Some Thoughts on the Empowering Sensual Objectifications in Contact Improvisation

What struck me during my first CI class was the surprisingly pleasant experience of not actually being encountered or perceived as a human, as a person, as an individual, as Beata, but simply being used as a kind of material, as a supporting object used by others to carry out various motions and movements. It wasn’t offensive, but refreshing and relaxing, because the touch and the interactions didn’t demand anything from me directly. The touch was driven by other intentions, and I was merely a medium for discovering goals that were not my own. This feeling was not entirely new. I actually enjoy being screened for dangerous goods by airport security, for example. And in a more deliberate and direct way, I am also familiar with objectification games in BDSM contexts, e.g., when people are…