Contact Improvisation

Wow! I just watched the most amazing video for one of my classes. It was all about the style of dance known as contact improvisation. The video was entitled Common Ground. It showed how even people with disabilities can participate in dance. Contact improvisation involves stretching, rolling, balancing, sharing weight with a partner, and relaxing muscle tension. It is a type of dance that can be done equally between partners...even if one partner is disabled and the other is not. The goal is to communicate through the sense of touch. I thought it was wonderful to see people in wheelchairs be able to lean, balance, and move in a way that was so freeing to them. I think so many people with disabilities feel so trapped by those disabilities. I don't mean just physically. I think they feel emotionally and mentally trapped as well. This type of dance allows both disabled and non-disabled people the opportunity to get out of their comfort zones and interact in a positive way. When I was watching this video, I was thinking how therapeutic this type of dance is for everyone involved! It opened my eyes to something I was completely unaware even existed!