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...so... Improvisation: Steve Paxton: a memoir of Contact Improvisation
This memoir is a narrative adaptation of Steve Paxton’s 2012 talk at the Breitenbush Spring Contact Improvisation Jam. Transcribed from audio and shaped into first-person form by longtime artist & documentarian Thomas Giebink, the book preserves the tone, timing, and philosophical nuance of Steve’s spoken reflections.
Steve Paxton (1939–2024) was a visionary dancer, choreographer, and movement thinker whose influence on postmodern dance was profound. A founding member of Judson Dance Theater and Grand Union, Paxton helped redefine the boundaries of choreography and performance. In 1972, he originated Contact Improvisation—a democratic, touch-based movement practice that continues to evolve through global communities of dancers, educators, and researchers.
More than a cleaned-up transcript, this memoir is a meditation on movement, perception, and what Steve called “cognition-in-motion.” It invites readers into the porous, playful, and deeply felt world of improvisation—not as technique, but as a way of being.
Published posthumously, this memoir honors Steve Paxton’s legacy and offers a resonant glimpse into the thinking body at rest, in motion, and in dialogue.
Steve Paxton (1939–2024) was a visionary dancer, choreographer, and movement thinker whose influence on postmodern dance was profound. A founding member of Judson Dance Theater and Grand Union, Paxton helped redefine the boundaries of choreography and performance. In 1972, he originated Contact Improvisation—a democratic, touch-based movement practice that continues to evolve through global communities of dancers, educators, and researchers.
More than a cleaned-up transcript, this memoir is a meditation on movement, perception, and what Steve called “cognition-in-motion.” It invites readers into the porous, playful, and deeply felt world of improvisation—not as technique, but as a way of being.
Published posthumously, this memoir honors Steve Paxton’s legacy and offers a resonant glimpse into the thinking body at rest, in motion, and in dialogue.
85 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 7, 2025
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