Before we started moving we compared two different contact improvisation videos, Steve Paxton’s Magnesium (1972) and Blake and Brandon from Earthdance (2010). Paxton’s Magnesium was the first live performance of contact improvisation, thus the movement content was extremely raw showcasing fast pace movement that challenged reflexes and was full of rolling, falling and weight transfer. From the article Interior Techniques, I can clearly visualise Paxton’s idea of what he believed contact improvisation to be in Magnesium, “to discover through spontaneous movement in contact that is pleasant, highly stimulating and elemental” (Turner, 2010, 123). In addition to this it was also clear that contact improvisation had no set choreography or specific instruction. (123) Contrastingly Blake and Brandon demonstrated a much more fluid approach to the style as contact improvisation in 2010 was an established practice and had developed vastly from Magnesium in 1972. Blake and Brandon’s movement was effortless and supported weight in a controlled and sophisticated way.

In todays session we explored the weight of the head and the focus of the eyes. We began by moving on a low level but the head had to stay in full contact with the floor. It was an interesting task to explore new movement, but I felt restricted in what I was able to do. What’s more as my head was on the ground I was limited as to where my eye focus was in the space. The task advanced to connecting your head with another head. The task was similar to being in contact with the floor, however became slightly less restrictive as you were able use a variation of levels. During this I felt more released and the focus of my eyes was more dominant as I was able to see the space. We explored different ways that you could move without breaking the contact of head to head. I didn’t think about the movement that I was creating as I was focused on the connection with the head. After a while the improvisation disconnected from the head and other body parts were incorporated.  

With the same partner we took the weight of the head in the hands. Firstly when my partner took the weight of my head I felt very relaxed and I was able to release my head more when I was moving than I would normally do, what’s more when my partner took away her hands I felt as if the hands were still there guiding me around the space. I wasn’t holding any tension. 

The final contact improvisation task was called “pebbles”. In partners one curled up into a pebble shape whilst the other fluidly rolled over their back. This developed further by creating a higher structure on all fours, the same principle of rolling over the back still applied.

Works cited

Steve Paxton’s “Interior Techniques”: Contact Improvisation and Political Power.Full Text Available By: Turner, Robert. TDR: The Drama Review, Fall2010, Vol. 54 Issue 3, p123-135, 13p, 5 Black and White Photographs