Can you tell when it is improvised and when it isn't? Does it change your experience of the dance knowing that it is partly improvised? What was your experience of going from improvisation to set choreography and back again?
We did a lot of spinal articulation. It can make you sore. Please take it easy this weekend if you're feeling discomfort. Let me know if any pain or soreness persists.
For our contact improvisation work on Monday, here is a video I sent out in an email awhile ago. This is 100% improvisation. Does it appear choreographed in any way? Does it change because it improvised?
I have never heard of structured improve, but I loved this piece! I smiled the whole time! It was also fun watching it, because I know you, and I can see your personality coming alive in it. It was also fun because I could see things we have done in class. I Iove how theatrical it is. Also, I only wish I knew more about the charkas so that I could appreciate the piece even more. I loved how powerful the piece was even though it had nothing technical, it completely held my attention. This class has really made me realize and open up my eyes to what else is out there in the dance world because before this class I thought advanced technique and choreography is all that matters. Now I love improve and articulating parts of the body and focusing on all different aspects other then technique and being flawless. I could not tell which parts were choreographed and which were not. I only thought that the parts that went so well with the music might have been choreographed because there would have not really been a way of knowing how the music went on the spot. Also, when you repeated moves or did similar moves I was not sure if it was choreographed or part of the improve process. After doing improve in class it made me appreciate how challenging it can be sometimes and how hard it can be to mix things up and not repeat myself. When I went to a Jam Session, I could not believe how choreographed contact improved looked and I thought it was so beautiful that it should be put on stage whether it was improve or not. Wow, the duo is so beautiful, after watching this I felt the exact same way. I do not think it is choreographed because of the unpredictability of it, but I do think it shows how amazing improvisation is because it looks sooo beautiful. I also love how weightless both of you look because when she lifts you she makes you look like you don’t weigh anymore then her. I have really enjoyed improving and this duo made me want to get even better at contact improve and I want to be as good as this some day! I really liked switching from improvisation to set choreography because I think it makes a class really interesting!
ReplyDelete-Nicole
From the energy centers piece, the main way I can tell what was improvised and what wasn’t is by what is repeated. Although even what is repeated varies slightly. Knowing that a dance is partially improvised doesn’t really change my experience as a viewer, it’s all new to me either way. The partnering improvisation is quite beautiful, and I would have thought the same if it were choreographed. I guess one difference is that I’m more impressed that improv can appear to be choreography. the ability to communicate so effectively with another dancer seems like such a huge challenge to me right now.
ReplyDeleteAs a dancer, going from improve to choreography and back felt a little bit like structured disarray. I pretty much felt like I was doing my own thing, but didn’t realize we were in fact dancing together in some fashion - until I got a chance to watch. As a group we weren’t doing exactly the same moves but the dynamics were similar e.g. we would all do a different jump.. but it would happen at the same time. Pretty neat.
As a side note, every time energy centers was brought up in class I thought about the movie Donnie Darko. In that movie their was a realization by the main character that peoples’ destination was predetermined...or maybe it was that he could see the future... anyway, he began to see the paths people would take in the form of these watery-looking worms, like flexible beams of energy, coming out of peoples’ chests in the direction of their destiny.
~Casey
I absolutely could not tell where you were doing choreographed movement and when you were more improvised. Structured improve is almost easier to me sometimes because I can get into a rhythm or pattern and it is easier to build on because my concentration is more focused. To a certain extent I think knowing that something is improvised changes how you view a piece. Especially when it is something like this with a specific focus, to know that there is a certain intention behind the movement without full choreography makes the piece more interesting because you aren't only seeing how the dancer moves, but also what types of decisions the dancer makes in the moment. I think it would be interesting to watch multiple films of the same piece so you can see how decisions change every time it is performed.
ReplyDeleteI thought the contact improve piece was very interesting. I feel like if I had watched it without being told it was improvised I would have assumed it was choreography. This stems from how the two dancers are moving together. In my limited experience with contract improve, I usually see where dancers pause to think or end up in a root where they repeatedly do the same thing. I don't see that uncertainty in this piece at all. It comments on the dancers ability to connect with one another. To a certain extent, blues dancing is similar to contact improv, the difference comes in because in blues, one dancer is leading and one is following, but it is similar because they both are highly dependent on that trust and connection between the two dancers and the ability to read what your partner is going to do next with only the slightest change in the way they are standing or a slightly shift in their connection with you.
~Caitlin Bannan
I am not very good with improvisation. For me, I feel like every move I try to "improvise" ends up being too thought-out or planned. With any piece of choreography, I can watch and pick it up quickly, but when it comes to improv, I just freeze up. I have a hard time letting go and just doing it.
ReplyDeleteI loved loved loved dancing from energy centers this week! Because for the first time, I actually felt moments of true improvisation! And it was an amazing feeling, and it wasn't as hard for me to improv because I just let the energy centers take me wherever. It also helped a lot thinking about a rhythm. Switching up rhythms helped me consciously remember about other energy centers in case I got stuck on one for too long. I also really really liked how Ariana's music fit with this week. I remember there was a few counts moment where my improv matched perfectly with her beat, and it was so cool.
I think the way I can tell whether something is improved or not is by looking at the dancer's face. I feel that more often than not, you can see his or her face and see the concentration written all over it. They're constantly thinking, thinking of where they will step next or how this arm will move or something. To me, it's on on-going task as dancers to master our facial expressions so they emit our emotions rather than our concentrations.
- Allyson Wang
In the chakra dance it seems improvised to me when a specific movement or gesture dealing with a single chakra is stretched longer and then it evolves or morphs into something bigger or different, or even another chakra. The choreographed parts seemed to be the repeating themes, but these usually led into an expanded or changed version each time as well. The movement of the arms, or the gesture would be the same, but the floor pattern, the direction or the articulation of the feet, different parts of the body, and the amount of time spent with movement of a certain gesture changes each time. I actually watched this video of the chakra dance before, and seeing it then I thought that it was structured improv. I think that I could tell because of the variation and because of the nature of the movements and gestures, and how they changed and evolved differently each time.
ReplyDeleteThe contact improvisation had parts that looked more choreographed than others because they simply flowed together perfectly, but for the most part it looked like it was a constantly changing and developing relationship and dance. It seemed like it could be choreographed later on in a way because it had so much variation of tempo and movement and relationship between the dancers. It was fascinating to watch how certain parts developed and changed so much from the initial contact.
I can somewhat tell when you are improving and when you are not because I’ve seen some of the chakra movements these last two quarters. Also because it seems clear when you are really focusing on one chakra that you “structured” it that way and then move back into improving within that chakra and then moving to the next. I took Kent’s class last spring and we actually had to do a structured improv piece after working with chakra’s for weeks and discussing them and dancing from them. So this piece, of yours was really great to watch, given all of the different experiences I brought to viewing it.
ReplyDeleteThe video of you and Jamie is absolutely beautiful. It looks too perfect not to be choreographed. A friend of mine who doesn’t know much of dance and especially hasn’t seen much of contact improv was completely taken aback when I told her it was improvised. It’s so amazing what can happen when we really listen to each other. It works out almost perfectly and there can be no mistakes if you just listen. Like you said on Monday, there are the occasional awkward moments, but if I find myself in one it is usually because I’ve stopped listening as intently, so I shift my focus back to listening to what’s really going on. Side note: I had Sarah McLachlan – Sweet Surrender on my iTunes while I watched you and Jamie. I’ve seen if before but not with this song on in the background. It almost looked like you choreographed this dance to this song. Just a coincidence that I saw this.
After watching the first video of just Louis dancing, I found it to look about fifty percent choreographed and fifty percent improv. The way I tried to conclude whether it was choreographed or improv was by noticing movements that were repeated. I assumed that some of the gestures like the muscle showing pose, the touching near the chest, and even some of the hand gestures that were shown but had different movement with the rest of the body were improv. I may also have contributed more to improv, because I know that a lot of your teaching is based on really taking choreography and making it one’s own. I found the piece to really show the different chakras. I could see the emphasis of showing the energy coming from the top of the head or the center of the stomach. It was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThe second video of Louis and Jamie Hall seemed so connected and intimate that I cannot think of it being anything but improv. It was just so smooth with no rough spots. It felt like the two were fully invested in one another as dancers and friends. I also loved the weightlessness of the movements. All lifts looked effortless and smooth. Its one of those dance pieces that I feel if you tried to memorize it and repeat it, it could never look or have the same affect twice, because it contains such intimacy that must come from the mood each dancer brought at that moment of time. After watching the second video, it made me see how contact improv is neither right nor wrong, but is a completely full investment in each other. Watching this second video made me want to be part of the movement and experience the connection Louis and Jamie were experiencing.
In the first video the only parts that I could tell were chirography were small gestures that were repeated though out the piece otherwise I couldn’t tell what was choreographed and what was improvised. In the second video I knew it was all improvisation because it was at a contact improv jam. Though if I didn’t know where it was I would assume it was at least partly choreographed.
ReplyDeleteI personally have mixed feelings about improv. When it comes to improvisation in a particular dance form like Tahitian, belly dance, Persian dance, salsa, samba, hip hop and almost any other dance form I’ve studied that has an improvisation element I am totally fine. I think it is because I have to work in a specific movement vocabulary which is easy compared modern improv. With modern improvisation it feels like it is very random because there is so much verity in modern dance. When there is a specific image like a primitive creature sensing with its wrists it makes it easier. When it came to moving from a specific body part or chakra I felt like I shouldn’t fall into a pattern or use other dance forms I’m more comfortable in. Maybe once I become comfortable enough with being uncomfortable I won’t worry so much about it.
Both videos look entirely choreographed to me. Not in the sense that either looks planned or mechanical in any way. I’m commenting more in reference to the confidence and commitment that is put into each move. I enjoyed the chakra performance because you could tell what sort of move (or gesture, rather) was designated to each separate chakra but the dance as a whole blended together really well… I interpret it as somehow representative of how each energy center can embody its own idea or personality when isolated, but when one has the opportunity to shift their focus from one area to the next in a fitting manner, it gives the dance more life and a personality of ITS own. I find the contact improv video to be AMAZING! I had no idea it could even look that seamless between two people.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to my own experience, I see improv as letting your body do the thinking for you. Allowing it to move the way it wants to and the way it feels it needs to at that very moment in time. That is a challenge in itself: letting a part of you, other than your mind, conquer all else and really take over. It’s a primitive idea, in a way, that you are doing something just to be doing it – without any planning or “thorough” consideration beforehand. Although, I did find it MUCH easier (but still just as expressive) to have some guidelines that provide a framework to the type of things we should include (i.e. working with opening with your heart or leading with your head at certain times). On another note, Red Light, Green Light was also great because it made me more aware of minute details about the movements I choose to make. Had we been dancing at “regular speed,” I wouldn’t be able to take the time to fully appreciate the concept that dance truly is limitless.
~Jennifer
Shakra Dance:
ReplyDeleteYou made decisions in your Shakra dance that were very clear and dynamic. The dynamic movement makes the entire dance seem choreographed. Each Shakra is so clear with the heart being open to the world, the core being engaged with strength, the voice expanding to everyone and everything, the 3rd eye being aware of everything inside and out, the top of the head leading you upwards. The order of the choreographed images for each Shakra changed later on in the dance as well which was visually interesting. I feel like when improvising, the more the movement is dynamic the less it looks improvised.
Choreography vs. Improvisation:
Lately with my Comp II class with Molly Scott, I have been struggling with choreography and improvised work. I feel like I like my work more when it is improvised. And when I try to duplicate my improvised work into a choreographed movement I get bored with it so easily. I am my own worst critic and I have been more comfortable with my own improvised work than I am with choreographing. There are so many options to have when choreographing that I start getting scatterbrained and wondering if the movement would be more dynamic with a different facing, or tempo change, or even a different sound score, or level changes and... seriously ANYTHING! It's a constant journey for me to see what I like my body doing and trying to set it as a choreographed piece.
100% Pure Improv:
There were so many amazing lifts in the contact improvisation with Jamie. It almost looked choreographed. The chemistry you two have together while performing this improvised piece of work is out of control! You can really see how well you two work together especially when you two decide to wrap the piece up with hand jestures toward each other. You feed off each other so well that a lot of it looks so planned out. I have yet to experience something like that in a partner sort of way with contact improvisation. I feel like I'm putting my trust into the partner, except somehow it just becomes awkward again. I guess I'm just an awkward person, but... is awkward really a bad thing?
I like to say "Sometimes Crazy is a good thing..." I think awkward can fit into that sentence as well :)
Thanks for a fun quarter Louis!
~Rashelllllllle
After watching the Chakra Dance and knowing that it was mostly improvised, I was really impressed. Everything flowed together so well. When I improvise I feel like it gets really choppy and repetitive; probably because I am thinking too hard about it. I could start to pick out the bits of choreography that corresponded with each chakra because Louis would repeat those sections. It was a really cool piece. For me, going back to choreography from improvisation made me feel relieved in a way because I knew what I was doing again. Improvisation is sometimes difficult for me because I get really nervous. When I get that nervous I feel like it just kind of takes over everything and suddenly I don't know what to do or how to move. My goal is to somehow get over this soon. As for the video of Louis and Jaime doing contact improv was amazing! Knowing that it was improv before watching it just made it more wonderful in my eyes. Everything transitioned from one movement into the next so smoothly that at times it almost seemed like it had to be choreographed. I wish I could move like that!
ReplyDelete*Kali
A few notes on the Chakra dance:
ReplyDeleteI have such a special place in my heart for that music - as a little kid, I lived overseas and watching Legong on Bali was one of my first live dance performance experiences. I felt really touched listening to Gamalan again! I also love that the structure of your improvisation was centered around Chakras - this is a system of organization that I am relatively new to, but the experiences I've had in Catherine's yoga class have made them of particular concern/interest to me.
It's difficult for me to tell what parts of this dance are and are not improvised. I think that having a structured "path" along which the improvisation is allowed to roll lends the entire piece a trajectory that is easily interpreted as purely choreographed. I liked how moments of the dance seemed very internally focused and the contrast between those and the 'extroverted' moments - neither seemed more or less choreographed or improvised, but they conveyed a different sense to me.
With respect to the video of the contact duet - that was beautiful. It looks more improvised than the Chakra dance, but that makes sense since adding another person's body, intent, direction, etc, that is not always going to mirror one's own adds a level of compromise that isn't as evident in solo dancing. Watching contact improv always reminds me of watching bodies have a conversation - the interaction is usually moving forward, even if the parties don't completely agree on everything (in fact, the negotiation is often where the beautiful, interesting elements appear). And at times, the motion comes to a standstill before a compromise and return to motion is achieved.
Dancing from energy centers was possibly the most powerful exercise I experienced this quarter. I hold back a lot dancing phrases - I struggle with learning material and often let that get in the way of me feeling the moment moving without reservation. During these improvisations, I felt like I was finally moving "honestly." I was asking my body parts "Where are we going?" and without waiting for an answer, let them take me there. It was a very reassuring day for me - I felt like I was finally dancing, not just making (or trying to make) shapes that matched everyone else's shapes. I'm very grateful for these days - they helped me identify as a "dancer."
-Kristi