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November 7, 2007

"Authentic / Contact" Video Excerpts

This video below is some excerpts from an exercise that we do in rehearsal that I call authentic/contact. It combines Authentic Movement and Contact Improvisation. We begin doing Authentic Movement with our partner - one person moving, one person witnessing and then switching roles. Then instead of discussion or writing we move with one another, in contact. Contact Improvisation skills come into the dance we're having, but it is not, strictly, a Contact dance - it is something closer to Authentic Movement duets, with contact. At the same time, it is an effective way to open up our Contact Improvisation dancing with one another because it allows for a wide range of possible movements - many non-typical when doing straight Contact Improvisation. I like starting rehearsals with some Authentic Movement because it gets us away from trying to be interesting or correct or accomplishing anything. It allows our subconscious, creative selfs to be alittle more present when we go into other structures and scores. I also like to do some Contact Improvisation as part of our warm-up because it gets the whole body moving in 360 degree space and gets us moving in strong yet supple ways. Combing these two forms lets us get some of both of these worlds without taking too much time away from the limited creative time we have together.


Posted by Daniel Burkholder on November 7, 2007 8:27 AM


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1Comments

peter shapiro said:

excellent integration and articulation of space especially negative space--now to use it for something powerful\ universal- the death of antigone or the death of diego in state of siege (my project with christine) the space relation is great, but pathos -catharsis to touch the dancer and through her the audience how? peter shapiro

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