A group exploration of Contact Improvisation dance principals through labbing, exploring improvisational structures, games, and play!
Contact Improv Lab & Play is a chance to experiment with and explore the underlying principals of contact improvisation through an array of improvisational structures, games and play.
All are welcome to bring their musings, curiosities, ideas, and movement toys! It's a build your own adventure open format lab and play time!
Participants should wear comfortable, well fitting, soft clothes and plan to remove or tape jewelry.
CI Lab and Play is currently on hold.
Please contact CJ O'Reilly with any questions.
Games, class structure and other content are licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Attribute, Share, Adapt! 
Contact Improv elements explored include:
contact movement safety
body and space awareness
connection to the body's core/center
weight sharing
lead-follow dynamics
interpersonal awareness and ettiquette
body and space awareness
connection to the body's core/center
weight sharing
lead-follow dynamics
interpersonal awareness and ettiquette
improvisational scores
breath
breath
Class Structure
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Contact Improv Games
-first 5-45 minutes-
Reincarnation Evolution
Slide Tag
Wheelbarrows
Jedi Sensing
Forest Wind
Animal Evolution
Wind in the Willows
Ocean Tide
Over the Bridge
Rock Garden
Log SurfingPushing Hands (Taiji)
Finger Fencing
Snuggle Puzzles
Buddah's Head (aka: kisstling)Lava in the Forest
Dinosaurs and Tar
Scratch that Itch
Seaweed in the Ocean
Human Ping Pong
Human Pinball
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Labbing
-middle 15-90 minutes-
"Labbing" (a verb, root "lab" as in "laboratory") is a peer driven contact improvisation practice which embraces the spirit of experimentation and discussion.
Bringing the experiential eye to specific elements of movement and relation.
It could be exploring a new way of lifting or deepending the understanding of a common one. It could a new mode of movement, or a skill you'd like to practice or explore. -
Improvisational Scores
-final 15-90 minutes-
An improvisational score is composed of a set of paramaters which the dancers apply to themselves and attempt to "dance within".
It could be any range of things from "try to dance for no longer than 5 seconds with any one person" to "incorperate this movement into the dance" or "use all three levels in your dance evenly", or exporing elements of the Underscore.
What ideas do you have?
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Past Lab and Play activities
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Rolling and Floating on 'stability balls'
Game: Slide tag
Lab Topic: Exploring the use of large "stability balls" in contact dance.
Score: "Fish Bowl" - the area in which dancers move is gradually reduced until all are dancing within a small space, but avoid contact with eachother.
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Side Lifts
Game: Jedi Sensing
Lab Topic: Side lifts (liftee on their side) - a wide range of fundamentals invoulved in basic side lifts including: saftey, core, breath, softness vs tone, balance, multi-levels, lifing through structure and platform, placement of center
Score: free dancing with side lifts
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Rolling over structures
Game: "Over the Bridge"
Lab Topic: Exploring structure and technique of rolling at ground level and up and across multiple levels
Score: a group score using rolling as the primarily mode of movement and interaction
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Shoulder Lifts
Game: Back to Back Massage
Lab Topic: Standing shoulder lifts
Score: N/A
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Basic Lifts
Game: Animal Evolution
Lab Topic: Exploring basic lifts - in pairs, share back
Score: Try to give and receive a lift from everyone
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Saftey and Boundaries
Game: Core to Ground connection
Lab Topic: Pressure and Sharing weight - ways to share partial weight
Score: Standing point of contact
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Hooks and Grabs, Leads and Follows
Game: Pushing Hands and Finger Fencing
Lab Topic: Lead and follow roles with hands
Score: "Organism Tail"
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From Goop to Flight
Game: Snuggle Puzzles and Lava in the Forest (of the Ents)
Lab Topic: "Open Space Technology" Style - self exploration Explored lifts and being a base
Score: Goop and Spinning
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Transitions that flow
Game: Over the Bridge
Lab Topic: transitions that flow
Score: underscore element: expansion and contraction
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Blind Leading the Blind
Game: Blindfolded Explorations and Jedi Sensing
Lab Topic: Blind folded duets - exploring:
*What is more challening?
*What is enhanced?
*What about physical saftey?
*What about emotional saftey and trust?
Score: One half blindfolded participants are led by one half unblindfolded, as the score progresses their roles switch!
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Slow-mo
Game: Ocean Tide
Lab Topic: Constant slow movment
Concepts brough to attention were:
*Yin/yang movement style
*Expanding your dimensions/moving in new orientations
*moving at your edge
*Crescent rolls (yum...)
*"cuddling" while weightsharing for comfortScore: Negative space explorations in an ultra small space
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Blowing, Pouring Mass
Game: Pushing Hands, Forest Wind
Lab Topic: "pouring" back and forth and/or giving partial weight and landing lightly
Score: Blindfolded mass
*Close your eyes (optional)
*Must be in contact with someone
*Non-verbal space
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Head to Tail
Game: Scratch that Itch (?)
Lab Topic: Exploring connecting with the head
Score: Following the head and tail
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Evolution
Game: Reincarnation Evolution
Lab Topic: What to do from waist lift?
Score: Follow your personal score, guess the others
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Breathe
Game: Ocean Tide
Lab Topic: Discuss ways breath plays into Contact Improv
Score: ~1 hour score:
*expansion and contraction with break (internal/self)
*Expand to levels with breath*Everyone sync breath (group)
*Flip weightsharing with breath (pairs)
*Breath to movement connection - One movement-per breath, or move as breath flows (internal/self)
*Interacting currents - your breath and movement follows the "currents" of others in the room (group)
*Tie into Ocean Tide duet/trios (pairs, small groups, large group)*Barnacles - find a cozy place to stay and experience the tides of breath (internal/group)
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Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
Game: Basic Intro to CI, Scratch that Itch, Over the Bridge and Rock Garden
Lab Topic: What to do when you're on your hands (and someone else at the same time
Score: inspired by "Scratch that Itch", and other topics of the day
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Evolved Beings
Game: Animal Evolution
Lab Topic: Incorperate sounds
Score: Open Jam (+Secret Birthday Underscore!)
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Sound Healing
Games: Slide tag, Ocean Tide, Musical Freeze-Dance
Lab Topic: "Becoming Sound"
Score: Open Jam with Live Music!
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Up we go...
Games: Log Rolling, Cuddle Puzzles
Lab Topic: Lifts
Score: Open Jam with Lifts
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Center and Friction
Games: Centering
Lab Topic: exploring friction in lifts
Score: Open Jam
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Pushing Hands
Games: Pushing hands
Lab Topic: Setting boundaries non-verbally - exploration of simple weight sharing, spinning, partial weight sharing, and advanced lifts
Score: Dance with anyone for no longer than 30 seconds
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Human Ping Pong
Class: Learning to follow divergent momentum for three person scores
Game/Score: Human ping pong
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The Fox and the Guitalele
Games: Ocean TideLab Topic: Lifts and Yin CI Bodywork
Score: The Fox and The Guitalele
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Wind
Games: Rooting, Pushing Hands, Forest Wind
Lab Topic: Lifts and free labbing
Score: Soft and Hard elements
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NVC (Non-Verbal Communication)
Games: Scratch that Itch
Lab Topic: NVC, Lifting through structure
Score: Open Jam
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Play Day!
Games: Animal Evo
Lab Topic: NVC, Lifting through structure
Score: Open Jam
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Rollin' on the Rocks
Games: Over the Bridge
Lab Topic: Open
Score: Open Jam
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Play Day! - lots of kids!
Games: Jedi Sensing
Lab Topic: Animal Improvisation, Scratch that Itch
Score: Open Play
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Evolved
Games: Animal Evolution
Lab Topic: Exploring level transitions and caring for your own needs in the dance
Score: Open Jam
Next class
Bring your ideas!
::Ideas Sandbox::
These ideas have been previously suggested.
The number of astrisks indicates multiple suggestions.
Spinning *
Flying **
Snuggling and Group lifting **
Rolling
Differing altitudes (multi-level)
"be the lava" (goop)
Flow and meeting and flowing - the flow-line
moving bases
flying
cartwheel lifts
being a base
Dancing Musical Themes
Designated Fliers
Continuous slow motion
swinging movement
spiraling motion
basing/flying - controlled motion
"base is still dancing"
"with beginners"
Bent at waist - head on head - transitions
The commitment of giving weight - result of moving out of the way - "reverse invitation" - giving 1% but xommiting 100%
Balance between 2 bodies
Basic stuff
Landing lightly - psych landings - pouring landings
alternating baae and flier
blindfolded mass - score - closed eyes, in contact with someone - nonverbal space
eyes open vs closed **
Transumte awkward moments into something - surrender
group contact - with saftey and grounding
Dancing with head (as point of contact) - Alexander technique
Medium to slow intensity
Lead/follow
Dance to Music
Head/tail connection
Trios
Pull away from point of contact
Breath - ocean tides on same tracks
Breath
More interactions during ocean tide
Flying with spots
Surface of legs and feet as base
NVC (non verbal communication)
