#contactjam

So I'm at the Bates Dance Festival!! It's been awesome. I always hate going into unfamiliar situations (and this was no exception) but it is now day 4 (of dancing) and 5 (of being here) and i'm lovin it. I'm taking modern with Julia Burrer, ballet with Rachel List, rep with Bridgeman and Packer, and a site-specific class. I've been EXTREMELY sore...but today is finally a bit better.

I'm here with a few Conn dancers (who I didn't know were coming!): Maia (in my grade), Rachel and Amy (senior dance majors who just graduated), and Shawn (a conn dance professor who's teaching a bit and taking class). Everyone here is so nice....but it's nice to have like a stable group of people who I can eat breakfast with and spend evenings with and such. 

One night actually, me, Maia, Rachel, Amy and these other two girls we met (who also just graduated..from Smith and Mt. Holyoke I believe) had a wine party night just sitting and chilling listening to music....it was pretty awesome and I felt so ooooold! It got a little weird towards the end because it turns out that the four of them were lesbian/bi (I had only known Rachel was)..and then they were like talking about the gay scenes at school and I was just like....lolz boyfriend for 2 years here.....but it was chill and they're great people. plus we had a few glasses of wine in our systems by that point so I was enjoying myself. ;)

Tonight was the Contact Jam. I have never been to a Contact Jam before....and I bet a lot of you (whoever you are) haven't either. I shall attempt to explain: basically, a contact jam is when a lottttttt of people get together and contact improvise with each other. It was held in this gym with a huge thing of marley down.....when I walked in, a lot of people were already dancing with each other, but a lot were sitting on the outskirts just watching too. So i did that. And oh my god I don't know if I have ever seen humans so beautiful. They were up, down, by themselves, with 5 others, on the floor, jumping around....they were everywhere and all over each other. When I finally did get the guts to jump in, it kinda reminded me of......(don't laugh).....sex. Just because...ok. You're with this one person and you're giving all your weight, rolling in and out of them...there are fast times and slowww times..theres flow. But it's cool cuz like someone may join you, and then maybe two groups will merge, and then maybe you'll leave....it just keeps going on and on. I am honestly so touched and happy right now.

And also there was no music and no talking......so you only heard peoples breaths and their feet on the floor....But even though there were no voices, it felt like a conversation.

There are serious parts where you feel like one soul moving through space....and there are silly parts where you may bump someone and they'll bump you back and you develop games and a rhythm.... Contact Jams are literally the best in the world.