Dance improvisation

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Dance improvisation is the creation of improvised movement and is usually associated with 20th century concert dance but is not exclusive to that genre.

Development of improvised movement material is facilitated through a variety of creative explorations including:

• body mapping
  • body mind centering
• levels, shape and dynamics (see Laban Movement Analysis)
• sensory experiences
  • touch / contact improvisation
• perceptual schema

Contrary to popular belief dance improvisation is not about creating new movement but freeing the body from habitual movement patterns (see Postmodern dance and Judson Dance Theater). Dancer and choreographer Michael Jackson combines inmprovisation in both of those definitions, insisting that he has interest in performing a dance to Billie Jean only if he can do it by a new way each time.

Some of the developed dances stress their improvisational nature. For example, Argentine Tango is an improvisational dance despite what you see on stage. Improvisation is greatly encouraged and taught. Tango surroundings support directing the dance toward more improvisation: tight crowds, reach rhythmic patterns in music, a new partner every dance, a reach vocabulary of moves. Many Tango performers while on stage dance improvisation only. Great improvisation abilities is a must in reaching the top of popularity. There are methods of improvisation in Tango. It is taught.

[edit] Quotes

some movement improvisation artists and theorists, (eg: Steve Paxton, Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen, Simone Forti) as specialists of the phenomenology and aesthetics of human movement have reached theoretical and practical insights about human interaction and embodiment that are closely related to the ones that are found recently in the fields of artificial intelligence (embodied robotics), cognitive science (embodied cognition) and new biology (self-organization and emergence). - Barrios Solano, M. (2004)

[edit] See also

• contact improvisation
• choreography
• composition
• choreographic technique
• Postmodern dance
• Judson Dance Theater
• List of dance style categories
• Laban Movement Analysis

[edit] Further reading

• Minton, S, C. (1997) Choreography: A Basic Approach Using Improvisation. Human Kinetics . ISBN 0-88011-529-7
• Tufnell, M. and Vaughan, D. (1999) Body Space Image : Notes Toward Improvisation and Performance. Princeton Book Co. ISBN 1-85273-041-2
• Barrios Solano, M. (2004) Posthuman Performance: Dancing within Cognitive Systems. http://dancelab1.dance.ohio-state.edu/~barrios/cord.html