the play of weight

Selections from a Contact Improvisation duet with Martin Keogh and Neige Christenson, filmed in Waltham, MA. Music overlay is "Sangye" by Kirby Shelstad.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Contact
• Improvisation
• dance
• Martin
• Keogh
• Neige
• Christenson
• duet

[greenrate]

Whenever I watch Contact Improv . . . I'm invariably disrupted in my attempt to attune energetically to it . . . by the artificiality of the transitions from one partner "leading" & the other "responding" . . . to the reverse.

I've never (yet . . .) seen an example where this wasn't the case.

The artificiality of the transitions seems to me to undermine the entire premise . . . since it reveals that the contact is NOT spontaneous or improvised.

It's contrived and self-conscious . . . 

[neigedance]

@greenrate dear viewer, have you experienced Contact Improvisation from the inside yet? Have you danced the exploration of finding a common center of gravity between two beings? I believe if you were to dance CI you would understand it more than observing it and making these assumptions from outside. It is at times a dialogue, with turn taking, and listening, and yet at times the impulse is untraceable and mysteriously neither partner's own to claim. Let's have a dance sometime!

[astawa2]

Very inspiring. Slowed motion effect (I think that was an effect in some sections, right?) lets me see some of the fun play that goes by too fast to process when I see it on the dance floor. I found myself chuckling, maybe even chortling, at the sheer joy and playfulness I saw here.

-David

[neigedance]

hi David, yes I slowed some sections down to half-time to just luxuriate in the flow of it. Glad you found yourself chuckling, and that the delight and playfulness came through to you. some moves just make me laugh too, as I'm surprised in a discovery.

~Neige

[Jimenchka]

It's beautiful how sometimes the body says more things than words.

[bangermccrusher]

this is also great for martial arts, its awsome

[kevinevran]

Wow, I love this. Beautiful dance, my heart softens...

I really like Martin's prescence - calm, patient, strong and play-full. I felt a great connection and joy between you two.

Thanks for sharing this inspiration :)

Kevin

[polyronin]

Hi Neige, very enjoyable work and dynamics. I was also forwarded the link to this clip through a Systema friend, which I practice as well and other forms of body movement exploration/application (martial and otherwise). Flow, tension, relaxation, breath in, breath out, smile, and keep moving... :-)

[brmnz]

This looks very much like the sensitivity and flow drills from Russian Martial Art - Systema. Very interesting, so fluid, open, yet controlled. As I watch I can see places where our applications would spring from. Great stuff, keep up the work and exploration!!

[espiritunomade]

Beautiful :)

Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

[espiritunomade]

Beautiful :)

Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

[geezloueeze]

They seem so connected.