Going up
I was very excited about today’s class but that all changed when within the first ten minutes we were told that we were starting today’s class with an abdominal workout. After the moans and grounds of the class had drifted away it become apparent to me that there was a point to doing this and that is that when lifting or holding weight you have to have a strange core. After our “delicious” abdominal workout we were asked to pear up with the person closest person to us. Mine being Leanne. Partner A would move around stretching out as they do this partner B would then follow them and rub over any open surfaces. We then progressed this by using any part of our body’s to do this. We then changed rolls. I feel like helped open my skin up to touch and open up part of my body’s like my chest that are normally quite closed.
We then changed partners using this time to work with everyone in the class. Partner A would make a table top position. Partner B would then lay back to back on partner A releasing the head and keeping both feet on the floor. Partner B would then release one leg so that it can slide under partner A, partner b can then slide forward onto a table top position as partner A stays with partner B by rolling onto them. This can then be repeated so that you make a square. I enjoyed doing this and it really made me think about keeping the connection between the cores of both partners.
We then moved on to coming off the floor. Starting holding opposite hands with your partner we would counter balance leaning out then slowly one partner would end up seated on the floor. The standing dancer would then spin and release there partner waiting for the spin to end then moving in front of their partner reached out hand. Then with a joint effort from both partners the seated partner will jump into the standing partner’s arms. This is done by the standing partner pulling up with their arms at the same time as the pushing off the ground. I didn’t really like doing this it scared me to be on both side when I was the catching partner I was scared that I wasn’t going to catch them and when I was the seated partner I was too scared to jump ending with me just jumping up like a pole in even close to my partner.
After this we did a very common lift the side lean. Simply standing next to each other one partner puts their arm around the shoulders of their partner and the other around their partner’s waist. The partner with their arm around the waist then leans to slide lifting the leg closest to their partner which helps to lift them. This was a very and quick and I enjoyed doing it but even with this small lift off the ground I started to fell a like bit of nerves and I believe that this was because I didn’t know if my partner had a strong base or not I noticed this because I am happy to give my weight when my partner is in a table top position of has a strong shape.
After this we progressed our lifting. We moved on to what I would call a wedding carry lift starting with the partner being lifted placing their leg into the hinged arm of their partner and placing their arm around their shoulders then pushing off the floor and holding themselves in a bridal carry shape as the lifting partner spins and then places them back down. This was then progressed by the partner being lifted instead of creating the bridal shape would created a plank this was done by trying to connect their pelvis to their partners chest. This was something I found hard but I found that the more I tried it the higher my pelvis got which made it easier for the person lifting me.
The reading really helped me when thinking of centre of gravity as I always thought about my centre of gravity being in my core it was not until I read this that I know understand that your centre of gravity moves as you do and can even be outside your body.
Woodhull A. Center of Gravity. Contact Quarterly/ Contact Improvisation Sourcebook I Vol. 4. Pp. 43-48

Research lab
In today’s class we did our research lab. We were placed into groups of four and five and asked to mined map questions that we would like to explore we chose to explore the question can you apply the same trust and relationship with a new partner that you do with a regular partner? Our group was a good group to do this question with for me because we were a group of five me, Leanne, Stacie, Toni and Kelly. I had worked with Kelly and Leanne in other classes and the jam’s quite a lot but not Stacie and Toni meaning that I could really test myself to see if not working with half of the group before did make a difference to if I trusted them or not.
The first exorcise that we decides to do was pebbles and table tops. We decided that to get a fear result that we had to be the over and under dancer for each person. This took more time than expected. When being the under dancer in both table top and pebble positions I was happy and trusted everyone completely. This was because I know that I am the one in control and that the over dancer has to put more trust into me to be their surface and to hold their weight. When being the over dancer in pebble position I was also happy and trusting in my partner I think this is because I knew I was close to the floor and I wouldn’t get hurt if I did fall. I think this because when I was the over dancer in table top then I got to Kelly who is a very tall person when going up I hesitated but I don’t think that this was because of not trusting her I think it was because I don’t fully trust myself not to fall.
We then did the pebble again but this time if you were the bottom person you would have your eyes closed. For me this made no difference as I still felt that the over dancer was the person that needed more trust. All I had to know was that I was a stable base for them. The next exorcise we also did in a pebble position with our eyes closed. We wanted to see if you could tell who someone was just by the back to the back connection. We all took it in turns to be the under dancer with our eyes closed as the over dancers went over in a random order. I found it quite easy to tell who was who but other members of the group got confused between me and Leanne as we are both the same height and have a smaller body shape. At the end we all agreed that if we did not know who was in the group and we were in a jam and a lot more people it would be harder to know who was on you.
Are next exorcise was holding the head and head to head connection. I did this with Kelly and Toni, Kelly being the person I had worked with before. Looking back at it I think I felt the same dancing with both of them I gave same but not all of my head weight to both dancers and felt I moved in the same way. Talking to the dancers that watch me they all said that at the start you could tell that I was courses of giving my head to both dancers and that after I got over that I relaxed more and got into it.
Together we wished we did a small jam at the start of class to see who we went to, to see who we trusted. We all decided that we don’t feel like we would have trusted each other so much if we didn’t know each other out of class as we might not have danced with everyone before but we have already known them for a year and had the same classes as them so we knew what they we capable of doing and know them on a personal level. We also found that if you didn’t trust yourself to hold someone then you got closer to the floor so that if someone did fall then they didn’t have far to fall. Finally we found that if you felt that someone was giving off a lot of confidence then you are more likely do dance with them over someone that is shy and doesn’t look happy to be there.

Jam
Due to illness I was unable to make the class on Monday so I thought I would talk to you about the jam instead. In week one I could tell that everyone felt uncomfortable with touching each other but then they didn’t want to be on their own. Now when I am dancing in the jam I can tell that everyone is more willing to experiment with each other and this has defiantly brought us together as a group and as friends. In week four I feel like I am trusting people with my weight when I would not have done that two weeks ago. I am also happier to take other peoples weight and even moving holding their weight. I am starting to find that I am only happy to take weight when I’m on my hands and knees but because I have noticed this I am trying to push myself to change this. This week I have started to notice the things that distract me like when at the start of the jam when I am trying to get into my body if someone talks to me then I have to start again. But altogether I am enjoying the jams and feel they are a good class to do, to test out what we have learn in class and have some fun with everyone. I also feel like if I am not in a good mood or stressed coming into the jam I always leave feeling happier and more relaxed.

Heads
We started off today’s class by watching two different videos the first being from when contact improvisation had just began. This was a very aggressive approach the participants, a group of about eight had high energy and would jump into, push and drag each other which was very different to the second video. This was a more recent video with just two male participants who moved with a calm energy. Instead of pushing they lifted and supported each other with constant movement they move effortlessly though all different levels. Though watching these two video I can really see how contact improvisation has changed and developed over the years.
Our first exorcise in class was to move around without taking our heads off the floor I enjoyed doing this as I found that I started to make some interesting shapes and tested myself to see where I could put my weight. When doing this I did find that my arms got in the way a lot because of the way that I roll I wanted to lift my head to sweep my arm underneath meaning that I really had to think about where my arms were because of this my movement wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked it to be.
Next we got together with a partner. Starting sat back to back we were asked to put our heads together and to move together without taking out heads apart. I also enjoyed doing this and found it easy to connect with my partner. One part of the exorcise that I did find hard was that if you ended up laying on the floor it was very hard to get back up again and the same with moving up high to standing, if your partner did not want to move of the level you were on then it is easier to move down with them then to move up to a higher level. We were then told to them same thing but we could move our heads all over our partners body, still without losing contact with them. When doing this I found that I stayed more to my partner’s shoulders and back.
Next we were asked to stay in our partners. Partner A would lay on the floor as partners B holds partners A’s head. Partners A would then give the weight of their head to partners B’s hands. When partner A is ready they start moving but still letting partner B have the weight of their head. Then after some time partner B takes their hands away to watches the difference in partner A’s movement. When I was partner A I felt like I wasn’t giving my partner all my head weight all the time but after she took her hands away I felt very heavy and grounded and this was something that I could see after I too my hands away from my partners head she had a very low center of gravity and moved with a sort of rag doll look about her as she looked calm and relaxed.
Our last exorcise was pebbles and tables a very fun get simple task where your partner would lay in a pebble or table top shape and you simply rollover them supporting yourself with your legs and keeping your head relaxed. I found this so much fun and could have done it for the rest of the day.

Touch
So week two of contact and I’m still not feeling that confident with touching people that are not my friends in the class. I thought I was comfortable with everyone in the class but I am starting to tell by my body language when someone comes up to me (that I don’t spend that much time with out of class) I have started to notice that I tense up which then makes our whole connection awkward and bumpy and not smooth a fluid like it is with others in the class.
I found in this class that we went over a lot of things that I have already done at college but in a lot more detail meaning that I was a lot safer and more confident on where to put my weight on people which then made me more confident towards the end of class to work with people smaller and lighter than me.
We started of the class by going though the reading. This took some time as we went though in groups of about five or six and discussed two or three different sections each this I found help me understand the reading and also helped me get in the right frame of mind from the rest of the class.
For our first exorcise in we were asked to partner up with on partner laying flat on their stomach. After you were comfortable the standing partner places their pelvis just above you bum to the center of the back. They could lay there for as long as they wanted to until they found that they were comfortable with what was happening. After this they were asked to roll themselves up and down the body watching out for areas like the backs of the knees. As the partner on my stomach at the start I found it a little uncomfortable but I think this was my partner thought that if she relaxed she might hurt me by putting weight on me. After she relaxed it was a lot smoother so was less uncomfortable to be the partner on the bottom and even started to feel like I was being massaged by my partner’s body. As being the partner on top I was aware of how it felt to be the under partner so I tried to relax straight away. When I started to roll I found that my pelvis kept taking me off the center of my partners back so I had to readjust a couple of times.
We were next asked to sit back to back and to move our spines together pushing and reacting to one another. I found this to be very relaxing and helped me loosen up my back, I also felt like I was more connected and had more trust in my partner. After doing this for some time we started to be waves and surfers. We started off in the back to back position. If you felt like you wear the leader you could lean down to the side until you were on your stomach and simply roll as your partner keeps laying back places their arms over their head and relaxes you rolling underneath them will move them over your body. This will then look like your partner is a surfer using you as a wave. Being the under dancer was nice and felt a little like a massage on the waist until you lost momentum and then you would get suck and have to use a lot of strength to get moving again but this rarely happened. Being the over dancer was fun and also a lot like getting a massage on your back. This was probably the first exorcise that I have enjoyed being the over dancer in more than the under dancer. After this we were asked to use different ways to get onto the wave, which is where it got harder. I found that if you didn’t get on the wave at the right time them it become uncomfortable and harder for the under dancer to roll.
Our last class was a play and stop task simply one partner would improvise as the other would say stop then find a place to put their weight them say play and repeat. This was a fun task but I found I was always asking my partner to stop when they were low to the floor because then I had the choice to put my weight onto her back which we had been working with the whole class.
My favorite quote from the reading this week is “touch is not something often used in other areas of study; it brings a closeness a sense of intimacy and community within the class.” This is my favorite quote because even though is it simple it is one of the most true even in the two weeks we have been doing contact I have already started to closer to all members of the class and I feel us coming together as a group or community. As you look around other classes in the university you see students sitting in their chairs having no connection with any other member of the class and at the end they leave with the two or three friends they have made with not even really knowing all of their classmates. But if you look at our class we sit together leaning on each other more than happy to roll around and be connected with others members and it is thought contact that this has happened.