Contact Improvisation

Contact improvisation (CI) is a postmodern dance practice that explores movement through shared weight, touch, and physical awareness. Originating in the United States in 1972, contact improvisation was developed by dancer and choreographer Steve Paxton, drawing on influences from modern dance, aikido, and somatic practices. Contact Improvisation emphasizes the interplay of gravity, momentum, and improvisation, fostering an experimental approach to movement that invites both professional dancers and newcomers into its global community. The practice involves continuous physical touch between dancers, where gravity, momentum, inertia, and friction shape their interactions. The dance is further described by Paxton: "The exigencies of the form dictate a mode of movement which is relaxed, constantly aware and prepared, and onflowing". Known for its open "jams," contact improvisation is both a social dance and a tool for movement research, offering a unique blend of physicality and mindfulness. Formally, contact improvisation is a movement improvisation that is explored with another being. According to one of its first practitioners, Nancy Stark Smith, it "resembles other familiar duet forms, such as the embrace, wrestling, surfing, martial arts, and the Jitterbug, encompassing a wide range of movement from stillness to highly athletic." Contact improvisation has evolved into various formats, including performance art, experimental dance, and education.¶

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Contact improvisation”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence.¶

Contact Improvisation is dance movement, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition.¹¶

The source record links this tradition to 4 external registers, which can be verified through the citation.¹¶