“I took a 2-week contact improvisation workshop one summer when I was in college. It was my first real experience with that form of dance, or anything really heavily relying on the trust of others to support my body in that way. I was pretty uncomfortable, especially because I wasn’t very good at trusting. The very first exercise we did consisted of everyone finding their own space in the studio, laying down, closing their eyes, and slowly beginning to roll around the room. We were to become aware of the surfaces of our body that were touching the floor and how the floor was sharing weight with our bodies. I found myself bracing against the floor and had to cognitively remind myself to relax and give in, as the floor was definitely going to support me. As the exercise progressed, we eventually began coming in contact with others, and that awareness from the floor shifted to sharing weight with another person. The impact of that shift was huge in my life. I felt awake, realized, and grounded. It was like all my life experiences had found different hiding places on my body, and by being contacted they were being acknowledged and soothed. This is where my love for the healing arts began.” -Courtney
