Improvisation

How do you define improvisation?

Are we born improvising?

When do we find ourselves improvising in life?

Does codified dance practise strip away qualities or create new ones?
Often we hear the phrase Mind over Matter.  Are there examples of Matter over Mind?  If so, would you share them?

How good are you when dancing in a nightclub? Do you ‘let go’ or are you aware of being watched and judged? Is this a comfortable environment?

How comfortable are your younger dance students with dance involving contact?

Does dance help overcome shyness or do we learn strategies to hide it?

Can dance evolve without the need to compete or ‘out do’?

Why may we strive to be ‘the best’? What would you judge ‘the best’ to be?
Any thoughts?

Thanks

Comments

  1. Hannah Lindsay21 March 2018 at 14:56

    That's a really interesting question about the definition of improvisation. I was about to comment that it was doing something not preplanned, but then no, I do often think over to the next movement as I'm improvising. Hmmm... It does have some useful crossover in terms of building good skills for the rest of life though too.

    I would very much hope dance continues to evolve in ways that don't involve competing. Perhaps if we think about it as growing into dance and growing dance into everything it can be in everyone that participates rather than making it "the best"? Not sure. Just a thought...

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    Replies
    1. Unknown21 March 2018 at 15:04

      Thanks Hannah. Early improv certainly was competitive and usually resulted in finding sensationalism in the performing of more complex or athletic steps/moves. Learning from each other through improv can depend on the situation but yes thank you growing together seems a much more enjoyable concept! Hope it’s going well for you.

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  2. Ken's dancer24 March 2018 at 13:58

    I strongly dislike improvisation and have had this feeling for 34 years. However, I realize the importance of self exploration (improvisation or free writing).

    Can anyone actually know if they are concerned about what others think when dancing in a nightclub? I did and found the fraternity and sorority members at clubs wanted as far away from me as possible because I often became the comedian attempting to impersonate their labored movements.

    Life is a constant exploration be it movement or ideas or...... Codified dance techniques in varying genres may take away from a student's willingness to explore movement for movement's sake and may hinder the act of creating new thought even when technique should be a vehicle encouraging self discovery.

    I do not feel age enhances or hinders a person's willingness to improvise and explore. I remind myself I must not be afraid to get on a plane or read new languages if I want to discover other parts of the world. Recently I related that exploration to dance and am finding my loathing for improvisational dance is much less. Context and maturity may help.

    As for contact as with improvisational movement, culture and upbringing may have more impact on a person's openness to attempting a journey of self exploration.

    And to answer the big question, dance can evolve without competition and it has for centuries, millennia. The better question for me is whether or not humankind can evolve without the need to prove superiority.

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