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What is Contact Improvisation?


"If you could do Aikido, surf, wrestle and dance at the same time, you would have an idea of what Contact Improvisation feels like."
- Ernie Adams


CONTACT IMPROVISATION is a partnering dance form born out of postmodern dance in the US in the 1970s. There are no fixed “steps” to learn and can be danced with or without music. The movements are based on the exchange of weight between two (or more) partners through a shared point-of-contact that occurs in 360-degree space. As such, there is no one “leader” or “follower”. Dancing in the unknown can be full of exhilarating surprises.

Today, contact improvisation is danced by adults of all ages, shapes, sizes, abilities, and from all walks of life. It is taught in actor training programs and dance programs in colleges worldwide, and is used as a choreographic tool or performed as it is. In informal settings, known as "jams", it can be danced just for fun or for focused practice. It can be as gentle and relaxing, or as high-risk and gravity-defying as the dancers want it to be.







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