When we talk about intimacy, what do we mean?
Often, when I talk about my work as an intimacy choreographer or intimacy coordinator, people also want to know- “What is the meaning of intimacy?”
Here are 2 definitions of intimacy, plus my own meaning of intimacy. Please note- all of these refer to onstage/onscreen intimacy.
Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC), the company I have trained with and am certified with, has a really useful way of defining intimacy- via flowchart! This PDF is a great way for directors, producers, and/or performers to decide if they should hire an intimacy professional. If we use the flowchart to create a definition, we’d have a meaning of intimacy that includes:
Required nudity
Simulated sex acts or simulated touching of genitals
Intense kissing or other heightened/sexually charged interactions
Physically or emotionally difficult material
Specialized movement needed
The Canadian Theatre Agreement gives the meaning of intimacy on pg 34 as
…may include but is not limited to: prolonged kissing, heavy petting, implied genital contact, acts of a sexual nature, physical contact between a minor and an adult as determined in consultation with the parent/legal guardian, instances or direction where an actor feels that additional consideration is required and may also be an element in certain scenes of violence.
And this is the meaning of intimacy, as I defined it, in my paper on Motif Writing (LBMA) for Meaning-Making and Show Maintenance:
…moments that require personal vulnerability between characters, often involving physical contact…
If your dance, film, or theatrical project has a moment or more that fits one of these meanings of intimacy, I hope you reach out to an intimacy choreographer or intimacy coordinator to create consent-based, safe sets, with excellent movement direction!