Contact Improvisation Dance has again and again offered me an experiential cauldron to embody new pathways. As movement patterns are a reflection of neural pathways, moving in unique, spontaneous and even chaotic forms shifts habitual ways of being in daily life. Some of the most fundamental understandings of how to dance intimately with life in a state of open-hearted surrender have been transmitted through CI and include:
I can lead and I can follow. And, there’s a third option – the juiciest dances emerge…formless and form seamlessly flowing from cellular consciousness.
I have a right to have intimate connection with everyone, not exclusively with romantic partners. This was radical for me early on but I leaned in because something deep in me recognized how intimacy with divine love demonstrates no boundaries of presence and love.
Repeatedly returning to presence in the body offers spaciousness and ease in the mind.
Attention to the minutia – slowing down and practicing small, simple movements with full bodied presence opens an entire realm of possibilities when you release practice and allow free form. This is what we refer to in Tantra as Tapas and Spanda…you devote yourself to a specific practice or “restriction” for a certain period of time and by keeping out what you don’t want and focusing on something very specific, a spark within can occur that liberates energy.
Grazing and lingering – sometimes short interactions offer exactly what you need to create new possibilities and sometimes lingering in a dance provides a platform for curiosity to have full reign. This reflects what I’ve realized in all kinds of relationships. Sometimes a short engagement is enough to reframe a paradigm and sometimes we need to stay with a person for an extended period because the dynamic offers a prolonged experiment and growth for both.
Be with what is – CI is one of the only communities I’ve found where showing up authentically is held differently than normal social interactions. If you need to lie on the side and snuggle or simply witness or you feel a primal need to rough house or a tenderness that seeks the slowest touch possible – you can explore whatever is arising because the entire practice is in meeting your partner where they are at this exact moment.
Adaptability and resilience – spontaneity can feel overwhelming in daily life, especially if you grew up like I did where productivity and planning are paramount. CI offers a way to embody surrender in a safe space. Surrender in this sense is truly being with what is as it is and having the body-mind capacity to meet that rather than resist it.
I can lead and I can follow. And, there’s a third option – the juiciest dances emerge…formless and form seamlessly flowing from cellular consciousness.
I have a right to have intimate connection with everyone, not exclusively with romantic partners. This was radical for me early on but I leaned in because something deep in me recognized how intimacy with divine love demonstrates no boundaries of presence and love.
Repeatedly returning to presence in the body offers spaciousness and ease in the mind.
Attention to the minutia – slowing down and practicing small, simple movements with full bodied presence opens an entire realm of possibilities when you release practice and allow free form. This is what we refer to in Tantra as Tapas and Spanda…you devote yourself to a specific practice or “restriction” for a certain period of time and by keeping out what you don’t want and focusing on something very specific, a spark within can occur that liberates energy.
Grazing and lingering – sometimes short interactions offer exactly what you need to create new possibilities and sometimes lingering in a dance provides a platform for curiosity to have full reign. This reflects what I’ve realized in all kinds of relationships. Sometimes a short engagement is enough to reframe a paradigm and sometimes we need to stay with a person for an extended period because the dynamic offers a prolonged experiment and growth for both.
Be with what is – CI is one of the only communities I’ve found where showing up authentically is held differently than normal social interactions. If you need to lie on the side and snuggle or simply witness or you feel a primal need to rough house or a tenderness that seeks the slowest touch possible – you can explore whatever is arising because the entire practice is in meeting your partner where they are at this exact moment.
Adaptability and resilience – spontaneity can feel overwhelming in daily life, especially if you grew up like I did where productivity and planning are paramount. CI offers a way to embody surrender in a safe space. Surrender in this sense is truly being with what is as it is and having the body-mind capacity to meet that rather than resist it.
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