My interest in movement and the body is centered in the desire to help myself and others, to build community, and to collectively build new ways of relating, both within a dance context but also that we can carry beyond, into our daily lives. My main dance practice is contact improvisation (abbreviated as “CI”).
What is Contact Improvisation?
It is a dance form that explores movement, weight sharing, and physical touch. Created by Steve Paxton in 1972, at Oberlin College, it has no defined steps or rules, other than the invitation to move in contact with others, or even with the floor. The freedom of this dance makes it both accessible to beginners without dance experience, and yet also a form that offers many challenges and potential for research.
I see dance and especially contact improvisation as a liberating practice that has the potential to help improve lives, create space for exploring consent and touch, and as a microcosm of society itself through which we can examine, question, and build new ways of relating.
More about Contact Improvisation (Link to a TED Talk on Youtube)
About me: I studied performance art and filmmaking in university, attending UC Santa Cruz in California, and NYU in New York City.
My interest in dance started in college, and has continued through various creative forays into music, filmmaking, and other forms.
Since becoming interested in Contact Improvisation, I have studied the form since 2022, working with well-known teachers of CI in workshops in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. My work as a commercial filmmaker can be seen at: harrodmedia.com
