The wide culture of Contact Improvisation includes a variety of somatic practices intended to empower the dancer to be able to sense their surroundings and respond to them efficiently and creatively. Surroundings may be everything inside us and around us including other bodies, the floor/ground/ earth, nature, objects and space.
This course will build on students’ existing skills to work with touch, somatic sensing, bodywork, meditation and performative score work in order to expand the range of abilities and possibilities within Contact Improvisation.
The ongoing learning process of Contact Improvisation involves the unique skills of weight sharing, jumping and rolling, sliding and gliding, finding a solo inside a duet, using the floor as a partner and discovering the breath as an ally.
We will incorporate:
– Witnessing and practicing performative scores to hone our presence and curiosity
– Practicing fundamentals from shiatsu body-work in order to sharpen our listening skills and
develop skillful intentional touch.
– Creating clear language for practicing presence in movement
– Introducing the use of scores and score making as a fun way to create materials for movement
and self-expression.
Learning Outcomes:
- become skillful in a Contact partner duet/trio/group score
- become confident in working with various performance strategies while implementing specific
- tools from the practice of Contact Improvisation
- incorporate Body-Work and Meditation as part of a larger somatic approach and practice.
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Prerequisites: Experience with at least 2 movement courses at Bennington, Prior experience with Contact Improvisation, prior experience with Improvisation as a dance choreographic modality, and a basic level of comfort incorporating touch as part of the language of dance. Determination will be given based on a statement of interest and evidence of prior academic preparation and experience with Contact Improvisation. Please contact Tal Shibi (talshibi@bennington.edu) via e-mail to express interest prior to registration.
Corequisites: Dance or Drama Lab Assignment if students are registered for 4 or more credits in Dance.
Course Level: 4000-level
Credits: 2
T/F 10:30AM - 12:20PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 15
Course Frequency: One time only
Categories: 4000 , All courses , Dance , Fully In-Person , Two Credit
Tags: dance , embodimnet , improvisation , somatic practice