Here are some other definitions:
From the Ukrainian CI website:Being mainly an art, and not a commercial trend, this kind of modern dance art attracts people all over the world by its deepness, simplicity and sincerity˳ Being not limited by cultural and national features, it arouses interest and brings together open-minded and open-hearted people which tend to be free and happy in their life activity, social development and dance˳ Universal and versatile character of Contact Improvisation, its simplicity and positive health impact attract not only artists, but everyone who likes dance, movement and communication with other people˳ Dance for pleasure, dance for health, dance full of art, of improvisation, of happiness and spontaneous play with space… These are just some of the words which define the essential of CI, its necessity and usefulness in any civilized and open society˳http://www˳contactfest˳in˳ua/eng/about
Definition of Contact Improvisation from Wikipedia Contact Improvisation (CI) is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for movement improvisation and exploration˳ Contact Improvisation is a form of dance improvisation and is one of the best-known and most characteristic forms of postmodern dance˳ Full wikipedia definition and history here˳ What is Contact Improvisation? by Jim Davis Writing definitions of CI is an artform of its own, but not one I practice˳ This definition is here only for the sake of those who are surfing the Web and stumbled onto this page˳ Those of you already doing CI may as well go back˳ I’ve never seen a definition of Contact that I really liked˳ For some people, it’s a post-modern folk dance˳ For others, it’s a process for finding new choreographic ideas˳ Some people perform it, others do it as a practise or discipline˳ Some people look at it and see gymnastics, or wrestling, or swing dance˳ What are the “mere facts” about it? It’s usually done as a duet (but sometimes solo or in larger groups), it’s usually in silence; and it’s improvised˳ Dancers are as likely to be on the floor as standing, and sometimes they’re flying on someone else’s shoulders˳
What is Contact Improvisation? by Ernie Adams Contact Improvisation is a moving massage˳ It is a dance that fine tunes your senses and wakes up your ability to listen and respond to what is happening in the moment˳ If you could do Aikido, surf, wrestle and dance at the same time, you would have an idea of what Contact Improvisation feels like˳ What makes Contact different from other dance is that partners are often moving in and out of physical contact while rolling, spiraling, springing and falling˳ They find ways to “enjoy the ride” and improvise while mutually supporting and following each others movements˳ The dancing is unpredictable and inspired by the physical and energetic contact the partners share˳From The Dictionary of Dance A style and technique based on improvisation, in which the dancers support and utilize each other’s body weight while in motion; attributed to dance artist Steve Paxton working in the United States, beginning in the 1970’s; normally performed as a duet and without music, the emphasis is on touching, falling, lifting, leaning, sliding, counter-balancing, and supporting the weight of another person˳ Characteristics of sharing, cooperation, egalitarianism, and informality define the social atmosphere amongst performers and with the audience˳
