Touch
One of the most important connections an individual makes to the world, is through touch. It is what provides us with experience; informing are perceptions and stimulating our responses. Touch is a sensation; an exchange we give to objects, people, and ourselves.
There are many different types of touch; pressure with palm or flat surfaces of fingers, pressure with fingertips, thumb, brushing, scratching, diagonal pressure across fibers, pulsing, and pumping, bone manipulation, and tendon/ligament support.
Touch: sensitizing the hands
ReplyDeleteRubbing my palms together for a few minutes created an energy current through the tips of my finger tips. Initially, I couldn’t feel the “heart circle” from the palms to the center of the body bringing blood flow and warmth to its periphery. However, after a few moments… I finally succeeded. As I gradually separated my hands and concentrated on this sensation with the continuous heat flow, I begin to be aware of the electrifying field.
The second part of this exercise was a bit difficult to achieve. Placing my palms on my hands and imagining everything underneath it (tissues, bones, muscles, and fascia) was actually challenging for me. All I could feel was my muscles! The more pressure I exerted, I didn’t feel anything deeper than the surface of my thigh.
Touch: working with a partner
This exercise has been completed in many contact improvisation preparation classes. It seems to be the foundation of simple touch and partnering techniques. Not only does it provide sensitivity and sensual contact, it recycles the energy given off by each individual; thus, accumulating energy from all circuits of the individuals.
After exchanging contact and familiarity with my partner, it becomes easier every time; walking down to the floor with spine-to-spine contact. Without balance and exchange of weight, this also wouldn’t be easily achieved.
Katie and I respond very well to each other. We counter act each other’s movements to which we were able to succeed and get the best out of this exercise. This exercise has also been used to evaluate trust and faith in partnership.
THAO
Touch: sensitizing the hands
ReplyDeleteIn rubbing my palms together and creating some friction between my hands, the energy was outrageous. As I thought of my hands connecting through the bones until my hands touched, I could only sense the boney landmarks in my hands. In thinking about the outer surface of the hands when touching them against one another, this was a whole new sensation. I felt warmth as well as some cushion when I thought about the outer layer of my hands in contact. When i thought about the denser layers of muscles and fascia, my connection seemed a bit stronger and energized. In placing more pressure between the hands to feel all the layers, I really could feel and make a distinction between all the layers of my hands!!!
Touch: with a partner
Thao and I work really well together. We both were able to have an initial trust in one another in which allowed us to more freely give weight into one another's backs. Similar to energy transfers done in modern or contact improv classes, it's a great way to feel each other's spines while sitting back to back in contact with one another.
Both Thao and I were breathing simultaneously. I could feel myself grounded to the earth through my breaths as I also allowed my connection to Thao through my back space to stay strong. We also activated our touch together so that we could feel ourselves more in the presence of each other. Next time I go to a contact improv jam I am going to start back to back with a partner as a warm up of all my senses and internal feelings through contact of another person in a simple position of back to back.
KATIE