At the beginning of December, in little and friendly town Viljandi took place training cource Contact Improvisation – Dance or Communicat funded by the EU Youth in Action Programme. The most important notice in methodology of the project – the right name of TC is Laboratory. We took responsibility for new and non famous methods and discovered it with all project team. During preparation stage we tried to find in internet other examples of the using CI practice in youth work. All requests gave us only one link on our community in live journal.
When we started to invite participants and trainers to our project, a lot of them were surprised to see such an unusual name of training course. Trainers of CI were surprised too, they thought, that it is very daring idea, because for the CI trainers it is lifestyle, and it was difficult to them to understood, how it is possible use principals of CI somewhere else. „I did a lot of projects in CI, i have a big expirience in that, but always did it with people, who are interested with that. I am realy want to take a part in this training course and believe in this idea“ – said Andzela Doniy, who are the greatest master of contact improvisation from Russia.
Contact Improvisation – dance or communication skills is the Training course for youth workers and CI trainers and dancers. The CI trainers were doing workshops for youth workers. All together the participants discovered the practical aspects of using principles of CI in youth work. During this project we had a very dynamical rhythm. Every day participants had 3 – 5 ours trainings on contact improvisation. Of cause it was difficult at the beginning, first days all body was ill and we had bruises on elbows and knees. To realize at first, why we need this contact improvisation participants were difficult to everybody, because at first we have to get used and understand how we can use it for ourselves. Step by step, after discussions, after trainings, youth worker trainers gave us ways to consider, where and how we can use principals of CI in our work.
We started to analyze our lifestyle, how CI can help in simple life to us, and more and more started to be very close to each other. In our group each participant felt himself very comfortable; we began to understand that after first CI trainings. „Contact improvisation very much pull us together and made us like a good collective” – said Nadja Skepko, participant from Russia. During 1st and 2nd days the participants were involved in intensive CI trainings (objectives – theoretical impute in CI history; learning CI techniques; social and personal development of the participants; understanding concepts of CI; though the CI trainings developing communication skills, partnership; understanding the values of the CI trainings for developing and formation tolerance and open mind). In the 3rd day of the training course we did break and paid more attention to non-formal communication and intercultural dialog. During the last 2 project`s days we spent much time for team work and self analyze.
There was period of the outcomes and understanding personal and group experience, exchanging of experience, planning the disseminations and evaluation (objectives – social and personal development of the participants, CI in youth work like process of non-formal learning, adaptation exercises and principles for use in youth work). The topic and process of the training course showed that principles of CI 1st of all very useful for education and development of the youth leaders and workers. Some exercises are possible to practice with youngsters, but more values CI can give for youth workers.