Editing Contact improvisation (section)

{{Short description|Form of improvised dancing}}
{{Infobox Martial art
| logosize = 
| image = 
| imagecaption = [[Steve Paxton]] and [[Nancy Stark Smith]], in a contact improvisation performance (1980). Photograph by Stephen Petegorsky
| imagesize = 300px
| alt = 
| name = Contact Improvisation
| aka = CI, Contact, Contact Improv
| focus = 
| hardness =
| country = [[United States]]
| creator = [[Steve Paxton]]
| famous pract = [[Steve Paxton]], [[Nancy Stark Smith]], [[Lisa Nelson]]
| parenthood = [[modern dance]], [[postmodern dance]],<ref name="Banes 1987">{{cite book|last=Banes|first=Sally|title=Terpischore in sneakers: postmodern dance|year=1987|publisher=Wesleyan University Press|location=Middleton, CT}}</ref> [[martial arts]] ([[Aikido]]), [[Somatics|somatic practices]] ([[Release Technique]])
| ancestor arts = 
| descendant arts = Underscore ([[Nancy Stark Smith]]), Material for the Spine ([[Steve Paxton]])
| olympic = 
}}

Contact Improvisation (CI) is a [[postmodern dance]] practice that explores movement through shared weight, touch, and physical awareness. Originating in the United States in 1972, '''contact improvisation''' was developed by dancer and choreographer [[Steve Paxton]], drawing on influences from modern dance, [[aikido]], and somatic practices.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Novack |first=Cynthia J. |date=1988 |title=Looking at Movement as Culture: Contact Improvisation to Disco |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1145892 |journal=TDR (1988-) |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=102–119 |doi=10.2307/1145892 |issn=1054-2043|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Contact Improvisation emphasizes the interplay of gravity, momentum, and improvisation, fostering an experimental approach to movement that invites both professional dancers and newcomers into its global community.<ref name=":0">Novack, Cynthia Jean., ''Sharing the dance'', Univ.  Of Wisconsin Press,   <abbr>1</abbr> January 1990   ( {{ISBN|0299124444}}, {{OCLC|925081573}}, [https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=fr&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=fr&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/925081573&usg=ALkJrhhzN2cJYtQlxmnmGFkKRFSb7UZeSg read online] ), chapters 2, 3, and 4.</ref>

The practice involves continuous physical touch between dancers, where gravity, momentum, inertia, and friction shape their interactions.

The dance is further described by Paxton:

"The exigencies of the form dictate a mode of movement which is relaxed, constantly aware and prepared, and onflowing".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Paxton |first=Steve |date=March 1975 |title=Contact Improvisation |url=https://doi.org/10.2307/1144967 |journal=The Drama Review |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=40–42 |doi=10.2307/1144967 |issn=0012-5962|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Known for its open "jams," contact improvisation is both a social dance and a tool for movement research, offering a unique blend of physicality and mindfulness.<ref name=":0" /> Formally, contact improvisation is a movement improvisation that is explored with another being. According to one of its first practitioners, Nancy Stark Smith, it "resembles other familiar duet forms, such as the embrace, wrestling, surfing, martial arts, and the [[Jitterbug]], encompassing a wide range of movement from stillness to highly athletic."<ref name=":5">Nancy Stark Smith et David Koteen (2013), ''Caught Falling. The Confluence of Contact Improvisation, Nancy Stark Smith, and Other Moving Ideas'', Contact Editions, p. xii</ref>

Contact improvisation has evolved into various formats, including performance art, experimental dance, and education. Figures like [[Nancy Stark Smith]], [[Lisa Nelson]], and Nita Little played significant roles in broadening its influence, integrating the practice into postmodern dance traditions and contemporary performance studies.<ref name=":7" />