Improvisation and Reflective Practice

From doing improvisation for 4 weeks now, I have started to realise what I find easy and hard.  Some parts which I find easier than most, is how to start improving. When I start an improvisation session I have an intention to move or go to a certain space in the room and go from there. Something which I find harder is to come up with different and unusual movement material as I always go back to habitual moves. Throughout these 4 weeks, I have reflected on the tasks which we had been given and found new things about the way I move. I have found out that when travelling through the space I generally go to the outsides of the room. I have also found out I like to dance standing rather than being on the floor. Most of the reflection feedback I give myself I want to improve on this or change it so I can widen my knowledge as a dancer.

The quote which I found the most inspiring out of this week’s readings is ‘Time is tricky, time is endless, time is ruthless’ (Dilley in De Spain, 2014,115). I feel like this quote relates to me. Timing is something I need to concentrate more on when improvising. When doing the tasks I have noticed that my timing stays the same throughout. I find changing the timings of my movements difficult so I can relate to Halprin in the way she says ‘Time is tricky’. To me the timing can make the dance more appealing so this is a point I want to work on so I can be creative with the timing of my movements. ‘Time is endless’ shows that there is so many ways which time can be used throughout dance whether it’s to do with the movements or with the duration. ‘Time is ruthless’ tells me that time can make the improvisation powerful but also time can give the improvisation a meaning. For example if the timing of the improvisation was really slow this could shows the emotion coming out of the performer.

When doing the space task, I noticed myself walking in the open and empty spaces the most. I would always look around for an empty space to go into. If someone else went into the space I was going to go to I would have to change my intention and either go somewhere else, or stand in the space with them. I found it easier to look out of the space rather than listen. I found looking easier as you could use your eyes to look for spaces and when if you listened it was not clear whether the space was free or not. I did notice that when I heard the planes outside, I moved to a space near the window so I could see.

When finding out the timings for the second task, beginning, middle and end. I found out that my middle is the longest section. My peer also found out that I had a pattern in the way where my beginning and end started standing and my middle was on the floor. In the second and third try at the same task I had to change my ways to which was different to me. I found this task fun and interesting as you found more about yourself and how you dance around with timings.

From watching the three scores at the end of the lesson. I noticed that the first score was structured well and this didn’t make the piece as interesting as the final two, as everyone knew which was going to come next. I also noticed that the quartet was the longest section starting from 1:38-3:00. I felt like the dancers beforehand had a plan for the solo and duet to dance until they had wanted too then the quartet would finish when the time was up. For the last two performances this was not the case. The sense which I got from the last two was that the performers panicked leading them to rush into things. This made the piece more interesting as no one knew what was going to happen whether it would be a duet or a quartet happening next. The performers were also trying to copy each other moves in the duet for example, when they didn’t do this and maybe varied the move, this made the score more interesting also.

De Spain, K.(2014) Landscape of the now: a topography of movement improvisation. New York,USA: Oxford University press.

 

The three conventions which we used were continuous, develop and change. I found change the easiest to dance as it flowed more naturally. As the other conventions you had to think about it either developing the movement or trying to continue the move. Even though I found this the easiest convention it meant I resorted to doing habitual and repeating movements.

When improvising I used my focus. This lead to me being able to see my surroundings and what was happening with the other dancers around me. Once I had increased my focus I noticed that my movements were bigger and my confidence had grown. I think this happened as just once for a split second I looked at the dancers around me I noticed that they were moving along similar lines as I was.

When doing the task in partners with one dancers shouting out ‘change’. I had to change my movements as soon as change was being shouted at me. I found this challenging but fun. My movement material was very basic whilst completing this task I resulted in doing stretches or kicks to make sure I was moving constantly throughout.

Do you intend to move that way?

When improvising I always go back to what I know and what I have been taught in the past, so before I start to improvise I have thoughts in my head about what movements to do after each one, leaving with me intention. When I struggle with movement I have to intend so I can keep my movement flowing. Ruth Zaporah states that ‘ So when I’m struggling, of course there’s intending going on’ (Zaporah in De Spain,2014,70). I agree with this statement as when you are struggling with movements you have to intend on something to take your movement off again.

How does form influence improvisation?

Form influences improvisation by beginning with an initial idea or task which then leads you into improvisation. The space around you also influences your improvisation as the space is one of the main forms you have to consider so your movements material fits within the space. The duration of your piece is also a form to take into consideration so you know when to start and end your movement material.

What is the difference between attention and awareness?

Kent De Spain states that ‘Attention is an international focus on a specific thing’. (De Spain, 2014,168) This means that when you put your attention to someone/ something it is only on one object/ person.

De Spain says that ‘Awareness is a state of being open to stimuli’ this states that to be aware of something is that you know what is there but you aren’t putting your attention purely on that one thing. (De Spain, 2014,168)

During the improvisation jam, the score which we was produced was to join in and out of the space making solos, duets, trios and quartets. Throughout this process I felt like whenever I joined into the space, I travelled in a circle then went out of the space. I also noticed that it was hard to adjust. From stage one and two we had to stick to certain movements like walking, running and turning. On the other hand in stage three we didn’t have any limitations meaning we was free to do what our bodies felt natural. I enjoyed this jam as it wasn’t something which I had never done before and was an experience I would like to relive.

De Spain, K.(2014) Landscape of the now: a topography of movement improvisation. New York,USA: Oxford University press.

Ruth Zaporah states ‘ I’m tracking things like time, space, shape, all that.’ (Zaporah in De Spain, 2014,46) My views and experiences with tracking are difficult. Whilst improvising you have to think about the space around you and dancers in the space. You have to be spatially aware at all times to make sure you know where the dancers are around you. Tracking helps you keep this under control so that everything runs smoothly. In my experience of improvisation I feel like the quicker I improvise the more movement comes out of my body. Doing the three step think, imagine and go. I struggled with this as I found it harder to accumulate movements which I hadn’t already repeated and to create new and interesting ones. When I was free to do what I wanted to I had more movement behind me, even though I did sometimes go back to habitual movements. The movements was flowing making it look more of a dance not a series of movements. Nelson discusses that  ‘the difference between movement and dancing is very apparent to me'(Nelson in De Spain,2014,99) I found out that when the movement had a slower quality I didn’t feel like I was dancing as such as I was always concentrating on the movement and what looked expressive. When I was free I felt like there was more dancing. I was able to move more freely and the timing and dynamic was faster meaning I had no time to think about what I was doing. I feel like when I am dancing I can feel the difference in what I think in moving and dancing but to an outsider that may be different.

Whilst dancing in the improvisation jam I found the score which was given to us made me relaxed and calm whilst improvising. I felt like this because the movements which I improvised was in slow motion. As the movements I produced were in slow motion I found his hard to find continuous movements without resorting back to habitual moves. This score challenged me and let me have the chance to think of different movements which I could do instead of habitual ones. The corridor which I found myself in the most was corridor 2. I feel like I was in this corridor more than the others as it was in the centre. In this score I found myself dancing around the edges and towards the centre of the room and this is where corridor two was meaning for the next two rounds I had to dance in the same corridor.

De Spain, K.(2014) Landscape of the now: a topography of movement improvisation. New York,USA: Oxford University press.

The score which we produced had a finite ending. When the groups had performed their last development they left the stage, leaving it to be empty at the end. Whilst performing the score the choices which I had to make was to always look at the space around me. To make sure that I was aware of what was happening so I didn’t collide with the dancers. I also had to concentrate on the beanbag to make sure I was not dropping it when I was supposed not to. As working with a partner I had to consider what our relationship was between catching the bean bag to the spatial awareness between us both.

Whilst performing the score I discovered that I always had to be concentrating throughout to make sure that the piece was performed right. This made sure that the developments were in the order which we had discussed. I also discovered in myself that I had to use my focus more than I am used to in this exercise to make sure everything went well. Another decision that me and my partner had to make was the sounds which we was going to pronounce when throwing the bean bag, this was something which was unfixed. The order of developments were fixed within the score, so that they wouldn’t overlap with the other groups. The number of times the bean bag was thrown before the next section came in wasn’t fixed. It started off with saying the groups would change after twenty throws but as the process developed it was harder to tell when the twenty throws was up. Meaning we went by the sequences not by the number of throws. For example the sequence which the pairs followed ended up being in a canon.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

….1, 2, 3, 4, 5

……..1, 2, 3, 4, 5

…………1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The structure as you can see was simple to us the dancers, but might not be as simple to an outsider. We got asked questions by the other group at the end of the session to sum up our score and to make sure that what they thought was right.

From the dear dancing reading, I feel like improvisation is about ‘So, ‘mistakes’ becomes openings- for you cannot cross them out, they cannot be neatened up. Rather you might try to play with those hiccups and see what happens when you amplify the ‘mistakes’. (Midgelow, 2012,15) To me this proves that anything goes in improvisation nothing is a mistake and if it was just go to with it into the next movement.

Midgelow, V.( 2012) Dear practice…: The experience of improvising. Choreographic practices. 2, (1), 14-15.

Buckwalter, M. (2010)Composing while dancing: An improviser’s companion. Madison, Wis: The University of Wisconsin Press.

De Spain, K.(2014) Landscape of the now: a topography of movement improvisation. New York,USA: Oxford University press.

Husemann, P. (2005) The Functioning of Thomas Lehmen’s Funktionen. Dance Theatre Journal, 21 (1) 31-35.

Poynor,H and Worth,l.(2004) Anna Halprin. Ablington Oxon, Routledge.110-125.

Midgelow, V.( 2012) Dear practice…: The experience of improvising. Choreographic practices. 2, (1), 14-15.