In most forms of dancing, performers carry out their steps with a distance that keeps them from colliding with each other. Dancer, Steve Paxton in the 1970s considered this distance a territory for investigation. His study of intentional contact resulted in a public performance in 1972 in a Soho gallery, and the name ""contact improvisation"" was coined for the form of unrehearsed dance he introduced. Rather than copyrighting it, Paxton allowed it to evolve and spread. In this book, the author draws upon her own experience and research to explain the art of contact improvisation, in which dance partners propel movement by physical contact. They roll, fall, spiral, leap, and slip along the contours and momentum of moving bodies. The text begins with a history, then describes the elements that define this form of dance. Subsequent chapters explore how contact improvisation relates to self and identity; how class, race, gender, culture and physiology influence dance; how dance promotes connection in a culture of isolation; and how it relates to the concept of community. The final chapter is a collection of exercises explained in the words of teachers from across the United States and abroad. Appendix A describes how to set up and maintain a weekly jam; Appendix B details recommended reading, videos and Web sites.

Based upon the author's lifetime practices as a dancer, poet and teacher, this innovative approach to developing body awareness focuses on achieving self-discovery and well-being through movement, mindfulness and writing. Written from a holistic (rather than dualistic) view of the mind-body problem, discussion and exercises draw on dance, psychology, neuroscience and meditation to guide personal exploration and creative expression.

How to develop the body’s innate intelligence for individual and planetary transformation The inner world of self and body is inextricably linked to the outer world of biosphere and biome. As experienced somatic and energy medicine practitioner Cheryl Pallant reveals in vivid depth, by expanding our sensory perceptions and becoming intimately in touch with the rhythms of the body, we can contribute not only to our own healing and transformation but also that of the planet. In this practical guide, Pallant explains how ecosomatics—embodiment work for personal and planetary health—can help us shift our consciousness through expanded listening with all our senses and embracing the interconnections between our inner and outer worlds. Blending research with personal experience in somatic and contemplative practices, the author explores how a broadened appreciation of conscious and unconscious bodily events and perceptions leads to vitally needed, improved stewardship with ourselves and the planet. She shows how the current health, social, and environmental crises are a chance for an evolution in consciousness, pushing us to heal the divisions within personal identity, between self and others, and with the environment. Throughout the book, the author offers ecosomatic and embodiment exercises to help you expand perception, develop somatic intelligence, let go of limiting beliefs, lessen fear, anxiety, and alienation, and open to levels of awareness that allow you to tune in to a greater vision of what is humanly possible. Revealing how to incorporate embodiment into everyday life, this guide shows how the body is a process that is part of nature, not separate from it, and that by embarking on the transformative inner journey, we can bring healing to the world around us.