Contact improvisation (Paxton)

1. Introduction

Version followed: contact improvisation (CI) as described by Contact Collaborations / Contact Quarterly (CQ), Steve Paxton's 1977 class notes "The Small Dance, The Stand" (ReUnion transcription, provided by CQ), Nancy Stark Smith's Underscore as published on her site, and current community jam guidelines (Earthdance CI Jam Guidelines, updated November 2022; Philadelphia CI "Safety & Boundaries", 11 September 2019, adapted from the NYC community's 2018 document). DanceAbility is described as its own site and the University of Oregon publish it.

What it is. CI is an improvised partner and group dance form, not a therapy. Paxton first proposed it while in residence at Oberlin College with the Grand Union in January 1972, where he made Magnesium, a short work for a group of men who threw, caught, collided and fell on gym mats [source: Rustad 2024, Critical Stages; Wikipedia]. Accounts differ on the length and cast of Magnesium (about ten minutes and eleven men in one account; about twenty minutes in another) [uncertain]. The form was first shown publicly as Contact Improvisations at the John Weber Gallery, New York, in June 1972, after a two-week project with about 17 students and colleagues [source: CQ About CI]. Nancy Stark Smith, part of the 1972 group, founded the Contact Newsletter in 1975, which became Contact Quarterly [source: Wikipedia; Rustad 2024]. The first generation chose not to trademark or define CI and not to create a certified teacher training; they founded a newsletter as a communication forum instead [source: Rustad 2024; Wikipedia].

CQ quotes an early description of the form as "a free play with balance, self-correcting the wrong moves and reinforcing the right ones" (Paxton and others, CQ 5:1, 1979) [source: CQ About CI]. Practice includes "following a physical point of contact", "supporting and giving weight to a partner", falling, rolling and being upside down, in dialogues ranging "from stillness to highly energetic exchanges" [source: CQ About CI]. It is practised in classes, workshops, festivals and jams (leaderless open practice sessions), and CQ describes it as "open to all bodies", including mixed-ability groups [source: CQ About CI].

How change happens (as the practice frames it). CI does not make clinical claims. Its own language is about learning: attention to reflexes, gravity and the skeleton (the small dance), following a shared point of contact, and practising both accepting and declining contact; one community page calls CI "a place to learn to say yes" and also to say no [source: Paxton 1977 notes; dumit.net]. A dance ethnographer is quoted as describing a jam as "halfway between a bodily meditation, a psycho-kinesthetic therapy, a sports training" and improvised dance [source: Wikipedia citing Davina 1999]. A current reference page says CI is not inherently a meditation or therapeutic practice, though it is an ancestor of the conscious dance field [source: DanceResource wiki]. Any therapeutic rationale below is marked [synthesis].

Not dance/movement therapy. CI is not dance/movement therapy (DMT), which is a registered or credentialed profession (ADTA in the US, ADMP UK); see Domain VIII for DMT. A CI teacher is a dance teacher, not a clinician [synthesis].

Who teaches it. There is no central governing body and no single certification for CI teachers; knowledge passes through workshops, festivals, local classes and jams, peer learning and mentorship [source: DanceResource wiki; Rustad 2024]. Some teacher trainings and teacher exchanges exist (for example the European CI Teachers Exchange, ECITE, listed by CQ) but none is an official credential [source: CQ About CI]. DanceAbility, an inclusive method founded by Alito Alessi (University of Oregon gives 1987), runs its own teacher certification (four weeks, 125 hours; a 30-hour five-day intensive; Master certification after 200 hours of mixed-ability work) and includes CI skills such as rolling, weight-sharing and counterbalancing [source: DanceAbility teacher certification; University of Oregon 2024].

Where the psychotherapist fits. Partner contact in CI involves sustained full-body touch. For most psychotherapists the role is to assess suitability, prepare the client, refer to an experienced CI teacher or an inclusive programme, and integrate the experience in therapy. A psychotherapist who is also an experienced CI dancer and teacher may teach CI in a community or group setting, but should not dance or teach partner contact with their own psychotherapy clients unless their profession's code covers therapeutic touch and they hold the training (see section 3) [synthesis; source: USABP Code of Ethics; EABP Ethics Guidelines 2020].

2. Framework

CI has no clinical phases, session counts or progression criteria. What the sources describe are formats and a learning arc.

Formats as published.

Class or workshop: structured exploration of skills such as rolling, falling, lifting and sensing; movement ranges from subtle weight shifts to dynamic lifts and falls [source: DanceResource wiki]. Classes commonly open with solo attention work such as the small dance [source: Paxton 1977 notes; Wikipedia]. A standard class sequence is not published by any central body [uncertain: not verified].
Jam: a leaderless practice environment where dancers practise with "whoever gathers"; some run a few hours weekly in a studio, retreat jams last several days [source: CQ About CI]. Jams are hosted or facilitated and increasingly have written guidelines [source: Earthdance; Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries; Wikipedia].
Festival: multi-day gatherings of classes and jams; the Freiburg festival is reported to draw about 250 participants [source: Rustad 2024].
Underscore: a long-form improvisation practice by Nancy Stark Smith, evolving since 1990, usually 3 to 4 hours, with more than 20 named phases moving between quiet, internal periods and higher-energy interactive periods; participants need some CI experience and a talk-through beforehand, and it is not led by verbal cues [source: Nancy Stark Smith, The Underscore].
Performance: improvised or semi-improvised [source: DanceResource wiki].
Mixed-ability (DanceAbility): classes built from what all participants can do ("common denominators"), with explorations and games for individuals, pairs, small and large groups, and group-created pieces [source: DanceAbility teacher certification].

Learning arc a client will typically meet [synthesis, drawn from the formats above]:

Solo sensing (small dance, standing, breath, weight).
Partner contact with low risk: a point of contact, small weight exchanges, often near or on the floor.
Falling and rolling skills, redirecting weight, ending or changing a dance.
Open dancing in class, then a jam, beginning with brief contacts ("grazing") and short dances [source for grazing and short dances: Earthdance].
Larger or faster dances, lifts and being upside down, only as skills and consent allow.

Psychotherapy frame around CI participation [synthesis]:

Phase	Goal	Format	Move on when
A. Assessment	Decide whether partner-touch dance fits this client now	1 to 3 therapy sessions	Physical clearance where needed; no current contraindication (section 5); client wants it, not pleasing the therapist
B. Preparation	Consent skills, boundary language, plans for overwhelm	1 or more sessions	Client can name how they will say no, step out and get help
C. Participation	Client attends beginner classes with a CI teacher, then a jam	Client's own pace	Client reports being able to decline and end dances
D. Integration	Make meaning of body experiences in therapy	Ongoing	Experiences are being processed, not only re-enacted
E. Review	Continue, pause, change format (e.g. solo or non-contact dance) or stop	Periodic	Agreed with client

3. Guiding principles

Principles of the form (as CI sources publish them):

Free play with balance [source: CQ About CI]. Practical meaning: there is no correct movement; the client is not being tested.
Follow the point of contact [source: CQ About CI]. Practical meaning: attention rests on the shared touch point and how it moves, not on choreography.
Give and take weight [source: CQ About CI]. Practical meaning: support and being supported are both skills, practised gradually.
Gravity, reflexes and the skeleton carry you [source: Paxton 1977 notes]. Practical meaning: less muscular effort, more noticing of small balancing adjustments.
Body experience first, cognition second (attributed to Lepkoff, CQ 2000) [source: Wikipedia]. Practical meaning: in therapy, ask about sensation before interpretation.
Relaxed, aware, prepared and "onflowing" (attributed to Paxton, TDR 1975) [source: Wikipedia]. Practical meaning: alertness without bracing.
Non-hierarchy, no fixed leader or follower [source: DanceResource wiki; Rustad 2024]. Practical meaning: either partner may initiate, redirect or stop.
Open to all bodies [source: CQ About CI]. Practical meaning: adaptations for disability, age and size are part of the form, not exceptions.
No one isolated (DanceAbility) [source: DanceAbility; University of Oregon 2024]. Practical meaning: start from what everyone in the group can do.

Consent and safety principles (as jam guidelines publish them):

Consent is required and is not given by entering the jam space; it can be given or withdrawn verbally or non-verbally and can change during a dance; consent with one partner does not extend to others [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]. Practical meaning: the client never owes a dance.
Anyone may refuse, change or end any dance at any time without explaining [source: Earthdance; Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]. Practical meaning: rehearse this before the first jam.
Read non-verbal no as well as yes; if unsure, ask in words [source: Earthdance]. Practical meaning: the client can also ask partners.
Do not assume someone can always name and assert boundaries; trauma may surface in a dance and affect boundary-setting [source: Earthdance]. Practical meaning: freezing is a known risk, planned for in advance.
Power differences limit consent (expertise, experience, size, age, identity); those with more power listen more closely [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]. Practical meaning: teachers and experienced dancers carry more responsibility.
Sexuality and romance are not part of CI practice; no intentional touch of breasts or genitals; arousal is noticed and let pass, or the dancer steps away; facilitators may ask someone to change or leave if dancing looks overly sexual, even if consensual [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries; Earthdance]. Practical meaning: CI is never sexual touch; any sexualised contact is a boundary breach to be named and reported.
Self-responsibility and care for others [source: DanceResource wiki; Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]. Practical meaning: self-care is expected, but it does not shift responsibility for harm onto the person harmed (see critique below).
Critique of "take care of yourself" as the first rule. Writing in CQ (2019) and later, Michele Beaulieux argued that the CI "first rule", take care of yourself, left survivors to handle harm alone, and called for community accountability, organiser responsibility and trauma-informed, survivor-centred responses [source: CQ 44:1 contents; Beaulieux 2022]. Practical meaning: when a client reports harm, do not suggest they should have looked after themselves better.

Psychotherapist's stance [synthesis unless sourced]:

CI is not therapy and its teachers are not clinicians. Practical meaning: keep clinical work in the therapy room; do not ask a CI teacher to hold clinical risk.
Never sexual touch. All codes consulted prohibit sexual contact with clients (e.g. APA 10.05; UKCP item 4; BACP 2018 para 34; AAMFT 1.4); USABP states genital or other sexual touch is "always inappropriate" [source: codes listed in Sources]. Practical meaning: absolute line, no exceptions.
Touch only within code and training. Mainstream talk-therapy codes (BACP, UKCP, BPS, HCPC, APA, AAMFT) contain no explicit touch provision but require competence and boundary management; body-psychotherapy codes (USABP, EABP) set out touch ethics: assess whether touch suits each client, informed (preferably written) consent before touch, consent monitored over time, the client's right to refuse or end touch at any time, touch only for the client's benefit [source: touch-code summaries in Sources]. Practical meaning: a talk therapist does not dance contact with their own clients.
Avoid dual relationships. Most codes require avoiding harmful dual relationships (BACP 2018 33(b); UKCP item 8; APA 3.05) [source]. Practical meaning: agree in advance what happens if therapist and client meet at a jam (usually the therapist chooses a different jam or does not partner the client).
Parallel services. EABP 6.b asks the therapist to consider the implications when a client receives similar services elsewhere and to discuss them with the client [source: EABP 2020]. Practical meaning: name the CI teacher's role and yours.
Client choice, not prescription. Practical meaning: offer CI as one option; the client sets pace, intensity and whether to touch at all.
Physical safety first. No CI-specific clinical guideline on contraindications exists in the sources; screening below is general caution [uncertain: not verified]. Practical meaning: medical clearance for relevant conditions before partner work.

4. Intervention inventory

Interventions 4.1 to 4.9 are CI practices as CI teachers and communities publish them; facilitating them is a teaching role (no single credential exists; DanceAbility has its own certification). Interventions 4.10 to 4.13 are the psychotherapist's own work around CI. Steps are qualitative; no durations, intensities or repetitions are given as instructions. Example language is illustrative and in this guide's own words, not the founders'.

4.1 The small dance (the stand)

Purpose and when to use: a solo standing attention practice Paxton taught from 1972 (first called a "soft class" at Oberlin) and that closed Magnesium; it remains part of CI practice and often opens classes [source: Wikipedia; Rustad 2024]. It involves no partner touch, so it is the CI element most usable by a psychotherapist with movement training, as an awareness exercise rather than as CI teaching [synthesis].
Steps (qualitative order, from Paxton's 1977 class notes): (1) relax face, scalp and eye sockets; sense the skull resting on top of the spine with tiny nodding and turning movements; (2) notice the breath, the diaphragm and the expansion of the lungs; (3) sense the weight of head and body and how muscle tension hides the feeling of gravity; (4) let the bones carry the weight as muscles relax, finding a very slight lengthening along the direction the limbs already hang; (5) shift weight between the legs, notice compression in the bones, lean slightly forward and back to compare; (6) observe the small continuous adjustments that keep you upright; (7) imagine a step without taking it and notice the first stirrings of movement; (8) close with a voluntary drop into a squat, then rise [source: Paxton 1977 notes]. Paxton's line: "The small dance—you're relaxing and it's holding you up" [source: Paxton 1977 notes].
Example language (illustrative): "Stand however is comfortable, eyes open or softly lowered. Let your attention go to how your head sits on top of your spine... Notice whether you are holding anything you could let the bones hold instead... You don't need to do anything, just notice the small movements that keep you standing."
Psychotherapist adaptation [synthesis]: offer sitting or lying alternatives; keep eyes open for clients prone to dissociation; skip the closing squat for anyone with knee, hip or balance problems or offer to stay seated; you may shorten or stop at any point.
Watch for: dizziness or light-headedness on standing (sit down); dissociation (glazed look, loss of contact with the room); breath-holding; self-criticism about posture. Signs it is working: the client reports more sense of weight and support, softer breathing, curiosity rather than effort.

4.2 Following a point of contact (rolling point)

Purpose and when to use: the core partnering skill: two dancers keep a shared point of physical contact and follow how it moves across the body surfaces [source: CQ About CI]. The phrase "rolling point of contact" is in common teaching use [uncertain: not verified]. Used in classes after solo warm-up.
Steps (as typically taught, qualitative) [uncertain: not verified as a published sequence]: partners agree to try contact; begin with a small, easy surface (for example back of hand or shoulder blade); let the point travel slowly across arms, back and shoulders while both keep listening; either partner may let it roll, pause or break; end by stepping away and acknowledging the partner.
Example language (teacher or therapist describing it, illustrative): "You decide where you are open to being touched. If the contact rolls somewhere you don't want, you can turn, step back or say 'not there', and that is part of the dance."
Watch for: the contact drifting towards chest, buttocks, inner thighs or groin (stop and redirect; intentional touch of breasts or genitals is not part of CI [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]); freeze or compliance (client goes still and lets things happen); shame or arousal. Signs it is working: the client can describe redirecting or ending contact and reports feeling listened to.

4.3 Giving and taking weight (weight sharing, counterbalance)

Purpose and when to use: "supporting and giving weight to a partner" is central to CI [source: CQ About CI]; DanceAbility includes weight-sharing and counterbalancing in its curriculum [source: DanceAbility]. Used once a point of contact is comfortable.
Steps (qualitative): start with small amounts of weight (for example leaning back to back or shoulder to shoulder); the receiving partner tells or shows how much is welcome; increase only as both agree; learn to redirect weight and change speed or quality; take particular care when weight passes over ankles, knees, elbows, fingers, neck and skull, and do not lock or restrict a partner's limbs or joints [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]. Example words a dancer may use: "Less weight, please" [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries].
Example language (illustrative): "You can give just a little weight and see how it feels. If it is too much, saying 'less' or simply moving away is enough."
Watch for: pain, especially in neck and lower back; partners mismatched in size or experience (power difference limits consent [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]); the client over-giving to please. Signs it is working: the client adjusts weight by choice and can ask for less.

4.4 Falling and rolling

Purpose and when to use: falling, rolling and being upside down are listed CI practices; Paxton built them from his gymnastics and martial-arts background, including aikido [source: CQ About CI; Rustad 2024]. Taught to reduce injury and allow recovery from loss of balance.
Steps (qualitative): learned in classes from a teacher, typically from low positions towards the floor, spreading contact across the back and shoulders rather than landing on joints; aikido-influenced rolls are named among common moves [source: Wikipedia citing Kaltenbrunner 1998]. The detailed teaching sequence is not published centrally [uncertain: not verified].
Example language (illustrative, therapist preparing a client): "The teacher will probably start low to the ground. You can stay at the level that feels safe for your body and watch the rest."
Watch for: head, neck, shoulder, wrist injury; fear responses; clients with osteoporosis, recent surgery, pregnancy or neck conditions (seek medical advice first) [synthesis]. Signs it is working: the client reports confidence in returning to the floor without bracing.

4.5 Lifts, being upside down and high-energy dancing

Purpose and when to use: shoulder and hip lifts, table-top position, "surfing" and similar moves are reported in CI teaching [source: Wikipedia citing Kaltenbrunner 1998]; dances may be fast, athletic and use much space [source: Earthdance]. Advanced; not for early participation.
Steps (qualitative): only after falling and weight-sharing skills; dancers should know how to avoid being lifted when they do not want to be; forceful lifting is named as a danger, and a lift that feels fine to one dancer may not feel fine to the other [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]. Warm up for the kind of dance intended, keep eyes open and track other dances in the room [source: Earthdance]. High-energy dancers increase sensitivity; slow or floor-based dancers keep to the edge of the room [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries].
Example language (illustrative): "You never have to go upside down or be lifted. If someone starts to lift you, you can drop your weight or step out."
Watch for: collisions, neck and spine strain, falls from height, excitement overriding consent. Signs it is working: the client chooses the energy of dances and reports no injuries or pressure.

4.6 The jam (open practice), including grazing, witnessing and short dances

Purpose and when to use: the leaderless practice space where dancers practise with whoever gathers [source: CQ About CI]. Suitable once the client has basic skills and consent language from classes.
Steps (as guidelines describe): read the jam's posted guidelines and identify the host or care team; warm up; begin by watching from the edge, which is welcomed [source: Earthdance]; try "grazing", a series of brief connections, as a low-pressure way in; prefer shorter dances when new [source: Earthdance]; keep social talk off the floor while safety and boundary talk is encouraged [source: Earthdance]; pause to stretch, watch or rest if feeling off, spaced out or unwell [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]; check in with partners afterwards.
Example language (illustrative, therapist): "Before you go, could we look at the jam's guidelines together and find who you would go to if something felt wrong?"
Watch for: overstimulation, tiredness, dehydration (named as risks for newer dancers [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]); feeling rejected when a dance is declined (guidelines say it is most likely not about you [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]); late-night social or romantic pressure around jams [synthesis]. Signs it is working: the client leaves dances freely and seeks help if needed.

4.7 Consent practices in the dance: checking in, declining, ending, redirecting

Purpose and when to use: every CI dance. Guidelines name practising one's own yes and no, verbally and physically [source: Earthdance].
Steps (from published guidelines): look and listen for non-verbal no as well as yes, at the start and throughout; if unsure, ask in words [source: Earthdance]; leave or end a dance at any time without explanation [source: Earthdance]; avoid grabbing or manipulating; allow others to take care of themselves [source: Earthdance]; if a boundary is crossed, pause or end the dance, clarify the boundary without accusing (for example "I didn't feel comfortable with that movement"), find allies or a facilitator [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]; if a partner's motives are unclear, end the dance and talk off the floor [source: Earthdance]; report to a host, facilitator, staff or care-team member [source: Earthdance].
Example language (illustrative, client rehearsal phrases): "I'm going to stop here, thanks." "Not there, please." "Can we keep this slower?" "I need a break."
Watch for: the client apologising or explaining when ending a dance; freeze; partners who pursue after a no. Signs it is working: the client ends at least some dances by choice and reports it without guilt.

4.8 The Underscore

Purpose and when to use: a long-form practice developed by Nancy Stark Smith since 1990 to bring CI into wider improvisation, build ease in spherical space alone and with others, and integrate physical and compositional concerns; she called it "a form of play and research, not the law" [source: Nancy Stark Smith, The Underscore]. For experienced dancers.
Steps (qualitative): more than 20 named phases, each with a glyph, starting with an "Assembly" (earlier called "Pow-Wow") check-in and moving through quiet internal periods (including small dance and a "skinesphere" phase) to higher-energy interaction, open dancing and closure; usually 3 to 4 hours; participants attend a talk-through first; it is not led by verbal cues [source: Nancy Stark Smith, The Underscore; Wikipedia]. The full phase list is in Smith and Koteen, Caught Falling (2013) [uncertain: not verified].
Example language (illustrative, therapist): "This is a long session without a teacher talking you through it. What would you do if you needed to step out partway?"
Watch for: fatigue over a long session; less facilitator oversight than a class. Signs it is working: the client reports self-paced participation.

4.9 Mixed-ability and inclusive practice (DanceAbility)

Purpose and when to use: DanceAbility, founded by Alito Alessi (1987 per University of Oregon), brings together people with and without disabilities; its stated aim is that no one is isolated in a shared class [source: University of Oregon 2024; DanceAbility]. Suitable for clients with physical, sensory or intellectual disability, and mixed groups. The sources make no therapeutic claims for it [source: University of Oregon 2024].
Steps (as published): the teacher first identifies what is possible for each person and builds from "common denominators" all can do; foundation exercises, then explorations and games for individuals, pairs, small and large groups; improvisation as communication; group-created pieces; adaptations for visual, hearing and intellectual disabilities [source: DanceAbility; University of Oregon 2024]. Teachers certify through a four-week 125-hour course; the organisation reports over 600 certified teachers [source: DanceAbility; University of Oregon 2024].
Example language (illustrative): "This class starts from what everyone in the room can do, so you won't be asked to fit into someone else's way of moving."
Watch for: consent and communication needs for clients with limited speech (agree signals in advance); carers' role in touch decisions; safeguarding for adults at risk [synthesis]. Signs it is working: the client takes part on their own terms and reports belonging rather than being accommodated.

4.10 Suitability and safety screening before suggesting CI [synthesis]

Purpose and when to use: before suggesting classes or jams, when a client asks about CI, or when a client already dancing reports difficulties.
Steps: (1) ask what draws the client to CI (connection, play, touch, body confidence, community, a partner) and whether the idea is theirs; (2) take a touch history: positive and negative experiences, sexual or physical abuse, medical or intimate-care trauma, sensory sensitivities; (3) screen mental state: current dissociation, panic, psychosis or mania risk, active self-harm, eating disorder or severe body-image distress, substance use; (4) screen physical state and advise medical clearance where relevant: neck or spine problems, osteoporosis, recent injury or surgery, joint hypermobility or instability, pregnancy, head injury or concussion history, balance or vestibular problems, cardiac or respiratory conditions affecting exertion, bleeding risk or anticoagulant use (bruising), epilepsy; (5) agree a starting format (solo or non-contact dance, beginner class, inclusive class) or decide not now. CI-specific contraindication guidance from a professional body is not published [uncertain: not verified]; this list is general caution.
Example language (illustrative): "Contact improv means dancing with strangers with a lot of physical contact, including weight on and off each other. Before you try it, I'd like to understand how touch has been for you, and whether there's anything your doctor should check first."
Watch for: the client agreeing to please you; touch-seeking driven by loneliness that might make declining dances hard; a wish to re-enact or 'test' trauma. It is working when the client can state their own reasons and their own limits.

4.11 Preparing the client: consent skills and a safety plan [synthesis, built on published jam guidelines]

Purpose and when to use: before the first class or jam; again before festivals, retreats or the Underscore.
Steps: (1) read the jam's guidelines together, identify host, facilitator or care team [source for content: Earthdance; Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]; (2) rehearse ending a dance in words and in movement (stepping away, turning, dropping weight, sitting at the edge); (3) agree personal no-go areas of the body and a few phrases (see 4.7); (4) plan for freeze: a cue to self (for example feet, eyes on the room) and permission to leave without explaining; (5) plan for arousal, shame or grief: noticing, stepping away, sitting out [source for arousal guidance: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]; (6) choose a grounding action and a support person after; (7) agree what to bring back to therapy.
Example language (illustrative): "Let's practise the end of a dance. I'll ask, 'How would you stop?' and you show me or say it, as many ways as you can find." "If you freeze, what would help you get back to your feet and the edge of the room?"
Watch for: the client minimising risk or showing over-confidence; inability to imagine saying no (suggests delaying partner work or starting with solo dance). Working when the client can show and say several ways to stop.
Therapist touch: do not practise contact with the client. Rehearsal is verbal or solo, with the therapist at a distance [synthesis; source on codes: Sources list].

4.12 Integrating CI experiences in psychotherapy [synthesis]

Purpose and when to use: after classes or jams; when body experiences (support, being held, falling, rejection, arousal, freezing) bring up material.
Steps: (1) start with sensation and specifics (where, how much weight, what happened next) before interpretation, in keeping with CI's emphasis on body experience first [source for the principle: Wikipedia citing Lepkoff]; (2) explore what the client did with yes and no; (3) link patterns to relationships and history at the client's pace; (4) note gains (accepting support, ending dances) and risks (compliance, idealising a teacher or partner); (5) review whether to continue, pause or change format.
Example language (illustrative): "When you let your weight go onto someone's back, what did your body do? What did you tell yourself?" "You said you stayed in a dance you wanted to leave. What made leaving hard in that moment?"
Watch for: flooding (slow down, ground, return to the present); idealising CI as therapy; romantic or sexual feelings for partners or teachers; avoidance of the topic after a bad experience. Working when the client can reflect on dances without being overwhelmed and uses the learning outside the studio.

4.13 Responding to a reported boundary violation, harassment or misconduct [synthesis, with sourced context]

Purpose and when to use: when a client reports unwanted, sexualised or forceful contact, pressure, or exploitation by a partner, teacher or organiser.
Context: CI communities have published discussion of sexual harassment and boundary violations: a 2017 Contact Improvisation Newsletter piece on women's discomfort with men who overstep intimacy; Contact Quarterly 44:1 (2019) carried "How the First Rule Brought #MeToo to Contact Improvisation" (Michele Beaulieux) and an account of a #MeToo disruption at the 2018 West Coast Contact Improvisation Jam (Cookie Harrist); Beaulieux later argued that leaving survivors to confront those who harmed them fails, and that organisers and the community must take responsibility [source: Wikipedia; CQ 44:1 contents; Beaulieux 2022]. An academic analysis traces gender debates in CQ, including critiques of masculinity and of approaches that minimise sexuality [source: Brozas-Polo 2020]. Many jams now adopt written guidelines [source: Wikipedia; Earthdance; Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]. No individuals are named in this guide beyond published authors.
Steps: (1) believe and listen; do not ask what the client should have done to take care of themselves; (2) assess safety, injury and need for medical care; (3) assess whether the act may be a criminal offence (sexual assault) and explain reporting options to police and support services without pressure; (4) explain community routes: the jam host, facilitator, safety and care team or venue staff, who may ask someone to change behaviour or leave, and may use outside mediation [source: Earthdance; Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]; (5) if the person was a teacher or a regulated professional (for example a registered therapist teaching CI), explain complaints routes to their professional body; (6) safeguarding referral if the client is a child or an adult at risk; (7) offer trauma-focused support and review whether to continue dancing; (8) record what was reported.
Example language (illustrative): "Thank you for telling me. What happened was not part of contact improv, and it wasn't your job to prevent it." "Would you like to think through who you could tell at the jam, or whether you want to report it elsewhere? It's your choice."
Watch for: self-blame, community pressure to stay silent or 'work it out' directly with the person, loss of the community as a support. Working when the client feels believed, has made informed choices and is safer.

5. Handling problems

CI sources address consent, boundary crossings and physical awareness at jams; they do not address clinical problems. Everything below is [synthesis] unless a source is given.

Client freezes or cannot say no in a dance. Guidelines recognise that people cannot always name and assert boundaries and that trauma may surface during a dance [source: Earthdance]. Response: return to preparation (4.11); suggest shorter dances, grazing and witnessing from the edge [source: Earthdance]; consider solo or non-contact dance until the client can stop dances in rehearsal. Example (illustrative): "Freezing is your body protecting you. Let's find the smallest way you could leave next time."
Arousal, shame or sexual feelings. Sources treat sensual or sexual sensations as normal but not to be pursued on the floor; dancers notice and let them pass or step away [source: Earthdance; Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]. Response: normalise without endorsing; explore meaning in therapy; if the client is pursuing sexual contact at jams, name the harm to others and the community guidelines.
Client reports unwanted or sexualised touch. Follow 4.13. Never frame it as a failure of self-care [source for the critique: Beaulieux 2022].
Client crosses others' boundaries. Explore without shaming; refer to the guidelines on reading non-verbal no and on power differences [source: Earthdance; Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]; consider pausing jam attendance; if there is risk to others, discuss safeguarding duties.
Overwhelm, dissociation or flashbacks during or after dancing. Advise stepping out and resting is always allowed [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]; in therapy, ground first, process later; reduce intensity of participation or switch to solo practice (e.g. a seated adaptation of the small dance, 4.1).
Mania, psychosis or high arousal states. Intense, long or late-night jams and festivals may disturb sleep and arousal. Defer participation during an episode; plan sleep and support before retreats.
Eating disorders and body image. Weight sharing focuses attention on one's own and others' weight and bodies. Screen first; prefer contexts with clear guidelines and experienced teachers; work with body-image material in therapy; defer while medically unstable.
Injury. Collisions happen; awareness reduces risk; take care over ankles, knees, elbows, fingers, neck and skull; avoid forceful lifts; warm up; rest when unwell [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries; Earthdance]. CI-specific injury rates are not well documented [uncertain: not verified]. Response: advise medical assessment for any head, neck or back injury; return only with clearance; tell the teacher about limitations.
Stuck: client avoids partner contact entirely. This can be a valid boundary. Offer solo and non-contact dance, witnessing, or an inclusive class; do not push towards touch.
Non-adherence: client stops going. Explore without pressure: rejection, a bad dance, social anxiety, cost or logistics; CI is an option, not a treatment requirement.
Rejection when dances are declined. Guidelines say a closed dance is most likely not about you [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]. Explore schemas of rejection; practise also declining others.
Idealisation of a teacher, dependency or romance. Power differences in experience and expertise limit consent [source: Philadelphia Safety & Boundaries]. Explore the dynamic; flag that teachers carry more responsibility; watch for exploitation.
Dual relationships: therapist and client at the same jam or festival. Agree a plan in advance (most often the therapist goes to a different jam or does not partner the client), consistent with codes on dual relationships [source: BACP 2018 para 33(b); UKCP item 8; APA 3.05]. If an encounter happens, discuss it at the next session.
Client asks the therapist to dance with them or demonstrate contact. Decline; explain that touch combined with therapy is outside your code and training unless it is (body psychotherapy codes such as USABP and EABP set conditions for therapeutic touch) [source: USABP; EABP 2020].
Rupture over the suggestion of CI. If the client experienced the suggestion as pressure or as sexualised, acknowledge, take responsibility and repair; return to client choice.
Children and young people. CI jams are adult spaces unless organised otherwise; for minors, use programmes with safeguarding policies, parental consent and child assent [synthesis].
Teacher competence questions. There is no single CI credential [source: DanceResource wiki; Rustad 2024]. Help the client judge teachers by experience, published guidelines, how consent and safety are handled, and openness to feedback; for inclusive work, DanceAbility certification is one marker [source: DanceAbility].

Sources

Web sources:

Publications referred to through the sources above [uncertain: not verified]:

Paxton, S. (1975). Contact Improvisation. The Drama Review.
Beaulieux, M. (2019). How the First Rule Brought #MeToo to Contact Improvisation. Contact Quarterly 44(1).
Harrist, C. (2019). #MeToo DISRUPTION at the 2018 West Coast Contact Improvisation Jam. Contact Quarterly 44(1).
Yardley (2017). Respecting Boundaries/Coexisting Genders. Contact Improvisation Newsletter.
Smith, N. S. and Koteen, D. (2013). Caught Falling.
Kaltenbrunner, T. (1998). Contact Improvisation: Moving, Dancing, Interaction.
Albright, A. C. and Gere, D. (2003). Taken by Surprise.

← Previous · X-115Ecstatic dance Next · X-117 →Butoh as practice