The CI Deck

 

(version 1.0)

The CI deck is a collaborative project between educational and group learning design professional Olha Bershadsa and Body Research’s Karl Frost. The deck is designed as both a learning tool and as provocation for investigation within the practice of contact improvisation. A small batch of the version 1.0 deck has been printed for people to explore. See below for details on ordering a deck.

This set introduces foundational physical skills that support safe, dynamic, and functionally aware dancing in Contact Improvisation. They are not rules or fixed techniques — they are physical reference points for training and discovery.

Each card has two sides:

The front poses a question to focus your attention during practice. The back offers a short, clear explanation of the skill: what it is, why it matters, and how to begin working with it.

Use these cards to step back from intuition and ask whether you’re becoming more physically articulate, safe, aware, especially when dancing with momentum and shared risk.

  • Why these cards? Contact Improvisation has roots in experimentation, not codification. But it also relies on physical skills that make the practice both varied and safe. These cards honor bot,h offering entry points into essential principles.
  • Who is it for? For dancers, movers, and facilitators practicing CI. Its especially useful for those exploring fundamental skills, deepening physical awareness, or teaching the practice to others.
  • How to use the deck? As prompts for movement research in classes or jams. Pick one skill and pair it with a curiosity focus, or explore them separately. Let the questions spark attention, invite experimentation, and support skill development through embodied practice.

Ordering and availability: We have printed a small batch of version 1.0. We are selling them with minimal mark-up from cost of printing as a trial… suggested 15 to 20 euros for a deck. If you would like to get a 1.0 deck, or if you would like to be put on a mailing list for future versions, write to info@bodyresearch.org.

If you are living in Leipzig, the new Sunday CI Jam is an ongoing experiment for winter/spring 2026, where the deck serves lightly as a basis for people to expand their investigations in CI as individuals and collectively. Come dance!