Contact Improvisation is a dance form that was developed in 1972 by Steve Paxton. He and his associates wanted to develop a form of dance that was in physical contact, yet improvised. Drawing inspiration from a range of sources, they originated ‘Contact’ - which is still going strong.

I was first introduced to Contact Improvisation in around 1993/4. Yesterday I attended a workshop in nearby Bristol - my first in around three years.

The instructor, Nita Little, very early on, said:

Contact Improvisation is Inquiry, not Expression

I was extremely taken by this statement. Expression is not its purpose although it may become an emergent quality.

In conversation about the practice, I realised the extent to which my own approach to Inquiry was influenced by Contact Improvisation, so many years ago, and came to the surprising (for me) conclusion that Contact Improvisation is a totally valid approach to Deep Wellbeing, even if that isn’t its expressed goal.