Update Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 12:20am:As reflected on the Contact Improvisation in NYC page on this blog, all ongoing contact improvisation events in New York City have been suspended until further notice. This includes: Monday class, Tuesday pre-jam class, Tuesday…
A Helpful Supplement to Myth #6: “It’s just not my thing” — addressing facilitator doubts (Part 2 of 2)
In Part 1 of this article, “Myth #6: Written guidelines keep CI spaces safe,” I discussed why having written guidelines is an insufficient strategy for creating safer CI spaces, and explained why CI teachers and facilitators need to model talking…
Myth #6: Written guidelines keep CI spaces safe (Part 1 of 2)
I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but in 2020, written guidelines alone are not sufficient for contact improvisation (CI) communities to uphold a standard of intolerance toward sexual transgressions on and around the dance floor. No matter…
Myth #5: I can handle it myself
I’ve heard it expressed that it’s patronizing, or paternalistic, to suggest that people can’t “handle” themselves, set their own boundaries or make educated choices about how and with whom they dance. In other words, some people in the CI community…
Myth #4: It’s okay to heal me with contact improv
Sometimes, by dancing contact improvisation, we encounter and expose parts of ourselves that we usually keep guarded. We can find ourselves opening up in the presence of our dance partners, and because touch has the capacity to unwind emotions and…
Winter / Spring 2019: Contact Improvisation event round-up
As in the past, a round-up of events going on in the Northeastern part of North America these days. Lots going on! I’ll update this post periodically as I learn about new stuff. Note that these are single events; ongoing…