Stuart Phillips — Contact as Therapy, Shadowwork, and Deconditioning (Victoria, Canada)

About this episode

In this episode, Stuart Phillips discusses the therapeutic aspects of contact improvisation and the importance of deconditioning habitual movements.

New Episode ~ Faces of CI: Conversations on Contact Improvisation Our guest today is Stuart Phillips — Contact teacher since the 1980s, joining us from Victoria, BC, Canada. From his wild roots at Bates College in the ’80s — all-day improvising and “contact as charades on steroids” — we explore: ✨ CI as weirdness, allowance, shadow work, and therapeutic relief from daily life ✨ His improvisational contact style — emphasizing improvisation, internal choice before flow ✨ Depatterning and deconditioning our habitual “contact moves” ✨ The patience and mystery of getting what you truly need in a dance Stu 👂 "When I'm getting what I need in a dance, it’s shifting me — so it makes me more open to the world. It takes so much patience. It's such a mystery." 🌐 Find out more about Stuart’s work: www.stulips.org 🎓 Join our upcoming Momentum Contact Facilitator Training — www.momentum-contact.com 📸 Instagram: @ momentumcontact #contactimprovisation #momentumcontact #contactdance #dancepodcast #somaticpractice #danceteacher #improvisationdance

People in this episode

Guest: Stuart Phillips

Topics covered

• Contact Improvisation
• Therapeutic Dance
• Shadow Work
• Deconditioning
• Improvisation

Keywords

• contact dance
• somatic practice
• dance teacher
• improvisation dance

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Momentum Contact Facilitator Training

Books & works: Faces of CI: Conversations on Contact Improvisation

Places: Victoria, Canada, BC

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