This Is A Contact Sport

“This Is A Contact Sport” began with a question: how is physical touch both permitted and policed in society?

Two blind dancer-players must rely entirely on the sensitivity of their skin to navigate the playing field and find one another in space. A referee watches their movements and keeps them in line. “This Is A Contact Sport” highlights and plays with the ways touch is both allowed and restricted, rewarded and punished. It is unclear whether the authority figure is caring or controlling. There seem to be strict rules, yet none is immediately recognisable. What do we expect when we see bodies interacting on a sports field? What do we want from dancing bodies? What are the rules? What is the goal? Who is the winner? How do we answer these questions, and why do we feel compelled to ask them?