Date: Sat, 6 Jan 1996 21:25:41 -0500
From: aden-AT-user1.channel1.com (Aden Evens)
Subject: Re: fall/flow


Just to respond to one point in Karinne's post:

>
>The idea that flow is _indifferent_ to direction... well again this is
>in the context of actually working in the Contact medium, but i would
>make a polar shift from indifference to extreme attention in my
>definition of flow.  The way to really screw up in Contact is to have a
>lack of attention to the flow.  It requires a huge openness to actaully
>successfuly follow the dance that's going on- and by openness i mean a
>really simple state of attentiveness- completely paying attention to the
>movement between you and your partner

I am not convinced that the extreme attention of the dancers is at odds
with the indifference of the flow to its direction. Wouldn't you also screw
up a Contact Improvisation by bringing to it a predetermined and specific
idea of where it was going to go, in what direction? And each of the
'micro'-decisions that you make is made based on extremely subtle and
variable conditions, conditions of balance, energy, contact, such that the
decision itself is highly local and is made by your body and the forces
acting on it. That is, though the flow certainly makes local decisions as
to its direction, it has to be indifferent on the whole to these decisions
or it would screw up the dance. Isn't that why you emphasize the openness
necessary to go with the flow? Flows do, in fact, flow in certain
directions, or they would not be flows. Although there is much attention to
the local determinations of direction, there can be no global
directionality. I don't think I am arguing with your point, only clarifying
how the original poster might have intended the idea of indifference.

In difference,

>-Karinne Keithley



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