editorial

Hello reader,

I live, talk and teach about how martial arts, environment and deep listening fuels my Contact Improvisation. However, there is a critical component that I realised that I have been failing to share: and that is the written word.

In first discovery of <proximity>, an Australian magazine dedicated to “Contact Improvisation, new dance, improvisation & movement”, I fell in love with the sharing of local and national knowledge of the form, the broad range of topics, the intimacy and vulnerability of thought of the authors of the articles. I was so excited to see photos of my friends, mentors and teachers on the pages and when I read their articles and interviews, I could almost hear their voices narrating to me..

If you know me personally, you probably know that I always carry a small white book more precious than a passport, that is dedicated to documenting everything I have experienced about the form. In a way, it is almost like a little personal <proximity> magazine.

Perhaps it’s my unconscious gateway into something bigger.

Working on “big” <proximity> has been so educational, emotional, enlivening. For the resurrection of the magazine, I wanted to recognise my enduring Melbourne CI community, who has consistently been jamming for 30 years. I’ve curated 14 articles which are a mix of archival pieces and current local voices. On that note, I also want to acknowledge the wide net of CI practitioners across the country who have been invaluable contributors to <proximity> over the decades as well. I am excited to expand in the future to other communities, near and afar.

Thank you to:

• the generous contributors - it was a true collaboration.

• Joey Lehrer for supporting me on the journey on reigniting this fire

• everyone whom I’ve danced with, wherever you are on the planet - our dance is what has brought this magazine to life again.

Let’s stay in touch.