" .. . Once hesitant and awkward movers now willingly lifted and carried other dancers. They yielded to the flow of motion, eager to make conta,·t, Trusting their own movement wisdom and that of their partner, they fearlessly allowed each other to cllmb on, balance on, roll over surfaces of the body that had never l...akcn weight befor . The dancers were charged with their own dynamics, and they charged and recharged one another." Sine C(\ntact is based on interaction, similar dynamics occur in other activities. Recently, at a community food co-op meeting, I watched the group as they discussed a rather controversial issue. I noticed that three or four people were taking [hI: weight of the dl eussion. Others, wanting to put in their' thoughts, tried desperately to find a space to enter. They were not as powerful nor outspoken as those who lllready had the floor, and became frustrated and angry. Finally breaking out with a burst of energy, one of them spoke, but naturally met with equally stiff competition. Needless to say, the original thought did not get across. It's ironic that it was a "cooperative." Each person seemed so involved in h)s own position mal they failed to realize the context in which the issue was taking place. These dynamics can be explored in Contact Improvisation. Outgoing mover.; arc challenged to become more sensitive and pmvide f r those who are less expressive. Those who are timid are challenged to become assertive. As a level of trust is established, each person begins to realize that his own unique expres ion contributes to the group dynamic. The dancers achieve a Slate f mind permitting mutual reliance, with murual reedom. They realize that the "group" lives through an alignment of "whole" individuals, spontaneously cooperating within a common purpose; rather than through isolated individuals acting from separate positions. When each individual is acknowledged fully, his expression evolves freely as an integral wholeness haping a dynamic community. Each expression is charged with meaning, and is unique and important. One sees with child's eyes a world filled with specialness and newness. In a context of openness and trust, diversity wi'thin the group is celebrated. In a bit of satire, a group I'm with in Minneapolis is working on a performance piece using football and contact improviation. Il involves the changing roles of men, and expands the opportunities for touch: from rough and playful to tender ilnd lyrical. April 1979 RAIN Page 15 It seems that ours is a malnourished society of isolated individuals whose only opportunities for contact are sports and sex. Football has been an excellent example of a contact sport that satisfies some of the needs of those involved. It has become a part of the American Sunday ritual. Millions of spectators watch a few players every week intimately collaborate in moving a ball across the field. They watch them in the huddle, slapping each other at the end of the break, the quarterback hiking the ball from the center's hind end, players moving, shoving, blocking each other in brutal 'ontact to achieve their tasks, and then hugging each other after the touchdown. Meanwhile, Joe Spectator is glued to his TV set, isolated from the action, feeding himself with junk food in place of his own needs for exercise and direct human contact. With so many unmet needs it's no wonder people project so much else into these games. There must be a sport for the everyman that takes into account his varying body types, abilities and needs, There are many activities which help us understand and experience our lives more clearly. Yet, we all perceive the world through our bodies. We learn mpst easily and quickly by DOING, and when the doing is our own movement, we are able to experience very personally the fundamental concepts of human dynamics. Contact Improvisation creates a context for the new age: openness, trust, cooperation, interdependence, mutual benefit and wholistic thinking. In a safe environment for growth, each individual is challenged to become sensitive to old patterns and to be open to new possibilities. Through a mutually spontaneous dance, participants develop and refine sensitivity, responsibility and assertiveness. They begin to realize their own BEingness, and share joyfully their expression with others. Contact can provide rich metaphors for our lives, encouraging us to transcend the language of our ~eparate activities, and to perceive from their pctty rules common Truths.O In just six years a whole network of people in nrth merica has grown lip arollnd Contact Improvisation. Contactors stay in touch with each other and recharge their energy ill the expansive pages of Contact Quarterly (Box 297, Stinson Beach, CA 92790). Subscriptions arc $ 10. (And you thought there was only one CQ!) Further inqlliries about COlltact Cllil be addressed to the Bay A rea CUlltact Coalition, c/o Diane Sa~ks, 571 Guerero St., San Francisco, CA 94110. Nllclear Power ill the Pacific Northwest: Essays on Promineltt Issues, by students of the Applied Research Group Contract, June 1978, $8.50 plus $,66 postage, from: Charles T, Nisbet· Evergreen State College Olympia, WA 98505 I am impressed. This ambitious academic research effort mounted by a group of students and a faculty member of Evergreen tate College is page-for-page one of the best overviews of nuclear issues in the onhwest I've yet to see. Painstakingly ubj~(·tive in its analyses of elcctricit load forecasting, plant licening and siting procedures, nuclear fuel cycles and health hazards, this report draws tOgether in One place a vast amount of basic information, history and sources- particularly concerning the state of Washington. That's why its probes into the nuclear power imbroglio are so well taken: the hand-inglove nuclear evolution of the Washington Public Power Supply System, the frustrations of public intervention in the siting process of the Satsop nuclear plant, the controversial removal of Dr. Thomas Mancuso, researcher into the effects of low-level radiation on workers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Hats off to these students who know how to do their homework-and why it needs to be done. -SA (Thanks to Alan Locklear) R(!port ofthe National No Nukes Strategy Conference, Movement Edition, August 1978,47 pp., $1.25 plus $.75 postage and handling, inquire about bulk rates, from: National No Nukes Report 628 Rubel Avenue Louisville, KY 40204 No energy networker shuuld be without this tabloid. Despite its simple format, it is the best, most up-to-date handbook of organizing ideas to come out of the national anti-nuclear movement. Extensively detailed summaries of the 15 workshop areas covered during the Louisville conference last summer arc highlighted here~ laying out change strategies targeted to specific nuclear issues. These reports are accompanied by regional summaries that focus on local organizations and issues, as well as a nationwide contact list of workshop participants and resource people. Still timely enough to serve as an effective fund raiser by energy activist organizations, the No Nukes report is an impressive reminder of how broadl based public concern over afe energy has become, It i a movement. -SA (Thanks to Alan Locklear)
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