1. The point of contact: CI exercises to develop embodied communication and understanding.
Age Range or Target Group| Could target youth/teenagers and adults of any age who do not experience severe physical constrains. Depending on needs and aims, the workshop can be implemented on a specific age group or with mixed ages. If physical or mental constrains exist, facilitators should be aware of them and know if and how to adjust the activities to the participants’ needs. In regard to target group, as the projects depicts, both EU citizens/natives and immigrants/refuges/asylum seekers should participate in the workshop. The workshop is open to people from any socio-economic background and it is desirable to have as much variety as possible within the group.
Number of participants| 10-20 participants. If the workshop is happening with more than 20 participants, more time should be given for each activity and maybe the help of another facilitator will be needed.
Duration| 1h30m – 2h.
General Aim – Objectives| This workshop can function as a smooth introduction to concepts of CI for non-dancers. The aim of the workshop is to familiarise participants with non-verbal communication, and to develop their empathy skills and acceptance of the Other. Finally, the workshop aims to increase levels of self-awareness and self-confidence. In order to achieve this, the workshop makes use of basic CI exercises that highlight the sense of touch and focus on movement coordination between partners. This workshop is an opportunity for people from different backgrounds to have contact with others not only by sharing the same space or by verbally communicating. This workshop achieves contact between people also through the body.
Key Words & Phrases| movement, contact, improvisation, inclusion, acceptance, discrimination, empowerment, cooperation, mindfulness.
Instructions (Step by Step Process)|
A. Greeting and Introduction to the workshop (5-10 minutes)
B. Warm up (15-20 minutes)
B1. Breathing Exercise: Participants are paired in groups of twos. One person is lying on the floor relaxed, head looking at the ceiling with their eyes closed. The other person is sitting close by, relaxed and in silence. The person who lies on the floor brings their attention on their own breathing: what changes are happening in their body while they are breathing: the movement of the belly, the movement of the chest. Then, the person who observes the breathing, puts one arm on the belly and one arm on the chest of the person in order to experience the action of breathing. The active breather tries to feel their body with air during inhalation and to get rid of all air during exhalation. Both participants are asked to remain focused on the action of breathing and to forget everything else. After a while, the facilitator asks them to switch roles. The facilitator is guiding the pairs throughout the exercise. For further information on Breathing exercises, refer to the Resources section.
B2. Feeling the push: After completing the breathing exercise, participants are asked to come up standing slowly. In the same couples, Partner A stands still, with slightly bended knees and core tight in order to be more stable. Partner B starts to push with their hands different places of Partner’s A body. Partner A remains focused and feels the touch. Partner A puts resistance to where they feel they are being pushed. After a while, the facilitator asks them to switch roles. For further information refer to the Resources section.
B3. Trust Fall I: In the same couples, Partner A and Partner B are opposite each other with approximately 40-50 cm distance between them. Partner B has slightly bended knees and core tight, while their arms are placed, bended in front of their chest ready to receive weight. Partner A, starts falling slowly in front of Partner B. Partner B, supports the falling Partner A by placing their arms on Partner’s A shoulder/chest areas, and then gently pushes them back to their original position. They can repeat a couple of times and increase the distance between them if they feel safe as well. Same exercise happens, with the Partner B now being behind Partner A. Partner A then starts falling to the back with Partner B being ready to support them and then gently push them to their original positions. Repeat a couple of times and they can also increase the distance between then if they feel safe. Switch roles after a while. It will make the exercise easier if the falling partner exhales during falling and the support partner exhales while they receive the weight of the falling partner.
C. Main Part (45–80 minutes)
C1. Back to Back Exercises: a. Participants are in pairs and are facing each other with their arms open to the side, at the level of their shoulders. They gradually connect their fingers, then forearms, shoulders, backs, and then move to the other arm, forearm, fingers and return to original position. They repeat a couple of times to become comfortable with the movement. In this exercise is important that the partners put some pressure on the contact points. Moreover, while they are in contact with their backs, they again should put some pressure/resistance, and try to have full back contact, that is to avoid having shaped a gap between their lower backs. This will be avoided, if both participants keep their core tight.
b. The next level of this exercise is the following: Participants are back to back standing. They try to go to the floor, without losing their back to back point of contact. When they rich the ground, they try to lift up together with their partners, maintaining the contact they have. To achieve this exercise, partners have to give equal pressure one to the other and synchronise their breathing. They can first inhale together and during exhalation both go down to the floor. Once reached the floor, they inhale one more time and during exhalation they both push in order to lift up. They can repeat a couple of times until they become comfortable with the exercise.
c. Participants are again in back to back contact. Partner A slowly bends into a flat back while Partner B follows Partner A. It’s important that they maintain full back to back contact and that their breathing is synchronised. Partner A is into a flat back while Partner B is being lifted. They can repeat a couple of times until they become comfortable with the exercise and then switch roles. For further information refer to the Resources section.
C2. Rolling Exercise: a. Participants lie on the floor, facing the ceiling. They start rolling on the floor individually, initiating the movement from their core. Repeat a couple of times across the room.
b. Participants now go into pairs. Partner A is initiating Partner’s B rolling by pushing them from the core/centre. Repeat a couple of times and then switch roles.
c. Now Partner A rolls while Partner B rolls on top of Partner A. Once they have reached maximum rolling without losing contact, they reverse the rolling.
d. Partner A rolls, Partner B rolls on top. Once they have reached maximum rolling without losing contact, they reverse the rolling. Partner B then sits with knees bended on the floor, ready to receive Partner’s A body. Partner B continues initiating a roll on Partner’s A body from the core/centre. Partner A then continues rolling on the legs of Partner B. Once Partner A has reached to Partner’s B core, they curve around Partner’s B core. Repeat a couple of times rolling from both sides and then switch roles.
For further information refer to the Resources section.
D. Closure/Calm down (25-30 minutes)
D1. Recap: Combine exercises 1a, 1b, 2d with music. Enjoy! Once repeated 1-2 times, they can go faster. They can also change partners and try the sequence with other partners. For further information refer to the Resources section.
D2. Participants come all together in a circle. They take a couple of slow and deep breaths together. They then close their eyes. The facilitator taps on the shoulder of two participants at a time. The participants that were chosen are entering the circle slowly. The others can open their eyes and observe. The participants who enter the circle, try to find another person in the circle keeping their eyes closed. Once they find a body they carefully try to get in more contact with it and eventually hug each other. They then open their eyes, go back to the circle. People close their eyes again and repeat. While in search for another body, participants are careful in their movement so that if and when they find another body through the sense of touch, they are movement is soft and does not cause harm to the other body.
D3. Brief stretching
D4. Debriefing: Suggested questions for initiating the debriefing section of the workshop: How did you feel during the workshop? Was there anything that made you feel discomfort? How did you feel when you were in contact with someone else’s body? What was the most enjoyable moment for you? Can you relate any of your feelings stemming from the workshop with your daily life? How did it felt to touch someone or to be touched? How does society today understand the sense of touch? Can touch mean a lot of different things?
Desirable Outcomes and Competences| CI tools are being used in this workshop as a mean to increase communication, to develop empathy and perspective-taking and acceptance of the Other. The participants will create non-verbal connections between them and will try to listen to and understand their own’s and others’ needs. Thus, the workshop will bring awareness to the body, activating both mind and body and will encourage participants to explore different ways of communicating. Overall, such activities help to accept one’s self and others’.
Photos from stretching and calm-down activities:
The videos are uploaded as unlisted in Youtube website and their goal is only to provide educational material for this output. Please use the videos only for your own personal understanding of the workshops.
Materials| No special material is needed for this workshop.
Resources|
Breathing Exercises:
Farhi D., 1996. The Breathing Book. Good Health and Vitality through Essential Breath Work. St Martin’s Griffin, New York.
Jiva Sharma. (2014, June 26). Diaphragmatic Breathing Technique. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ua9bOsZTYg
Feeling the contact relevant exercises:
Juri Schmidt. (2010, March 10). The point of contact – contact improvisation. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CekBZXsvvX8&t=181s
Rolling and Back to Back Relevant exercises:
OKI. (2016, September 28). Contact Improvisation- A couple of basic exercises. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8JiB2Nv5Qo
The embodiement Channel. (2013, September 24). Contact Improvisation Rolling Exercise. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ7WLqpR2qI&list=PLtrESMmg5FKJ7r2ZigLn89KtE553LGKPx
Interkinected. (2016, March 29). Contact Improvisation Laboratory: perpetual ground roll variations. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_b2-q4D_lY
Media and Techniques| The workshop was based on CI classes, the theory of Intergroup Contact. , scientific articles about the political and social power of CI, books about breathing techniques and videos available online and offline
Tips for the educator| This workshop is better if is being implemented as part of the series of CI workshops. Specifically, this could act as the first workshop of this series. However, it can be also implemented independently. Feel free to adjust the workshop. If participants need more time to familiarise themselves with certain exercises allow them time and do not worry about not managing to go through all the exercises of the workshop.
Questions for Evaluation:
1. How did you find the exercises of the workshop?
2. Is the level of difficulty for the exercises appropriate both for facilitator and participants?
3. Are there any suggestions you would like to make?
4. Any other comment/question?