08/03/2026
Contact Improvisation & Mindfulness
There is no Contact Improvisation without Mindfulness.
There can be Mindfulness without Contact Improvisation, yet the reverse is just not possible.
To practice Contact Improvisation one must be Present.
As I begin writing this article I am struck by noticing that this is not being directly mentioned or emphasized enough in CI classes nor openly discussed in CI circles. I am even more surprised that the clarity of these words have only arrived to me today. Maybe I’m wrong? Maybe it’s too obvious or common sense it’s not even worth talking about? No, I believe it is. It is important to make it clear from the beginning. Wouldn’t it be supportive to share this in the first moment when someone is being introduced to Contact Improvisation? Isn’t it more useful and foundational than acrobatics and movement patterns?
I would even dare to say Mindfulness is one of the pre-requisites to fully enter a CI Jam.
Not for any dogmatic reason nor because the door is closed from the inside, but because without the skill of Mindfulness one can easily get stuck within the psychological constraints and labyrinths of a conceptual mind and a conceptual self, blocking the path towards the revolutionary practice of simply being-with, the unmediated act of sharing the truth and vulnerability of a body unprotected by words and symbols that so often draw our attention away from the immediacy and its inherent intensity and intimacy.
In Contact Improvisation language we often call this skill ‘Listening’. Listening is a beautiful word and an essential skill necessary to truly meet and connect with ourselves, our partner and the space we inhabit. But it does not capture the essence of Mindfulness. It is true that there is no Mindfulness without Listening, but there can be Listening without Mindfulness.
First of all, ‘Listening' is most often associated with the ears, with auditory phenomena, like “listening to music”. In Contact Improvisation we often expand the word and practice “Listening with the Body” or “Listening through Touch”, inviting the conscious mind to notice the raw sensations of touch, to open and turn towards - with somatic/tactile attention - that which is already happening, here and now, where we begin to notice ourselves interbeing with others and space, the universe unfolding in real-time through our living bodies, sensing, feeling and acting.
Yet ‘Listening’ does not fully capture the essence of Mindfulness. The main difference is in the attitude. Mindfulness is the practice of opening and being with all phenomena in a non-judgemental, non-grasping, non-conceptual attitude. This is perhaps implied when we use the term “Listening” in Contact Improvisation yet not explicitly agreed upon by everyone who teaches and practices the form. Would it be supportive to find global consensus?
It goes even beyond starting the dance and meeting the other. Mindfulness changes how we relate and engage with Life itself, including both inward and outer phenomena. This is the Revolution: from thinking about life to actually living it, feeling it and unfolding the aliveness of a body in contact, no longer held at a distance as an object - a body that begins to be felt as the very life I am, connected, breathing, vulnerable and ever-changing.
In the relational field, Mindfulness supports a shift from imagining, assuming and extrapolating to physically inquiring, sensing and verifying directly - beyond narrative. It also creates space for embodied care to naturally emerge between people, simply because they begin to actually feel each other! It is the ground for any true meeting.
What if it is actually possible to sense and know what my partner is feeling and sensing, perhaps even “thinking”? What if we actually possess this innate pre-disposition for deep sensitivity and connectivity often blocked by the fear of not being loved in our wholeness?
In my experience, we do. I’ve felt and shared with my dancing partners enough times to verify this is an actual possibility. I believe this is one of the reasons why I return to CI again and again. I feel truly met. I feel a deep sense of connection without trying to grasp, define or construct any sort of narrative around the visceral, immediate, non-verbal bonds Contact Improvisation facilitates. Isn’t it exciting to feel this level of connection beyond any romantic or sexual partnership? I think it’s a road worth walking and my feet are happily walking.
Written by Francisco Borges
At Estudio Yucca, Tavira, 5th of March 2026
Photo by Pons www.irene-pons.com
