I just read something in a dance therapy book that I wanted to discuss here.

In the book The Dancing Dialogue by Suzi Tortora she says:
"If people limit themselves to shape-flow activities (which are movements that move like the breath or those that help integrate outside stimulus and are personal) they will not relate to others. Shape-flow movements can become self-stimulating actions and can develop into a way to self-regulate in order to avoid uncomfortable interactions. In contrast, two people enter into shape-flow actions together, a condition without boundaries takes place, with each person experiencing a physical and emotional merging with the other. This is the root of sensual sensations. This phenonmenon relates to Mahler, Pine and Bergman's (1975) normal symbiotic attachment phase of development in which a baby experiences self and mother as sharing a common boundary. The mother-infant dyad's early nursing experiences are an excellent example of a mering shape-flow relationship: the baby's sof mouthing at the breast stimulates the mother to slow down and regulate her breathing pattern to match the sucking rhythm of the infant. In this satisfying interaction, the baby and mother are attuned to each other."

When I read this, I thought of contact improvisation - as for me it is often a shape-flow movement, I integrate the outside and inside world and invite others in. And while there is quite a bit of talk about boundaries in the majority of contact improvisation classes, I'm not so sure there aren't strong bonds made in dances anyway. I know I have a difficult time truly understanding how to put up safe boundaries and still be open. Contact is a deep form and I would bet pretty surely that energetic, emotional even, merging occurs.

The only reason I mention it is because I have experienced the vulnerability (sometimes great sometimes not) and energetic draining from these types of bonds made, and that perhaps a good thing to include in contact improvisation training, or even as a jam ritual, would be regular conscious "cord cutting" to those we've danced with that we aren't merged with in our personal lives.

Is anyone interested in discussing this a bit? (boundaries, basically)

I'm also curious about discussing 1) any addiction-like possibilities in contact improvisation - to the ways of experiencing the world in this way 2) and the idea that contact improvisation could leave one open to too much to the world that isn't welcome. Does anyone have any ... things they do to go from contact improv back into the real world? It seems a terrible idea to have to reshut-down, and I'm not saying that's necessary, but I just think this is potentially a really important topic.

I'm afraid I'm not being terribly clear right now, as I'm attempting to explain fairly spiritual things rather than just physical, but I think I'll leave it in its vaguity and we'll see what arises.

Thanks :)

Lynn