The prodigal PowerMac came home today with a new front panel, RAM and graphics card. Seemed to have been a hardware error after all. I am eternally grateful to the techs at the Computer Loft for taking the time to actually find out what was wrong with it.

I’d intended to spend a bit more time writing up my experience of this past Saturday night, but as things seem a bit busier than I’d anticipated I’d rather write something small than let it slip by. I was invited to what I thought was a dance that turned out to be a Contact Improvisation jam; this is akin to mistaking a Megadeth concert for the London Symphony. I arrived entirely unprepared (and overdressed in a t-shirt and jeans), but left pleasantly surprised.

From my observation, the event was almost entirely analogous to improvisational chamber music, just with bodies instead of instruments. It’s a process of working together with other people to create something on the fly that flows and works as a piece. It requires trust and sensitivity, and there’s a constant awareness of when to follow and when to lead. Improvisational chamber music is one of my favorite memories of my life as an active performing musician.

While I got the idea, I’m not a dancer, having sat squarely on the other side of the stage for as long as I can remember. I made a valiant attempt, but finally my inner ear and my inflexible legs got the best of me; for about half the dance I sat on the sidelines and watched.