ABSTRACT
The athleticism and sensitivity of the contact created a culture of expressivity. Tenderness as well as rage and challenge emerged in the contact session and remained present in the solo monologue. So the complexities of emotion that were embodied metaphorically and rhythmically in the extreme lifts and rolls and balances of the partnering could be seen as an emotional “rehearsal” for the solo performance. Both actors actively explored deep emotional/physical moments in the contact, and the habit of that exploration remained with the actor in his solo monologue, giving the monologue depth and an appealing presence. The contact has not ended, although the monologue is finished. They are stalking each other, attacking, recoiling and then suspending before the next wave of action. Monologues in contact bring the actor out of self-reflective performance and back towards outward reaching communication. The contacting cemented the timing of the pauses, and created a template of responses throughout the scene that carried over into realism.
