Academic Work
Benefits of Improvisation
Spring 2017
Dance improvisation is the process of spontaneously creating movement. Development of improvised movement material is facilitated through a variety of creative explorations including body mapping through level, shape, and dynamics schema. Improvisation is a generally unstructured, free movement that draws inspiration from choreography and stylistic movement. It is not choreographed, and often about creating new movement that frees the body from habitual patterned movement. Improvisation not only helps find a deeper way of comprehending movement, but also allows the dancer to explore their authentic feelings and inspirations through movement.
Improvisation is an important aspect of dance training, especially while a child is developing and growing. Their creative selves can easily be expressed through improvisation, even a ‘guided’ improvisation. A favorite is when my Princess Ballerinas or my 5-6 year olds is freeze dance with an animal theme. Every time the jungle theme song stops then starts they “unfreeze” as a different animal. What might seem like a silly exercise to some, is actually a fun way to learn to think creatively, act, and express themselves through movement at a young age.
The article “Improve your Improv” in Dance Spirit Magazine (March 19, 2009) refers to the practical side of improvisation, a few tools to help improve it, keys to success, and different improvisational exercises that can be used in the classroom. It starts by saying that improvisation can sometimes be daunting or intimidating, especially for older dancers that are used to be given direct choreography and being told what to do. “Improv is a tool that can alter your relationship to dance completely. You’ll begin to identify with movement patterns and become more comfortable moving in unusual ways – and maybe even come up with ideas for choreography.” People love improvisation because it is fun, unpredictable, and challenging, and it can take dance in any genre to new levels. It helps you understand what movement resonates best with you and what interests you artistically.
Some tools that Dance Spirit Magazine gave to try was first start with a structure. In an improvisation class, you should assign a topic to explore such as weight, space, movement quality, or emotion, and when practicing make sure to focus on that specific topic. Second, watch improv. Observing someone else will help you gain knowledge of what makes improv interesting. Third, push for contrast in your tempo, levels, and other aspects of the movement you create. This will help you be aware of tendencies and help develop contrast that will make the dance stronger and the choreography more engaging. Next, stay in the moment and the movement. It is important to stay focused the whole class and not to judge or self-edit as you explore. Lastly, layer an improvisation by creating your own experience. For example, if the assignment is to work on timing and direction, but you know your weakness is levels, then try exploring different levels simultaneously. “The two most important components of a successful improv are staying true to the structure you set up, and staying open to how the dance can evolve.”
The improvisation exercise that it suggests is to improv around one of these prompts, or to combine several. There is no wrong movement, just your first movement response to the world. It suggests dividing it by movement qualities (airy, fluid, heavy, sharp), time and space (direction, level, tempo, weight shift), and body parts (fingers, head, knees, pelvis). I think doing a guided improvisation is a good exercise, especially for those that aren’t quite as comfortable with improvisation. It gives them a little bit of structure, but still allows them to explore freely.
A Dance Advantage (May 22, 2011) did an interesting article called “In the Moment: Ten Improvisation Tips” begins with some basic uses of improvisation and then giving some helpful tips. The article points out that improvisation isn’t limited to modern or postmodern dance, it may or may not include contact improvisation (involving a physical connection and sharing of weight with another person or people), that it can be practiced, performed, or even used to make choreography, and that it is a movement skill as well as a dance form that takes practice to master just like any other. The tips in this article include to ‘relax’, ‘be in the moment’, ‘listen and be aware of what’s going on around you’, ‘don’t talk or laugh’, ‘don’t critique yourself’, ‘be yourself’, ‘it’s okay to copy’, ‘make eye contact’, ‘be available’, and ‘don’t compare yourself to others’. The one I find most helpful is ‘not to critique yourself’. It is very important to move without worry or judgement of how creative, original, or good it is. The one I find most interesting is that it is ‘okay to copy’. The article in Dance Spirit Magazine (March 19, 2009) made a point to say not to copy others, however this article makes a good point that occasionally ‘trying on’ someone else’s move or style can be a good challenge. These tips are helpful, especially for beginners who need guidance.
TuTu Tix published an article on the “5 Benefits of Practicing Dance Improvisation.” The author begins with saying that almost every student is terrified of improvisation at first but here are some benefits of taking a less-structured approach to class. First, it boosts confidence. Improv exercises can help take away fears that your dancers may have about making mistakes. There is no right and wrong, it is just about being confident, creative, and having fun. Second, it encourages self-discovery. It’s impossible for dancers to grow if they’re constantly held inside a box, so encourage your performers to spread their wings. Third, it improves musicality. I especially liked this one because it can be hard to teach dancers about musicality, as it is sometimes complicated to explain. It is sometimes one of those things that you just must experience in your own body in your own way, so improvisation would help. Fourth, it can aid performance recovery. This means it will help the dancer if they stumble or forget a step in the performance to not panic and get right back on track. Lastly, to inspire choreography. Students may lend a bit of creativity and passion where it could have been missing in choreography.
A few improvisational exercises that will help accomplish the goals the articles mentioned, as well as benefit the students as movers and creators and myself as a choreographer and teacher follow. The first one focuses on slowing things down. Movement in slow motion takes strength and focus. In this exercise, the teacher chooses a starting point and gives the dancers a time period to get to the other side of the room. The slow pace allows for exploration of all different movements, levels, shapes, and thoughts. Another is to follow the leader’s styles. In this exercise, one dancer is in charge of creating the movement and the other must follow. Instead of standing in a line, the dancers are grouped together. When the current leader turns around in any direction, the dance now in front of the group becomes the leader. This a good exercise because the dancers will learn to work while moving in a close group and learn to think quickly when they are leading others.
An article by Kelsey Anderson (November 2, 2014) called How to Teach Improv started out by explaining why improv is so important. Her reasons were very pragmatic including that auditions require improv, conventions require improv, it allows you to explore your movement, it allows you to be more expressive, and it boosts a dancer’s confidence. She also gave a myriad of exercises for structuring an improv class. She suggests giving guidelines going across the floor such as ‘all floor work’, ‘can only stand on one leg at a time’, ‘no technique’, or ‘spell a word with your body’. Another way is to imitate adjectives such as stringy, cloudy, dreamy, stiff, or wild. (I especially liked this one because my favorite thing about dance is dynamics and this one emphasizes that.) She also suggests having them connect dance with other movement such as ‘climbing something treacherous’, ‘weaving through traffic’, ‘searching for someone in a crowd’, or ‘ice-skating’. Some other ideas are to use props to keep their focus, or partner improv because it forces them to communicate with others. The author continues with some tips to tell your students such as it’s okay to have awkwardness, try to get out of your comfort zone, and to try to have the most authentic movement possible. Lastly, she suggests improvising with your students. It will help them feel more comfortable with what they are doing and inspire them to look for movement ideas and expression through movement.
Overall, I think improvisation is a very useful, practical, and difficult skill. Just as every other form of dance takes practice, so does improvisation. It is something I have struggled with my whole life, but I am just now getting more comfortable with it. When I went to the So You Think You Can Dance audition my freshman year of college and the first round was completely improvisation, and almost every audition or convention requires improvisation, so it is a very practical, necessary aspect of dance in the dance industry. Also, when I am choreographing I have recently been starting by improvising the whole song just to see how it makes me feel, the musicality, and for movement ideas. Improvisation can be very liberating and a great way to enjoy dance in its purest form of movement. I am excited to try these exercises that I learned on my students and see how they grow as dancers with the help of improvisation.
Works Cited
Alextheteacher. "Improv Exercises 12/27/2012." YouTube. 01 Jan. 2013
Brandi Vickers, "5 Benefits of Practicing Dance Improvisation." Tutu Tix., 13 Dec. 2016. 30 Mar. 2017.
https://www.tututix.com/5-benefits-of-practicing-dance-improvisation/
Editor, "Improve Your Improv." Dance Spirit. 30 Mar. 2017.
http://www.dancespirit.com/how-to/modern/improve_your_improv/
Nichelle (owner/editor), "In the Moment: Ten Improvisation Tips.” Dance Advantage. 22 May 2011.
http://www.danceadvantage.net/improv-tips/
Nichelle (owner/editor), "Teacher’s Top Three: Improvisation and Composition Studies.” Dance Advantage., 29 Mar. 2011.