Movement in the Men’s Movement: Contact improvisation and social change

During the 1970s and continuing through to the 1990s, a significant number of American men participated in activities that became collectively recognized as a ‘Men’s Movement’. Nearly simultaneously the development of Contact Improvisation (CI), questioned many of the gender roles in traditional dance, allowing for a much broader range of physical interaction for both men and women. This article looks at intersections between these two ‘movements’ and argues that CI and related body-based performance practices were, and can continue to be, significant tools for social change.