honesty in a physical form
the east coast jam, by the way, was great! such cool people, great dancing, amazing scenery and very relaxing overall.
what was also amazing was how certain newcomers who came with me got totally into it too, and how accessible the form of contact, as well as the people and the whole vibe, was. i think it’s hard not to enjoy the jam, to appreciate the sense of “realness”–the authenticity, so to speak–of the people and an activity that forces you to be physically present and honest. physically honest, what a cool concept. and contact as a lifesaver! also a cool idea.
last thing, john and i were looking at you tube last night at some improv performances at a contact festival in italy; here’s one, and there are many more as links on the right side of that you tube page. they are great, duets and trios by serious and beautiful improvisers with unique movement styles. each one is interesting in its own way, but taken as a group they’re pretty lovely. one thing that surprised me was how john really saw these performances as being separate from “normal” dance, while to me they were just part of the continuum that is modern dance. i guess i can see where he was coming from…the performers are certainly experienced dancers, but not necessarily technically trained. and yet they’re so comfortable moving in their bodies that it doesn’t seem to matter. i wonder what other folks think about that. i do love how they move, the way that their movement is totally original, not copying any set style, very authentic actually. to me it’s a combination of experience with being in their bodies, and their freedom from other set styles. now i’m thinking that it’s a goal to me, to be able to move that uniquely and beautifully.