Documents 

Dans cet opuscule inédit, le danseur Steve Paxton retrace une vie en compagnie de la force de gravité. Des souvenirs du premier vol en avion aux cours de danse, de méditations métaphysiques à l’observation de cochons, Steve Paxton interroge ce qui est à la limite de notre conscience et convie nos sens à entrer dans la danse. La gravité est le premier livre de Steve Paxton, ce grand danseur, chorégraphe et professeur international. Tout au long de ses cinquante-cinq années de carrière, il explore la fiction de la danse “cultivée” et la “vérité” de l’improvisation.

In 1986, dancer Steve Paxton began examining the spine he had observed in the practice of Contact Improvisation, a duet movement form he had instigated in 1972. Material for the Spine immerses us in this artist’s world for the first time, to experience the logic and invention at the core of his technique. The system of MFS is a meditative study of spinal and pelvic movement initiations combining a technical approach with an improvisational process. The fruit of four collaborative years with Paxton, these audio-visual essays deal with concepts such as gravity, weight, walking, the back, and improvisation, utilizing video imagery, motion capture sequences, extracts from lectures, classes, workshops, and archival footage of performances.In addition, each of the forms of the Material for the Spine technique is detailed in the interactive videos. [editor summary]