The touch ‘taboo’ and the art of contact: an exploration of Contact Improvisation for prisoners

Houston, Sara

doi:10.1080/14647890903019432

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“… 21. Ibid. For further reading on therapeutic dance projects in prisons see Sara Houston (2009), who analyzes contact improvisation sessions in a British prison, and Janice Ross (2008), who discusses issues of vulnerability and transformation. …”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Constrained Bodies: Dance, Social Justice, and Choreographic Agency

Prickett¹

2016

Dance Res. J.

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The first part of the twenty-first century has been marked by particularly fraught social and racial tensions in the United States, brought to awareness internationally by the Black Lives Matter protest movement that started in 2014 and the vitriol espoused by the 2016 Republican presidential candidate. Randy Martin's work offers paradigms for interrogating the relationships between dance and its sociopolitical contexts that are highly relevant at this historical juncture. Drawing on some of Martin's key concepts, this article explores choreographic agency and creative strategies in dances that respond to issues of social injustice, mass incarceration, and racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Works by Joanna Haigood (Zaccho Dance Theatre), Amie S. Dowling, filmmaker Justin Forbord, and Kyle Abraham (Abraham.In.Motion) focus on narratives of oppression and disenfranchisement yet also inspire resistance and hope.

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Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Constrained Bodies: Dance, Social Justice, and Choreographic Agency

Prickett¹

2016

Dance Res. J.

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“…Houston argues that the taboo against touch is not necessarily linked to concerns surrounding personal safety but more connected to societal codes of behavior. She further emphasizes this, by pointing out that the taboo surrounding touch in prisons reinforces the societal idea that inmates are untouchable outcasts (Houston, 2009). Houston notes that the prisoners involved in the contact improvisation workshop expressed benefits surrounding being able to 'let go' and the egalitarian nature of the form.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Very little research has been published on contact and movement improvisation. Sarah Houston (2009) conducted research surrounding the experiences of male prisoners who participated in contact improvisation while inmates at an English maximum-security prison. Houston focused on the taboo surrounding touch, specifically in an WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES W CONTACT & MOVEMENT IMPROV all male maximum-security prison environment.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Women in Motion: Experiences with Contact & Movement Improvisation

Wilson¹

2017

Preprint

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This research uses a grounded theory approach to examine women’s experiences in contact and movement improvisation communities. Eight women ages 26 to 54 were interviewed regarding their initial experiences with contact improvisation, their current experiences, and their motivations for participation. The four main themes from these interviews are Motivation, Physiology and Psychology, Safety, and Community and Society. Based on the responses it seems that contact and movement improvisation provides a space for participants that may temporarily lessen the pressures they feel from patriarchal society. However, contact and movement improvisation does not exist in a vacuum and societal norms still permeate these communities.

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“…Cabe señalar que el mismo es aquél que reviste mayor interés en los artículos que componen la publicación y, tal como será descripto más adelante, constituye un eje central de la experiencia de las mujeres que practican la disciplina. En lo que viene a continuación se muestra, a partir de datos provenientes de un trabajo de campo etnográfico en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Argentina), la forma en que la tensión originada en esa intersección recurrente (Houston, 2009) es regulada apelando a un discurso relativamente ajeno al campo semántico de las artes, mucho más cercano al del trabajo, la disciplina y los ámbitos de enseñanza.…”

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Género, Mujeres Y Contact Improvisación: Sobre El Problema Del Límite Y El Rol Distensor Del Discurso Dentro Del Espacio Pedagógico

2021

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El Contact Improvisación (CI) es una danza basada en la exploración y la investigación sobre el movimiento, que toma como base puntos de contacto físico, al tiempo que propone una forma alternativa de entender la proximidad intercorporal, caracterizada por la inhibición de su componente sexualizado. El objetivo del presente trabajo es describir y comprender, en el marco de la práctica en las clases de CI, de qué modo es gestionado el problema del límite, emanado de la tensión que produce la combinación entre el contacto -muchas veces íntimo- de los cuerpos y la interpretación alternativa del mismo. Nos enfocaremos exclusivamente en la experiencia de mujeres, a partir de evidencia etnográfica producida en dos años de observación participante en clases de CI en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Argentina). Mostraremos que la tensión en torno al problema del límite es regulada a partir de la incorporación de un discurso no estrictamente artístico -más propio del trabajo, los ámbitos de aprendizaje y la disciplina- emanado de la autoridad de la docente y reproducido por los y las estudiantes, cuyo principal efecto es la inhibición de la interpretación del contacto en clave erótica.

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The touch ‘taboo’ and the art of contact: an exploration of Contact Improvisation for prisoners

Cited by 17 publications

References 6 publications

Constrained Bodies: Dance, Social Justice, and Choreographic Agency

Constrained Bodies: Dance, Social Justice, and Choreographic Agency

Women in Motion: Experiences with Contact & Movement Improvisation

Género, Mujeres Y Contact Improvisación: Sobre El Problema Del Límite Y El Rol Distensor Del Discurso Dentro Del Espacio Pedagógico

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The touch ‘taboo’ and the art of contact: an exploration of Contact Improvisation for prisoners

Cited by 17 publications

References 6 publications

Constrained Bodies: Dance, Social Justice, and Choreographic Agency

Constrained Bodies: Dance, Social Justice, and Choreographic Agency

Women in Motion: Experiences with Contact &amp; Movement Improvisation

Género, Mujeres Y Contact Improvisación: Sobre El Problema Del Límite Y El Rol Distensor Del Discurso Dentro Del Espacio Pedagógico

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Product

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Women in Motion: Experiences with Contact & Movement Improvisation