I have chosen to learn contact improv dance. Here is a link to a great informative site with a great deal of information about the fairly young dance style. It is actually younger than I am, but more and more seems to be that way everyday. LOL. http://www.contactquarterly.com/contact-improvisation/about/cq_ciAbout.php
This is a good instructive video for beginners.
I am realizing that dancing can be a form of therapy. One we all can use. In higher doses. More love, less fear, more growth, less regression. Our daily claim on existence , expressed in such beautiful form. What is there to be afraid of?
It is also intimate on a certain level to touch and share the forces of gravity in the way required for contact improv dance.
I have the benefit of a lifetime(4.3) decades or so, of athletics and some dancing ability so I am not going in blindly. I certainly am no health purist. I lead a healthy lifestyle bit could change some things to be healthier. The point is, I am a novice.
This endeavor, a new one, gives me a chance to learn about myself and others at the same time. I prefer it that way to solitary time. I will write no more now, pre class. The next paragraph will be post class. Look for changes. I will be.
The first thing that came to mind as I stretched on the hardwood floor of the studio was how the huge open windows looked east over the city to the distant peaks of the Cascades. I felt safe, and was awash with the images, and memories, of countless hours, alone,. at peace amongst the Douglas Firs, and sword ferns of the foothills. I also noticed the absence of music. WTH? This was dancing. No music?
I watched a couple of people roll and writhe, and lift each other off the floor, and decided to rolol near them. In a matter of minutes I was transformed. I touched and rolled and writhed, and lifted, and was lifted.
The trust I was seeking came without effort, and the reward was infinite, and timeless.
I felt like I had gotten a great massage, gotten rid of a great deal of negative energy I had been storing. I realized how important having my mind, soul, and body, aligned both internally, and outwardly are to happiness. All for a low donation. LOL.
If anyone has a curiosity about the dance style, I hope this answered a few questions. Now follow the advice of the Grateful Dead. "TURN ON YOUR LOVE LIGHT, AND LEAVE IT ON!"
