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Hi all,
I'm beginning a class with people I feel it may take awhile to actually get to the touching part, and wanted to brainstorm teaching exercises that don't involve touching each other. I know Martin K. has a lot, but am having trouble remembering some.
What I have right now and usually use are general mediation exercises/warmups: scores for getting into your own body, connecting with the floor, soloing with the floor, connecting with the room/air, scores for falling, releasing, imagery, softness... looking for more specific ones though. Exercises that involve dueting with the floor, architecture or objects I usually reserve after people are familiar with dancing with people (makes it easier to surrender and feel and not feel so stupid).
Anyone have anything to add?
I'm beginning a class with people I feel it may take awhile to actually get to the touching part, and wanted to brainstorm teaching exercises that don't involve touching each other. I know Martin K. has a lot, but am having trouble remembering some.
What I have right now and usually use are general mediation exercises/warmups: scores for getting into your own body, connecting with the floor, soloing with the floor, connecting with the room/air, scores for falling, releasing, imagery, softness... looking for more specific ones though. Exercises that involve dueting with the floor, architecture or objects I usually reserve after people are familiar with dancing with people (makes it easier to surrender and feel and not feel so stupid).
Anyone have anything to add?
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Wisconsin
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i love the fact that contact dance is not necessary a body contact.
you could start with eyes contact. people are invited to choose a new partner and slowly start gazing in each other's eyes while moving across the room. they can either keep eye contact or change their attention to somewhere else BUT by keeping that mental contact with their partner.
so lets say i look at another couple, i do it intentionaly so my partner is also drawn to look at them and then slowly we come back together(eye contact)
hence, a contact, connection, link, is always present between the partners.
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Keith H. taught an exercise I have used a lot in different groups. The work is in pairs. You use a short stick, I use bamboo sticks that I picked up at a garden shop. Each partner holds the stick with just one finger, so the stick is suspended between the two people. Then the pair close their eyes and they "follow the stick." The goal is to keep the stick suspended, either in motion or still. But the stick leads. When the stick falls you simply pick it up and begin again. It is an exercise in listening and following. Works kind of like the ouiji board.
have fun, -
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great one vajrana!!
i done this one too with keith and thatg was a super grounding one!!
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A couple of thoughts, Lynn. One exercise I like to use I call "Inquiry Through Touch", where one dancer/witness touches the other for a moment - on a shoulder, or knee, or foot, etc. - and the other dancer moves for a minute or so in response to that touch while the other witnesses. Reverse the roles after a number of iterations. This is a non-threatening introduction of touch.
A second idea is to use hands/forearms to touch - generaly pretty non threatening - and do the push-hands drill (like the drill with bamboo sticks someone mentioned) except you are suggesting differing muscle tones to use during the exercise such as 'honey', or 'iron bars', or 'water'. This lets them have contact in gentle ways and still teaches how the body can respond to differing inputs.
I have done a number of workshops where people don't really know if they want to do CI but came anyway. I try to eeeease them in to touching.
