On Sharing and the Unknown

As my inquiry and exploration deepen, I perceive that this practice encompasses far more than meets the eye—a "more" that largely remains ineffable, residing beyond the reach of language. Each practitioner and facilitator, deeply rooted in the field of Contact Improvisation, employs their own unique vernacular and methodology to share this elusive essence. This reveals another profound beauty alongside the "Art of the Absolute Present"—the beauty of sharing and reception. This is the only way I can attempt to describe it.

Between my dual identities as a human being and a dancer, the paths of inquiry may diverge yet remain intertwined. On one hand, there is the awakening of individual sensation and consciousness; on the other, the rigorous practice of physical technique. Both require a unified knowing of body and mind—two parallel trajectories that nourish each other as we venture into the vast territories of the unknown.

Ultimately, these realizations are universally applicable to the journey of life itself: they shape how I perceive the world, how I understand myself, and how I relate to the "Other."

The most precious realization I have gathered from Contact Improvisation is the act of opening both body and mind to accept oneself and the Other. In today’s society—defined by autonomous individualism—it provides a vital medium and a sanctuary for establishing a space of pure human connection. For those who have tasted the profound beauty within this space, there is a natural reluctance to ever truly leave it.

It is an ideal of living; the most authentic form of human encounter. It is a language that demands both recognition and study. It is a teacher, a mirror, a bed—a threshold where green meets blue, a field of color from which something, occasionally, begins to emerge.

Reflections on the Practice

Steve Paxton: "They are all in some way controlling each other, or guiding each other... That is stability. It requires an effort of will to continue, rather than being influenced to act in the way others have already indicated."

Nancy Stark Smith: "Each individual must take responsibility for their own choices; it is precisely this autonomy that maintains the cohesion of the form."

Katya: "Is it the unconscious that leads? Or is it a conscious creation?" "When the distinction between 'this' and 'that' no longer exists, movement as such ceases—because everything is already contained within it."