeth has to take control.
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