It now seems an appropriate time to take a step back and assess how I think I am doing in my learning of improvisation. Despite it only being 4 weeks since having started, I am beginning to feel a bit more confident and I at least don’t have the sickening feeling of anxiousness before entering the studio. However, I am not going to say I find it all easy, each week there is a new challenge to be tackled, yet seen as no challenge has left me completely baffled (yet!) I feel as though I am off to a great start!
I think something I still particularly struggle with is my habitual movement. This week we were given the task to improvise a solo in front of a partner, in order for them to pick out certain movements and give tips for improvement. Here I took the opportunity to film myself in order to aid me in picking out my own faults. Immediately after performing the first solo, I noted down some movements I found myself repeating. I tend to roll across the floor a lot and repeat the same move but to the other side. I also noticed what I did when I felt myself nearly becoming stuck, I tend to perform dabbing movements, such as pressing into the floor with my hands, releasing slightly to then press down again, creating a weighty sense of movement. I know I do this, because it allows me time to think of what to do next, which I also know I should not be doing, I should be letting the movement flow. I think the reason I found myself becoming stuck was due to the pressure of performing in front of someone, knowing they are judging my movements. However gradually, after the 2nd and 3rd solo I felt myself become slightly more comfortable.
When comparing the 3 different solos after feedback from my partner, you can see the difference and how I am trying to explore with different movements. For instance, my partner described how she could identify my dance history with street dance as she could see clear isolations, however in the 3rd solo this was not as easily identifiable as I was more invested in my exploration. It was also mentioned that I seemed to have a connection with my use of breathe and my own pulse, I seemed to use this to influence my movement without really realising and so this will be something I will delve into more when next improvising.
Another task alongside these solos was to identify a beginning, middle and end. I discovered that timing was not necessarily something I found difficult, each solo lasted around 2mins40 which I felt was appropriate. Each section lasted around the same, perhaps the ending lasting a bit shorter as I knew I had to bring it to an end. What I did struggle with was perhaps actually achieving an ending and knowing when it was time to stop because if I wasn’t thinking about it, I could have probably danced a lot longer than I did. The movement quality, however, if I did continue would be questionable.
Over the course of the past 4 weeks I have also felt myself identifying closely with some practitioners, particularly Steve Paxton. I agree with most of his ideas towards improvisation and some have allowed me to consider certain elements of dance improvisation more deeply. For example, when discussing space and time this week I was drawn to Paxton’s idea of “Zero Times Two” (De Spain, 2014, 111). I have always known that where you are in the space on the stage can have a dramatic effect on an audience member’s reaction and interpretation but I have never thought of what actually defines space. In his lecture, Paxton describes how he empties the space of everything, he is “taking all the air out, and removing the walls and taking away all the things that define space, because they’re not space, but they do define it” (De Spain, 2014, 111). I took from this idea that by emptying the space of everything that defines it, you are then able to add in what you want, such as you can add a wall in the middle of you space (obviously imaginatively, not literally), and choreograph around it, or you can even add a particular lighting to further divide your space with spotlights for example. I am comforted by the idea that the space I work with is what I make it and I can allow what I imagine the space to be influence my improvisation.
Each week, I seem to discover something new to play with and by allowing myself to explore, I am therefore improving without necessarily realising. Of course, this may just be my growth in confidence and there may not be any actual improvement, but as long as I believe there is, there will be.
De Spain, K. (2014) Landscape of the Now: A Topography of Movement Improvisation. New York: Oxford University Press.