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Contact Improvisation: A Photo Essay and Summary Movement Analysis

Author(s): Cynthia J. Novack


Source: TDR (1988-), Vol. 32, No. 4 (Winter, 1988), pp. 120-134
Published by: The MIT Press
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Contact Improvisation
A Photo Essay and Summary
Movement Analysis

CynthiaJ. Novack

Introduction
This photo essay is a summary movement analysis of contact improvisa-
tion.1 In general, movement analysis can be based on existing, formalized
systems or on methods devised by the individual researcher. Laban Move-
ment Analysis (or Labanalysis),2 various notation systems (e.g., Eshkol,
Labanotation, Benesh), the cataloging of choreographic elements (spatial
patterns and arrangements, movement structures, groupings of dancers,
etc.), and/or the relationship of movement to music, text, role, image,
costume, or set, are all possible approaches to analysis. The system chosen
or devised depends on the particular skills of the observer, the circum-
stances of the observation, the nature of what is being observed, and the
questions being asked.
My movement analysis of contact improvisation was made over a period
of three years (I983-85) on the basis of viewing live performance and
videotapes, using concepts drawn from Labanalysis and from dance com-
position. I constructed "coding sheets," lists of qualities with which to
observe and record impressions systematically. The items on the coding
sheets encouraged attention to four major categories of movement. Three
categories-"Body Use," "Space/Shape," and "Efforts"--were derived
from Labanalysis, and the fourth category-"Choreographic Elements"-
was derived from compositional and presentational techniques and devices
in dance. Utilizing these observations, I attempted to discern the connec-
tions between movement elements in contact improvisation, and to articu-
late how they were related and which were of major or minor emphasis.
My training as an anthropologist taught me to question any analytical
system for the intrinsic cultural bias of its classification and organization.
Laban's perceptions about movement are unique in their comprehensive
detail and organization, but they were nevertheless based on some arguable
cultural assumptions. In particular, Laban's system reflects a line of Euro-
pean thought which posits the individual as the unit to be measured-a
unit which may be divided into parts, categorized, and thereby under-
stood. Further, when applying this system to non-European modes of

120

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ContactImprovisation I21

I. Generatingmovementthroughthe changingpoints of contactbetweenbodies:


Predominance of two bodies moving while touching, finding a mutual
spatial pathway for movement produced by the interaction of body
weight. Photo I (I979) of Diane Madden and Randy Warshaw may at
first appear to be a ballroom dance; close examination reveals that War-
shaw is falling lightly against Madden's leg. The other points at which
their bodies are in contact (two hands, arm, and waist) are being used to
sense the mutual support and release of weight. Many possible actions
could follow this one, but the choices will be guided by maintaining
body contact and continuing the exchange of support. (Photo by
Stephen Petegorsky)

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122 CynthiaJ. Novack

movement or dance, it may be difficult, or even impossible, to catalog


elements that are important in other cultures. For the purposes of my
research on contact improvisation, however, certain aspects of Laban's
system were an appropriate tool for analysis, as were techniques or devices
of modern dance composition and performance.
Contact improvisation, the dance form described in the preceding arti-
cle, most typically involves two people engaged in supporting each other's
weight as they move. Unlike wrestlers, who exert their strength to control
a partner, contact improvisers draw from the Japanese martial art of aikido
and use momentum to move with a partner's weight. They often yield
rather than resist, using the arms to assist and support but seldom to
manipulate. In contact improvisation, the dancers would just as soon fall as
balance, so that the partners tumble, roll, suspend, and lurch together.
Although the best contact improvisers have gymnastic ability, their move-
ment, unlike a gymnast's routine, is improvised. Ways of moving, which
become familiar to the viewer, appear again and again-rolling on the
floor, curving around the partner's body, catching a partner hip to hip-
but the exact sequence and shaping of a movement phrase are unpredict-
able to dancers and audience.
Even though the style of contact improvisation differs among dancers
and has changed historically, my movement analyses of contact improvisa-
tion sessions enabled me to isolate the basic characteristics of the dance
form which were maintained over time. Billie Frances Lepczyk, a move-
ment researcher who has extensively utilized Labanalysis, has suggested
that every movement style has a particular "coloring" of the "dynamic
image" it presents, a constellation of qualities which characterize it and
make its style recognizable. By describing the "core movement values"
which constitute "the baseline of the movement style," Lepczyk suggests,
one can arrive at a better articulation of the dynamic image of a movement
form (I98I:7).3 The following photographs illustrate the core movement
values of contact improvisation, as well as its organization and perfor-
mance frame.

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2. & 3. Sensing throughthe skin: Use of all surfaces of the body to sup-
port one's own weight and the weight of another person; almost con-
stant maintenance of touch between partners. Photo 2 (I978) illustrates a
range of supporting surfaces used by three dancers (Andrew Harwood,
Helen Clarke, and Peter Bingham); photo 3 (1977) shows Steve Paxton
using one well-chosen point on Nancy Stark Smith's body to support
his weight. In both of these examples, the dancers know through their
sense of touch where and when weight can be safely given and support
can be safely offered. (Photo 2 by Chris Randle; photo 3 by Ted
Pushinsky)

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124 CynthiaJ. Novack

4. Rolling throughthe body: Successive or sequential (one after the other)


use of body parts. Steve Paxton and Nancy Stark Smith's twisting ac-
tions in photo 4 (1977) in which their shoulders and heads appear to
move first while the rest of their bodies remain temporarily behind are
typical of contact improvisation. This segmenting of the body allows
for increased improvisational options with a partner and for softer land-
ings from falls and rolls. (Photo by Ted Pushinsky)

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ContactImprovisation I25

5. Experiencingmovementfrom the inside:Internal orientation of the body


in space; secondary attention (depending on the performer) to shaping
the body in space. In photo 5 (I978), the supporting partner (Nancy
Stark Smith) is focused inward, as she concentrates on moving forward
while the weight of her partner (Steve Paxton) balances on her shoulder.
Contact improvisers must have this internal focus a good deal of the
time or else they will not perceive subtle weight changes and may en-
danger themselves or others. In this photo, Paxton combines his internal
attention with arching his legs and head into space; this is an example of
secondary attention to shaping the body in space. Skilled contact impro-
visers, to whom the sensing of weight becomes almost second nature,
tend to project their bodies into the surrounding space more often than
beginners do. At the same time, even people doing solos in a contact
performance often have an internal focus and absorption in the sensation
of moving. (Photo by Bill Arnold)

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I26 CynthiaJ. Novack

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ContactImprovisation I27

6. & 7. Using 360-degreespace:Three-dimensional pathways in space;


making spiralling, curved, or circular lines with the body.4 In photos 6
(1979) and 7 (1978), the curved trajectories of the falling bodies are evi-
dent. These pathways are closely connected to the physical necessities of
lifting weight and falling with a minimum of exertion. Lifting in an arc
requires less muscle strength than lifting directly upward, and falling in
an arc lessens the downward impact. Photo 6 shows Nancy Stark Smith
taking Alan Ptashek for a ride; photo 7 shows Dena Davida falling over
Carol Harwood. (Photo 6 by Erich Franz; photo 7 by Marc Andre
Gagn6)

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I28 Cynthia . Novack

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ContactImprovisation I29

8. & 9. Going with the momentum,emphasizingweight andflow: Prepon-


derance of free or ongoing movement flow coupled with alternation of
active use of weight and passive weight. Contact improvisers often em-
phasize continuity of movement without knowing exactly where the
movement will take them. They may actively push, pull, or lift to fol-
low the thrust of energy, as the standing dancers in photos 8 and 9 are
doing, or passively allow momentum to carry them, as the suspended
dancers in the photographs are doing. In photo 8 (1978) Sylvie St. Lau-
rent supports Dena Davida; in photo 9 (I978) Curt Siddall has just
thrown Daniel Lepkoff. Also, look again at photo 6 for the sense of
mutual momentum it indicates. (Photo 8 by Marc Andre Gagne; photo
9 by David Minehart)

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I30 Cynthia . Novack

Io. Tacit inclusionof the audience;consciousinformalityofpresentation,mod-


eled on a practiceor 'jam": Proximity to the audience, seating usually in
the round with no formal "stage" space. Photo 10 (1975) shows Steve
Paxton and Nancy Stark Smith performing in a typical studio. The dan-
cers and the audience are very close to each other. Particularly in the
early years of contact improvisation, dancing would be going on when
the audience entered, so that the beginning of the "performance" was
indefinite. This performance set-up simulates the contact jam, as does
the lack of production values (lights, props, sets, programs), and the
"costumes," which are practice clothes. Many of the other photographs
also indicate this conscious informality. (Photo by Edmund Shea)

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ContactImprovisation 131

I I. The danceris just a person: Adoption of a behavioral or "natural"


stance. Contact dancers generally avoid movements clearly identified
with traditional dance techniques and do not distinguish between
"everyday" movement and "dancing"; they adjust clothing, scratch,
laugh, or cough whenever necessary (and sometimes even when not
necessary in order to signal informality); they generally do not look at
the audience. Again, all of the photographs indicate an absence of move-
ments identified with traditional modern dance or ballet techniques. The
deliberate gaze of the kneeling dancer (Daniel Lepkoff) in photo I
(1977) is an example of a "natural" gesture occurring within the dance.
The other dancer pictured is Steve Paxton. (Photo by Stephen
Petegorsky)

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132 Cynthia . Novack

12. Letting the dancehappen:Choreography structured by sequence of

duets, sometimes trios or larger groups, and almost continuous physical


interaction of performers. Choreographic elements such as organization
of space, establishment of movement themes, or the use of dramatic
gesture are seldom pursued intentionally, but choreographic shaping
does arise from the dynamic of changing personnel and the emergence
of particular moods and qualities in the improvisation. This characteris-
tic is difficult to illustrate with a photograph, but photo I2 (I985) can be
seen to represent the interaction which forms groupings and events in
contact improvisation. Dancers pictured, from left to right, are Julyen
Hamilton, Nancy Stark Smith, Andrew Harwood, and Kirstie Simson.
(Photo by Bill Arnold)

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ContactImprovisation 133

I3. Everyoneshouldbe equally important:Lack of external signs of differ-


entiation between dancers such as order of appearance, length of dancing
time, costuming. The movement qualities of contact improvisation rein-
force this message, as can be seen in photo 13 (I986) of four dancers-
Alito Alessi, Andrew Harwood, Karen Nelson, and Nancy Stark Smith.
(Photo by Bill Arnold)

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134 CynthiaJ. Novack

Notes
i. All photographs are reprinted with the permission of ContactQuarterlyand Con-
tact Collaborations, Inc.
2. Labanalysis is an elaborate system for studying movement developed by Rudolf
Laban in Europe in the early part of the 20th century (see Laban 197I, I974). It
includes a notation system (Labanotation), and methods for analyzing the use of
space and dynamics (choreutics or space harmony and effort-shape). For accounts
of the Laban system as it has been developed in America, see Irmgard Bartenieff
(I980) and Cecily Dell (I977).
3. The concept of core qualities is central to Irmgard Bartenieff's work. See Bar-
tenieff (I980).
4. Laban conceived of movement in the physical world as organizing itself spatially
along lines of crystalline structures. Tara McClellan (I980) has suggested that
contact improvisation is one of the only American dance forms to organize itself
almost entirely within the icosahedron, a crystalline form with 24 points. Many
dance forms relate far more to the vertical axis running up and down through the
body, focusing on the independent, upright figure.

References
Bartenieff, Irmgard, with Dori Lewis
1980 Body Movement:Coping with the Environment.New York: Gordon and
Breach.
Dell, Cecily
1977 A PrimerforMovementDescription.New York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press.

Laban, Rudolf
1971 The Mastery of Movement. 3d ed. Revised and enlarged by Lisa Ull-
man. Boston: Plays, Inc.
1974 The Languageof Movement:A Guidebookto Choreutics.Annotated and
edited by Lisa Ullman. Boston: Plays, Inc.

Lepczyk, Billie Frances


1981 "A Contrastive Study of Movement Style in Dance through the Laban
Perspective." EdD diss., Teacher's College, Columbia University.
McClellan, Tara
I980 "Contact Improvisation." Unpublished manuscript.

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