This collaboration was a dream I've had for a long time. I've been dancing on concrete, junk and steel for many months now, but (with the exception of the second IMP-Style: "Rub My Back"), it's all been just me. Dancing solo with whatever features are available offers a vast array of possibilities. Adding a partner increases those possibilities exponentially.
John is an old friend, and fearless partner in rock climbing and sword fighting. He left L.A. about 3 years ago to pursue a girl, and things have never been quite as exciting around here, ever since. In a rare visit back to his old haunts, I begged him to come and make an IMP-Style with me, but he didn't take too much convincing.
We only had a few hours to shoot the whole thing (and limited energy), so I went to an area that I know well, and have fully explored, for "Pass That Dutch". The City Fibers paper recycling complex is this sprawling collection of warehouses, train tracks, derelict machinery, and other odd features of unknown origin (e.g. I have no idea why there is a collection of concrete benches clustered at the end of the cul-de-sac).
John's favorite spot was the pile of mattresses. It was a great chance to let loose a bit, and not be afraid to come crashing down hard. Of course, all that trash had been sitting out there for God knows how long, so we got pretty grimy, but that just comes with the territory. I always come home from these shoots covered in grossness. That's why the shampoo bottle says "rinse and repeat".
For people who aren't familiar with Contact Improvisation, it is a relatively new (37 years, as of '09) dance form that focuses on making the center of movement the point of contact between two or more partners. So, I can steal some leverage from John, add some torque, borrow a little momentum, or combine our centers, so we're moving as one. Push, pull, slide, rotate, resist, withdraw, lift and follow - we collaborate in a multitude of vectors, connections, and attitudes.
The core of Contact Improv (married to the essence of parkour) is what has been allowing me to learn new physical features as dance stages / partners so far. In both Contact and Parkour, the practitioner surrenders the preconceived idea of movement, and instead focuses on the actual partner/features, letting them guide how best to move along / over / around them. That's why I include Zen in my description of IMP-Style dancing, because the dance is very much about letting go of what "should" happen, and instead, allow the dance to arise spontaneously (wu wei) from the unyielding reality of concrete and metal. It is my job to follow the world, and learn how it wants to be danced, instead of imposing my dance on it.
Of course, this sort of discovery is not always quick or telegenic. Much of the most interesting contact (from within) take a great deal of patience to watch, from outside. Consequently, many of the interesting challenges for us as dancers, never make the final cut because they just take too long to resolve themselves. Following is one (abbreviated) example, learning to climb down a fence, upside-down.
Adding a partner and Contact to the dance also increases the amount of surrender needed. I felt more fear at the beginning of this shoot, because I am used to knowing where the hard objects are. But when I was on John's back, I had no idea where danger was, and I just had to trust more that we would end up moving through the unknown without injury.
Fittingly, this bloopers reel is exceptionally short, because we didn't get hurt that much. My worst knock was a bang on the head, which had nothing to do with John, and everything to do with me not paying attention. John nicked his finger, but off-camera, so all you get to see is the aftermath.
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