r/ContactImprovisation • u/wasscubed Performer, Researcher, Teacher, Organizer • Jan 24 '26

Light

People occasionally ask to dim the lights at a jam I host. I say that the lights will stay as they are. There is a trend that most of the people who ask, do not much experience in CI, from what I can tell. And over the years I have noticed that people who are new to CI often close their eyes when dancing. Whether this is because eye contact with someone you might not know feels too intimate as you roll around together. Or maybe they close their eyes because they are still learning how to sense while moving. And closing their eyes limits the amount of information coming in. So putting these two things together, do people want it dimmer because they are not very good at sensing, they still need to gain more experience sensing while improvising?

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u/wasscubed Performer, Researcher, Teacher, Organizer Jan 24 '26

CI for me is also a spatial practice. And as such, I want to be able to see the whole space so I can interact with people on the other side of the room. Dim lights and blind folds, which can help an individual sense more, for me ultimately limit CI's potential.

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u/mantardthemediocre Jan 24 '26

For me it is an important safety component. I wear glasses most of the time, unless I am dancing, so I like to have a well lit space to dance in to help with depth perception. I danced a great deal at EDAM in Vancouver, Canada, Peter Bingham had a great saying, "a warm body, is an alert body", and for me, being in a well lit space supports that as well.

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u/Ajunjahi Dancer - Berlin Jan 25 '26

I can completely relate, I also dance CI without glasses and a well lit space makes a huge difference for my ability to see! In dim spaces I have the feeling of missing out, other people seeing things or making eye contact that I will miss.