Researching Contact Improvisation

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Five Ways In

 

By encouraging presence and awareness of our own being with others through touch,

Contact Improvisation is a transformative and potentially revolutionary dance form.

Our collaborative documentary project focuses on the experiences of five people

at the biggest contact improvisation dance festival in the world

to reveal contemporary meanings of the form and to

open up new themes and questions for research. Continue Reading

Research Themes

Community

What is the community of contact improvisation? How can contact improvisation be used in intentional communities and in creating community?

Personal Transformation

How does contact improvisation contribute to personal, spiritual and social transformation? In this theme we include therapeutic benefits and the appreciation of nature.

Political Change

Can contact improvisation contribute to making real changes in the world?

Teaching and Education

How is the way CI is taught and learnt relate to the quality of experience in CI events?

Intersubjectivity-Visual Anthropology

What concepts and areas of anthropology can best do justice to the transformative impacts of CI and the other research themes that emerged from the process of filming and feedback? How can the research value of this documentary be best argued in relation to current social and visual anthropology?

Visual Media

How can visual media be used to research and communicate key aspects of CI?

Performance

How is CI performed? What is it’s value within wider contemporary dance performances? What are the value of performance evenings in CI festivals?

Contribute a new theme

What new research themes does the documentary open for you?

Docusphere

Posted on May 4, 2020 by mikepoltorak

Nancy Stark Smith -Dance in Peace

Nancy Stark Smith, fondly known as the mother of contact improvisation, died on the 1st May, 2020. In celebration and memory of a life that inspired and touched so many, Alyssa Lynes, Sonja Bruhlmann and Mike Poltorak would like to make our documentary -Five Ways In-free to view. As the International Contact Festival Freiburg owes a profound debt of gratitude to Nancy Stark Smith’s tireless enthusiasm and teaching of the form, Five Ways In in turn would not have been possible without her. Her underscore inspired the structure of the film. At… Read More

Posted on October 4, 2017 by alyssa lynes

NYC: Inclusivity as a physical, musical and spoken Conversation

INCLUSION:  “Yeah-even when you are on the fringes you are really still a part of it. I love that about CI-when we are creating that kind of general vibe.” January 14, 2017    New York City Premiere at Jack (a cozy film and performance space in Brooklyn)  (http://www.jackny.org/) A variety of people showed up to this event.  There were 3-4 people who had never danced CI before and a few teachers of CI and a bunch of CI dancers who range in level and interest, race, age, and background.  I found the… Read More

Posted on December 2, 2016 by alyssa lynes

An Interview with CI Virgins!

Ever wonder what people who don’t know anything about CI would say if they came and saw the film as their very first impression and then entered the JAM? Alyssa (A) interviews two brand new beginners  (B & C) at the showing & Jam,  Darmstadt, Germany  Oct. 2, 2016  A: So you guys came and saw the film. Did you also see Fall After Newton- the early film shown? Two Beginner Women: Yes. A: I am just curious since it’s brand new to you, 1. How you found out about Contact Improvisation… Read More

Posted on December 23, 2015 by mikepoltorak

Dance IS Peace

Dance is Peace Festival, Lviv, Ukraine- May 2015 The question of how contact improvisation is political was at the heart of the Dance is Peace festival in the beautiful Ukrainian city of Lviv in May 2015. We had seen Poured Out, the powerful video of spontaneous dances in Maidan square, Kiev,  at the Bern Jam the year before. It was not difficult to resist the temptation to offer Five Ways In as a way of exploring what was meaningful for people at the festival. Their manifesto for the festival moved Sonja and… Read More

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Feedback

Feedback was a vital part of the process of  making this documentary.

As you watch and screen the documentary your feedback will be key to us expanding the docusphere (from kinesphere) of ‘Five Ways In’ and populating the website with more footage you are interested in. Continue Reading

Potolahi Productions

Several principles and ideals inspire our filmmaking:

Long term collaboration
Audience awareness and feedback
Social Transformation

We are inspired by the idea of a public and shared anthropology.

To learn more about our other productions see our vimeo site.

Key Links
  • Contact Improvisation World Resource
  • Moving on Centre
  • Our Project on Kickstarter
  • Potolahi Productions
  • School of Anthropology and Conservation
  • Vimeo (Potolahi Productions)
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