Improvisation. To me, a daunting challenge where there is a need for on the spot decisions and constant generation of new, original movement. What is right? What is wrong? These feelings, inhibitions, influencing my practice. Reading ‘Dear Practice… The experience of improvising’ by Vida L Midgelow (2012) helped greatly in conquering these emotions. She showed that there are moments in everyone’s practice where they feel lost and unsure of what to do next, posing the question “what if nothing happens- what if we are waiting forever” (Midgelow, 2012, 10) when discussing how an improvisation would begin with no plan. Within the article, she shows the dancer answering all her own questions about improvisation, teaching me that “every movement has within it seeds of another movement” (Midgelow, 2012, 13). This showed me that I need not be nervous and to allow movements to flow from one another, going out there with no plan, and not being worried about whether the movement looks ‘right’. I would not be the only one with moments on angst, but to indulge in these moments and allow them to take me somewhere new.
Our piece attended to show how the playful action of throwing and catching a bean bag can be changed and structured to create an innovative piece. We created a finite score based on developments of this simple movement, beginning with the simplest form of movement and then moving through the developments. Each pair within the group was performing different developments and began at different times. This allowed for all the developments to build up, creating layers of movement and making the contrasts between each become clearer. We fixed the order in which the developments were shown while also fixing when each new pair joined the group, However, the time in which we changed between each development was unfixed, leaving for the decision of when to move to show the next development a choice made in the performance. Due to the need of each pair changing at a similar time, we discovered there was a need for awareness to others. We added to this, also exposing the need for awareness to space in order to keep the piece moving around the space while not colliding with one another. This, on the other hand, created a limitation as too how explicit the piece was in relation to the intention as the dancers were weaving round each other so each different development moved. This means it was hard for the audience to follow a development clearly and state exactly what development each performing pair was showing. This could have been improved by setting the point in which each pair moved to the next development, possibly including a pause between each. Additionally, it could have been altered so that each pair took a different development and remained on this throughout the whole piece. The developments would have then layered by each partnership joining in on top of the original pair. Although, this would have led to the piece becoming infinite as once the last couple had joined in with the final development as the top layer, it could continue forever too no definite ending.
Midgelow, V. L. (2012) Dear Practice… The experience of improvising. Choreographic Practices, 2 (1) 9-24.