How to Choose Clothing and Footwear for Contact Improvisation

Contact improvisation is a modern partner dance that showcases the interaction of partners through physical contact. The dance is built on the improvisation of both participants and their contact, which is why it got its name. Partners who have been dancing together for a long time know each other well enough to make the improvisation look like a carefully choreographed performance.

Most audience members, unaware of the dance's specifics, are amazed at the ways dancers interact. The dance is based on absolute trust between partners, which naturally makes it sincere and captivating.

A unique feature of contact improvisation is that it can be called a "silent" dance, meaning there is no music at all. This is because partners must feel and adapt to each other, and music would be a major obstacle. The dancer carefully observes their partner's reactions and moves according to their own emotions. In other words, people evoke certain feelings or associations in each other, which drives their movement.

As for clothing for this style, there are no strict rules except one: clothing must be as comfortable as possible. You can dance in loose or tight clothing—it doesn't matter at all. For women, this can include skirts of various cuts, dresses of any length, shorts, trousers, jeans, tank tops, T-shirts, or blouses.

Clothing should in no way restrict your movements. Otherwise, your partner will feel your discomfort and the improvisation will take on a sad tone. The more free and relaxed you feel, the more you open up to your partner and the audience, and the more impressive the contact improvisation looks.

Men can also choose any clothing: trousers, pants, shorts, T-shirts, tank tops, office suits, shirts, and much more. The same principle applies as for women: your movements should not be restricted.

Shoes are not used in contact improvisation; they are unnecessary. It is believed that direct contact of the feet with the ground allows you to feel the energy and get a boost of vitality, which is then transmitted to your dance partner. Therefore, instead of shoes, you can wear socks, but it's best to dance barefoot.

The dance can be not only for couples but also for groups. It is not tied to gender or age. Several people can perform contact improvisation on stage, all of different genders or ages. In such cases, each person chooses their own clothing based on comfort.

Interaction in group performances happens on a subconscious level. That is, a person unconsciously chooses someone they find most appealing and with whom they can easily establish contact. Sometimes the entire team interacts at once, and it looks very organic.

Contact improvisation can also be performed as a solo. In that case, some piece of furniture serves as the object of interaction—for example, a chair, a table, or the floor. The person projects onto the object the feelings they have for someone else. This helps them release emotional tension and helps the audience understand to whom the contact is directed.

Today, contact improvisation is growing rapidly thanks to creative people. Almost everyone has experienced a time when music is playing in their head and they start dancing involuntarily. If someone else joins in, that can already be considered contact, which can be shaped into a beautiful dance.