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Research: Creation and Performance
Preparing for the unknown: Dance Improvisation in the
Liberal Arts
This article, co-authored by Chris Aiken and Angie Hauser, has been accepted for inclusion by the editors of the Journal Critical Studies in Improvisation / Études critique en improvisation for a special upcoming issue devoted to improvisation and the liberal art. It is currently “in review”.
AMHERST COLLEGE Department of Music Jason Robinson, Assistant Professor of Music
September 2, 2016
To: Professor Chris Aiken Professor Angie Hauser Department of Dance Smith College
Dear Professor Aiken and Professor Hauser,
Thank you for your excepDonal submission (“Preparing for the Unknown: Dance ImprovisaDon in the Liberal Arts”) to the special issue of Cri$cal Studies in Improvisa$on / Études cri$ques en improvisa$on on “ImprovisaDon and the Liberal Arts” that I am guest co-‐ediDng with Sandra Mathern-‐Smith and Mark Lomanno. While the special issue has been approved by the managing editors of the journal, we are sDll reviewing all of the submissions, aSer which Dme they will be sent out for blind peer review.
Despite these upcoming review processes, I’m very impressed by your submission and I have full confidence that it will be included in the special issue. Your incisive and important contribuDons to improvisaDon and dance within the context of the liberal arts that are presented in your submission will most certainly have a strong impact in the burgeoning field of improvisaDon studies.
If you need further support or informaDon please don’t hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Jason Robinson Assistant Professor, Department of Music Affiliated faculty: Black Studies, Film and Media Studies Amherst College
Chair, Five Colleges Ethnomusicology Commi]ee
Guest Co-‐Editor, “ImprovisaDon and the Liberal Arts,” Cri$cal Studies in Improvisa$on / Études cri$ques en improvisa$on
Amherst College, P. O. Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002-5000 Tel: (413)542-2481 Cell: (858)204-8859 [email protected]
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PreparingfortheUnknown:DanceImprovisationintheLiberalArts
CHRISAIKENandANGIEHAUSER DepartmentofDance,SmithCollege,Northampton,MA01063,USA E-mail:[email protected],[email protected]
Inthisarticlewesituatetheteachingofdanceimprovisationwithintheliberalartslearningenvironmentandidentifytheopportunitiesitprovidesforstudentstobuildessentialcapacitiesofresilience,resourcefulness,creativity,curiosity,self-awareness,andcollaboration.Wearriveattheteachingofimprovisationfromadisciplinespecificplace-asdancersanddancemakers,yetwebelievetheintentionalpracticeandresearchofimprovisationalformsenrichesthestudyofanyandalldisciplinesfoundintheliberalarts.Ourapproachisfoundedontheideathatimprovisationalskillisaninherentpartoffunctioningintheworld.Ourthinkingandresearchtakesformintwodistinctcontexts:theprofessionalcontemporaryconcertdancefield,andinhighereducation,particularlytheliberalartsandwomen’seducationinstitutionofSmithCollege.
Context Intheprofessionalrealmwearedanceartistswhogroundourperformanceworkandresearchinthepracticeandprinciplesofimprovisation.Weco-teachworkshopsforprofessionaldanceartistsanddancecompaniesthatfocusonimprovisationandperformance.Ourresearch,teachingandartmakingareinseparable.Weusetheclassroomasalaboratoryforourart-makingandviceversa.
WearealsoonthefacultyofSmithCollegeintheDepartmentofDance.SmithCollegeisaprivateresidentialliberalartscollegeinNorthampton,MAwithanundergraduateenrollmentofapproximately2500studentsandafulltimeequivalentinstructionalfacultyofapproximately280.Foundedin1871,theCollegehasthestatedmissionto“educatewomenofpromiseforlivesofdistinction.”SmithCollegeisdedicatedtoprovidingwomenwitheducationalchoice,exposuretonewfields,andawiderangeofstudyopportunitiesincludingextensivecurricularandco-curricularworkinSTEM,Humanities,SocialSciencesandtheArts.Smith’sdepartmentofdanceisadistinctdepartmentwithanundergraduatemajorandminorandMFAgraduateprogram.TheDepartmentofDanceserveshundredsofstudentseachyearmostwhodonotmajorindancebutchoosetoparticipateinthecurriculumasapartoftheirliberalartsexperience.
AtSmith,weteachavarietyofcoursesinwhichweuseourresearchinimprovisationasdirectcontent
• DanceComposition(Hauser) • ChoreographyandCreativeProcess(Hauser) • ChoreographyandDesign(Aiken) • ContemporaryDanceTechnique:Improvisation(Aiken) • ContemporaryDanceTechnique:ContactImprovisation(Aiken) • ContemporaryDanceTechnique(Hauser) • Repertory:ImprovisationEnsemble(Aiken/Hauser) • MerceCunninghamTechniqueandContext(Hauser)
Atthismoment,SmithCollegeandotherlikeinstitutionsarelookingforopportunitiestouseliberalartscampusesasclassroomsforproblem-basedteachingandtoofferexperientialand
ForthcominginCriticalStudiesinImprovisation/Étudescritiqueenimprovisation 2
appliedopportunitiesforstudents.Thesegrowinginterestsarenottoreplacecriticalthinkingandanalysis,butrathertopartnerwiththeseimportantvaluesofliberalartslearning.Inthisarticlewereflectonourbodyofresearchdevelopedwhileteachingintheprofessionaldancerealm,anddiscussitsimpactinourliberalartsclassrooms.
WorkingDefinitions:PerformanceImprovisation,PhysicalIntelligence,Metacognition Inthisarticlewearespeakingprimarilyaboutimprovisingasaperformancepracticeofcomposingdancesinreal-timeinsolo,duet,trioorensembleforms.Thisisdifferentthanimprovisingtogeneratematerialforcompositionsthatwillultimatelybe“set”orasatechniquefordevelopingphysicalskills.Whileeachofthesetwoagendasandpracticesareimportantandapartofourwork,herewearelookingspecificallytoperformanceimprovisationforthecognitiveandphysicalchallengesandlearningpotentialitpresents.
Inourdancemakingclassesweaskstudentstochoreographinreal-time--toimprovise.Thishappenseveryclassinavarietyofwaysandisalwaysconsideredperforming.Real-timechoreography,aswithsetchoreography,includescomposingmovement,arrangingthespacethroughtravelingandlocating,composingdynamicsoftimeandintegratingcontent.Allofthisisdoneinrelationshiptowhatishappeningatanygivenmoment,thereforethestudentsmustalsohonetheirattentionandperceptionstowhatisemerging.Inreal-timechoreography,performanceoccursintraditionalwayssuchasadancerimprovisingwhileaseatedaudiencegroupiswatching.Italsooccursinotherlesstraditionalwaysincludingimprovisingwhileonlyoneotherclassmateiswatching,orevenwhilenooneisformallyaudience-ingyettheimproviserisawareofbeingwitnessedbyothersintheensemble.Performancecanbemanythingsandweencouragestudentstointerrogatethenotionbydefiningandredefiningitthroughouttheirdancemakingpractice.Apracticaldefinitionwesharewithourstudentsis“performanceismakingchoicesasifyouwerebeingwitnessed.”Thisleavesroomforwideinterpretationsbutgivesstudentssomethingtoholdontoatthesametime.
Ourteachingofmovementandphysicalintelligencehasdevelopedfromouryearsofexperience.ItisalsoinformedtheoreticallybytheworkofNikolaiBernstein,aneurophysiologistwhoseresearchisseminalinthefieldofmotorcontrolandthescienceofaction.InhisbookOnDexterityandItsDevelopment,Bernsteinpresentsaclearmodelforunderstandingtherelationshipbetweenautomatedskillsandintentionalbehaviorindynamicallyevolvingenvironments.Anautomatedskillisalearnedbehaviorthatcanfunctionwithoutconsciouscontrol.Bernsteinbelievedthatourautomatedskillsarestoredinthebrainandformakindof“movementlibrary.”Itistheseautomatismsthatallowustoshiftourattentiontosolvingcomplexmovementproblemsandengageinpurposefulbehavior.Imagineifeverytimewerodeabicyclewehadtofocusonthedetailsofpedaling,balancingandsteering.
Bernsteindiscoveredthroughsophisticatedexperimentsthatwhenwearelearningskillswearenothoningready-mademovementspolishedtoperfectionthroughrepetitivedrillingsothattheycanbemadeavailableforactivationwhentheappropriatestimulusarrives.Throughsolvingproblemsinavarietyofwaysandunderarangeofconditionswecommittomemoryarepertoireofsolutionsgleanedfrompracticingunderdynamicconditions.Tobecomeautomaticaskillmustbeexploreddeeplyenoughsothattheessentialstructure,formandadaptationscanbestoredinthebrain.Theadaptationsarethesensorycorrectionsthatallowamovementskilltoadapttovariancesthatoccur.
Ratherthanteachingourstudents“moves”weteachprincipleswhichhelpthemframeandsolveproblemsthroughmovement.Forexample,ratherthanteachaparticularturnwith
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predeterminedpathway,shapeandcoordinationwearemorelikelytoteachtheprinciplesofpivoting,centrifugalforce,andorganizationofthespine.Thenweputittothestudenttousetheseprinciplestoimprovisesolutionstotheproblemofturning.
Ultimatelythegoalofautomatingskillsistofreeustoengageinhigher-levelcognitiveactivities.Foradanceimproviserwewanttobeabletofocusonouraestheticgoalsandintentions,ourdesirestocollaborateandbeintouchwiththeaudience.InherarticleHearingSeeingandPerceptualAgencyethnomusicologist,IngridMonsondescribeshowaskilledmusicianhastheabilitytoplayherpartwhilelisteningtoandcoordinatingwithdifferentplayerswithinthewholeensemble.Shecallsthisperceptualagency[1].Itisbecauseourskillshavebecomeautomatethatwearecapableofthiskindofactivity.
OneadditionalbutimportantaspectofBernstein’sresearchthatwefindusefulconcernshisconceptof“memoryofthefuture”whichreferstothewaysinwhichpeopleutilizetheirexperience,theirmemories,tomakesenseofwhatishappeninginthepresentandtoimaginewhatisaboutto,orcouldhappeninthenearfuture.Thisabilityincreaseswithexperienceandstrategiclearning.Theabilitytorecognize,coordinateordeviatefromemergentformsdependsonourabilitytoextrapolatefromwhatishappeningwhatislikelytohappen,toimaginetheeffectsofone’schoicesandtomakeanintelligentchoice.Thisisfundamentalforallimprovisers.
Weusetheconceptofmetacognitioninourdanceimprovisationpedagogyasamodelforhelpingstudentsunderstandamulti-layeredapproachtothinking,perceivingandproblemsolving.Metacognition,originallyconceivedin1979bypsychologistJohnH.Flavellas“thinkingaboutthinking”,referstothecapacitytouseknowledgeaboutoneselfandcognitiontostrategizebeforeanexperienceandtoprocessafterandexperience[2].Weview,asdoecologicalpsychologists,perceptionasanessentialcomponentofcognitionandakeycomponentoflearning[3].
Webeginwiththeideathateachdancermustcombineherknowledgeofherselfwithherunderstandingoflearningandaction.Shemustconnectthiswithherknowledgeaboutthefieldofdance,compositionandperformance.Themetacognitiveaspectreferstolearninghowtopreparetoimprovise,howtomonitoroneselfduringimprovising(whenthespeedofactionallows)andhowtoprocessandutilizeexperiencethroughgroupfeedback.
Someexamplesofourmetacognitivemethodsincludeteachingstudentshowtodeveloppersonalstrategiesfordirectingmovements(subscores),perceptualtuningtechniquestoguideawareness(thiscanbetofacilitateaparticularaestheticqualityortocompensateforidentifiedweaknesses),andstrategiesforcopingwiththeintensityofperforming(i.e.reframingtheaudiencewithintheecologicalcontextsofperformanceratherthanasjudgesorpeopletoplease).
AnEco-PoeticApproach Ourapproachiseco-poetic,emphasizingboththeecologicalrealitiesandthepoeticimaginationoftheindividual.Theperformingartsplaceapremiumontheabilitytoattunetoone’ssurroundings,one’sbodyandone’sinstrument.Theabilitytoshapeandadapttotheintrinsicandextrinsicvariablesofbothbodyandenvironment,demandperceptualacuity,adaptivestrategiesandanticipatoryskill.Eachperformerinanimprovisationalensembleisbothanagentofchangeandanadaptiveresponderandsupporterofthehappeningsaroundthem.
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Inherbook,theLanguageofLandscape,AnneWhistonSprintalksaboutthegrammarandpoeticsoflandscape.Shesuggeststhatpartofherjobasadesigneristoreadthelandscapefromamultitudeofperspectivesandatdifferentlevelsofscale[4].Inananalogousway,webelievethatdanceimprovisersmustlearntoreadtheirperformanceenvironments,theplace,thelight,thefloor,thedancers,theaudience,thesoundenvironment,includingthesocial,political,andculturalcontextsthatsurroundthem.Inadditioneachartisticdisciplinecomeswithitsowncodes,valuesandpowerdynamics[citeBourdieu]thatmustbenavigatedbyitsparticipants.Forourdancersthesearetheimplicitandexplicitvaluesthatshapethefieldofpostmoderndance.Ultimately,thepointisnottotrytobeawareofeverythingsimultaneously,butforthedancertoremembertheyarecomposingwithinecologiesandtotaketimethetimetodevelopasenseofliteracyinreadingtheirsurroundings.
WeagreewithSpirnourthebeliefthatecologicalawarenessandpoeticimaginationarecomplementary.Webelieveitisimportanttodeconstructtheideaoftheartistasafountainofcreativityorasamuseforinspiration.Inourteachingwesimultaneouslysensitizestudentstotheirenvironmentwhiledevelopingtheirpoeticimagination.Weexperimentwiththeshrinkinganddilationofscale,fromthemacrotothemicro,withtheideathateachleveloffersinformationthatisbothinspiringandimportantforunderstandingandcoordinatingwithwhatishappening.Atthemicrolevelwetunedancerstothelevelofvisual,hapticandauditorydetails.Thedancer,inthesemoments,isfreedfromtheneedtomakesenseofthewhole--thebigpicture--andisallowedtodiveintotheminutiaofherphenomenalworld.Shebecomesacollectorandcuratorofdetails,usingthemasinspirationtobuildacomposition.Atthislevelthedancerfocusesonherownexperience,hermovements,thoughts,sensations,feelingsandimaginations.Practiceinthisrealmallowsthestudenttodevelopherownrelationshiptomovementanditssyntax.
Practicingatthemicro-levelisimportant,butitisonlythebeginning.Toimproviserequirestheabilitytodilateone’sawarenesstoincludeone’scollaborators,theaudienceandthesurroundings.Adancerwhostaysfortoolongatthemicrolevelcanappearself-absorbedanddisconnectedfromwhatishappening.Broadeningone’sfieldofattentionallowsforcoordinatedactionandaco-evolvedsenseofpurposeandmeaning.
Engagingattherelationallevelincludethepossibilitiesforcoordinatingandcounterpointingmovementbetweenpeople--whichincludesunison,harmony,contrastorsimplyconsciousco-existence.Italsoincludeslessformalrelationshipswheremovementgenerationissourcedfromaperceivedqualityortoneofanotherdancer.Weoftencallattentiontorelationshipbyimprovisingwithafocusontheperceivedspace/timebetween.Thisincludesdesigningthenegativespacebetweenbodies.Italsoincludesonatemporal,performanceleveldurationalrelationships--thespacebetweengestures,thepossibilitiesforinterlockinggesturesintime,counterpointingandcomposingthedensityofthecollaborativegestures.ThisistheperceptualagencythatMonsonspeaksabout--theabilitytoconsciouslyshiftandtuneawarenesstodifferentlevelsoftimeandspace,tocomposewhoandwhatwerelate.
Ourconceptionofpoeticsstartswithstudentsconsideringtherelationshipbetweengestureswhichformsthesyntaxandkineticmelodyoftheirdancing.Wedrawstudentsattentiontotherelationshipbetweentheformalaspectsofdancing--suchasshape,patterning,spatialrelationships,and--aswellasthefeelingsandreveriethatinspireandinformtheperformersandtheaudience.Wetrytohaveasbroadadefinitionofpoeticsaspossiblesothatwearenotimposinganaestheticonourstudents.Weencouragethemtoidentifyandcultivateasenseofwhatinspiresthemandwhenmomentsoccurintheperformingwhenthedanceescapesthe
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formalaspectsofbodiesmovinginspaceandbecomesavehiclefortheimaginationandvisceralengagement.
PerceptualAcuityandLearning
Anessentialcomponentofourteachingisguidingstudentstowardsthedevelopmentofperceptualacuitiesprimarilythroughguidedpractice.Theidea,drawnfromEleanorGibson,isthatovertime,aswedevelop,wetunetofinerandfinerdifferentiationsandrelationshipsthatexistinourworld.Wenoticemorewhenwearegiventheopportunitytolearnfrompractice.Wecreateopportunitiesforourstudentstolearnfromperceivingandactionindynamicallychangingenvironments.Perceivingtolearn,accordingtoGibson,isfundamentalandisfacilitatedthroughpracticeandexperimentation(Pick,1992).Shefeltthatthismodeoflearningwasacriticalcompaniontoteachingstudentshowtoperceive.Inthelatter,theteacherisoftenshapingandcuratingperception,throughtheuseofconcepts,instructions,anddirection.Bothmethodsarevaluableandakeypartofourwork.Butultimatelywemustcreateopportunitiesforourstudentstopracticedirectingtheirownattentionwithintheworldstheycanperceive.Ourroleistooftentoinitiatesubtleshiftsinstudent’spointsofviewandthentocreatesituationsthatallowthemtolearnfromtheirownexperiencesofmaking,collaboratingandadapting.
Oneofthefirststepstowardsperceptualacuityforthedanceristorefineherproprioception,thesenseofherbodyinspaceandhapticperception,hersenseoftouch.Manydancersaretrainedbylookingattheteacherandatthemselvesinthemirror.Inthismode,theprimarysourceofperceptualinformationandfeedbackisthroughvision.Incontrasttothiswayoflearning,wegivestudentstimetoexploremovingwheretheprimaryfocusisonproprioception—thetoneofherbody,theformofherbodyinspace,thefeelofmovement,thefeelofwhatistouchingher.Overtimethestudentdevelopsthecapacitytofeelherbody,asawhole,andincludingthebackgroundtoneofherbodyanditschangesinresponsetoherintention.Asshemobilizestomove,thephysicalstateofherbodychanges--itbecomesmoretoned.Asshecomestoarestingplaceherbodytonerelaxes.Graduallyshebeginstonoticethequalityofhermovementsanddiscoversamorenuancedpossibilities.
Theskilledcapacitytoperceivethroughthesenseoftouchisafocalpointofourteaching.Thisbeginssensingthesurfacesofthebodytouchingthefloor.Perceptualdeficitsatthislevellimitoursenseofsupport,balanceandabilitytomove.Throughexploringthepossibilitiesforpushingagainstthefloorandyieldingintoitthedancerbeginstofindtherelationshipbetweensupportandmobility.Throughherhapticperceptionshebeginstodiscoverwaysofresistinggravityandfallingintoit.Nextweworkwiththesensationofonebodytouchinganother.Weguidestudentsspecificallythroughthedynamicsoflighttouch(wherethereisnodemandforsupport),tolightlyleaningintowardsasharedcenter,toextendingweightfullytowardsthesupportofanotherperson.Oncestudentsareintroducedtotheseprincipleswebegintoincreasethecapacitytomovethroughspacetouchingcontinuouslyormovinginandoutofcontact.Overtime,justasthelandscapedesignerreadsthelandscape,thedancerbeginstoreadthebodiesofherpartnersthroughhersenseoftouch.Shedetectsinformationaboutmovement,support,readiness,fear,calmnessandoverallsensitivitytoeachother.
Whenbeginningstudentshavedevelopedtheirsenseoftouchwere-includevisionandhearingasinformationalsourcestofocusupon.Thisextendsthestudent’sawarenessbeyondtheherbodyandthepeoplesheispartneringwithtoincludethespacearoundherandthesoniclandscape.Intermsofvisionwefocusattentionontheabilitytoseethedynamicrelationships
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betweenbodiesandspace.Indesignthisistypicallyreferredtoas“negativespace”.Onacompositionallevel,thecapacitytoperceivethespacebetween,aroundandbehindthingsisessential.Thisisavisualskillthatcanbedevelopedwithpractice.
Manydancersworkwithsoundscapesthatconsistoflivemusic,recordedmusic,ambientsoundfoundsoundsaswellassoundsproducedbytheensemble.Inourtrainingweemphasizelisteningtothespatialandtemporaldynamicsofsound.Wefindthatfewstudentscan,withouttraining,hearthespatial,temporalandsonicweave.Weemphasizetheabilitytolistenspecificallytohowthepartsofthesoniclandscapefittogether,andhowtofindopportunitiestobeinrelationshiptotheparts.
Onamoreintermodalsenseleveltheabilitytopayattentiontothespacebetweenthingsthatexistinthemomentandareunfoldinginrealtime.Thisgoesbeyondperceivingnegativespacetoincludetherelationshipsbetweenmovementandstillness,soundandsilence,thedurationofamomentoragestureanditsrelationshiptowhatcomesnextorishappeningsimultaneously.Insomeculturesagreateremphasisisplacedonthespacebetweengesturesthanonthegesturesthemselves[6].
Onameta-levelweteachstudentstoperceivewhatismissingorwhatisnothappening.Thisdependsontheirabilitytotrackwhathashappenedandtorecognizethepatterningofaperformance.Whohasbeendominant?Whohasbeensubordinate?Wherehasthedancetakenplaceonstage?Whathasthepacingbeen?Perceivinginthiswayallowsthestudenttorecognizethepotentialforinnovation,contrastorrestraint.Sometimeswhatisperceivedistheneedjoinwhatishappeningtodecreasethecomplexity.
TheShapeofAttention Aswehaveintroduced,danceimprovisationisametacognitivepracticewhichbynaturedemands(andthereforebuilds)agilityofthinking,perceivingandaction.Inourworkandteachingwespeaktothisagilitythroughthenotionof“theshapeofattention[7].”Webeganusingthisframeworkwhileteachingworkshopsforprofessionaldancersanddancemakers.Wefoundinthiscontextthenotionof‘attention’pointedtothecomplexityofmetacognitiverichexperienceswhileremainingopenforexperienceddanceartiststobringtheirpointofviewandknowledge.
Webringthisbacktoourstudioclassroomsintheliberalartssettingwherewefurthertheresearchbyworkingwithbeginningimprovisers.Weguidestudentsthroughimprovisationexperiencesandteachthemhowtomanage,and‘survive’,thephysical,cognitive,andperceptualcomplexities.Withinafewsessionsofpracticingcomposinginreal-timewithaensemble,studentsreportanexperienceof‘juggling’multiplelayersofattention.Overthearcofthecourseweworktobringthemtoaplaceofnotonlysuccessfuljugglingbutalsoagreaterabilitytoconsciouslydirecttheirattentionwhiledancing.Easyenoughintheorybutinrealityitisamessyanddisorientingprocessthatdemandsperseveranceandtoleranceforfailurefrombothstudentandteacher.
Atthestartofthesemesterwebringstudents’awarenesstosomeofthecorelayersatplayduringensembleimprovisation.Theseinclude
• awarenessofspace:locationinrelationtoothersandtotheroom,topographicaldensityofaction,dynamicsof‘localspace’(thespaceoftheindividualkinesphere)
• awarenessoftime:duration,speed,phrasing,pacingmacrocomposition
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• awarenessofrelationship:historyofaction,togethernessandapartness,groupconfigurations[eco-poetics]
Thereisnottheexpectationsthatthestudentswillbeabletoattendtoallofthesecomplexawarenessesallthetime,yetwebringattentiontothecomplexityfromthebeginningtoallowstudentstobegintoadjusttothecognitiveload.Buildingtheperceptualskilltorecognizewhatisimportanttoattendtoiskey.Itisrarethatanimproviserwouldattempttokeepallthelayersofawarenessatequallevelsofimportanceallthetime.Thisisbecauseitisimpossible,butmoreimportantitisbecausethiswayofpayingattentionmakesforadilutedperformancewherenoaspectisevertakenonwithboldnessbecauseallarebeingheldwithanequalpartoftheperformer’sattention.
Thecognitiveprocessingloadwhencomposinginreal-timeishigh.Itiseasytobecomeexhaustedmentally,tobecomedistracted,tohave‘gaps’inattention.Atthisearlypointinthepracticeoftheworkstudentsreporttheexperienceoflargemomentsof“notknowingwhatisgoingon”or“feelinglost.”Theseattentionalgapsareoneofthemostconsistentchallengesforstudentsandprofessionalperformersalike.Attentionalendurance,ortheabilitytosustainattentioninsituationsthathaveahighmetacognitivedemand,isavitalpartofimprovising.Reducinggapsofawarenessisanexplicitaiminourclassesanditchallengesstudentstobuildmentalstamina.Earlyinthesemester,newstudentsarelikelytodropinandoutoffocusedattentionthroughouta20minuteimprovisation,showingobvioustimeswhentheyare‘lost’inthefluxofwhatishappeningandotherstimeswhentheyarelegiblyaware.Thisflowinginandoutoffocusisapartofimprovisingatanyexperiencelevel.Improvisersmustbuildmentalenduranceaspartofthetraining.Withstudentsnewtoimprovisingitisimportanttodrawthestudentsawarenesstothis,sothatshecanbegintorecognizeforherselfwhensheisengagingherattentionactivelyandwhensheisunaware.Weworkwithstudentsonnoticingthegapsandexperimentingwithapproachestorecalibratingattention.Herearefewexamplesofhowthisworkmanifestsinclass
• Verbalcoachinganddirection.Weregularlyofferspecific,real-timefeedbacktothestudentsastheyaredancing.Atfirstthispracticecanfeeloverwhelming,yetanotherlayerofinformationtopayattentionto,butwefindwithtimeitisanincrediblyeffectivewaytowakeupthestudent’sawareness.
• Structureddiscussions.Afterimprovisationalsetswecreatediscussionsgroupsinwhichthestudentscanidentifythedifferentperspectivesof‘whathappened’duringthedancing,andidentifyanddiscusstheirgaps.
• Workingwithclocktime.Itiseasytolosetrackoftimewhenimprovising--aminutecanfeelliketwenty,yetlearningtoaccurately‘feel’particularlengthsoftimeinsiststhatstudentsacknowledgetheirgapsinawareness.Wegivethestudentsexercisesthatallowsthemtopracticecoordinatingtheirattentionwithaspecificamountofdigitaltime:aoneminutesolo,a5-minutetrio,a30-secondduet.Withpracticestudentsinternalizethefeeloftheseunitsoftimeandbuildskillatsensingsharedduration.
Howdoyoupreparefortheunknown? Weareoftenaskedbyaudiencemembers,“howdoyouprepareimproviseinperformance?”.Thisisachallengingandimportantquestiontoanswer.Ononelevelwecouldsaythatthepreparationforimprovisingislivingandengagingconsciouslywiththeworld.Thelayerofperformanceaddsforus,andourstudents,thechallengethatcomeswithinvitingotherstowitnessoureffortstocreateasharedaestheticexperience.
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Agility,adaptability,resilience,patience,creativity,resourcefulness,equanimity,generosity,playfulness,andcompassionseemessentialandarethreadedinovertandsubconsciouswaysthroughoutourwork.Wehavelearnedthatperformingteststhedancer’stechnical,performanceandcompositionskills.Theturbulenceandcomplexityofthesesituationsrevealwhetherskillshavebeenrefinedandintegratedenoughtomeetthephysicalandcreativedemandsofthemoment.Wealternatelyincreaseanddecreasethecomplexitiesinvolvedinourimprovisationscoresthroughtheuseofmoreorlessconstraints.Forexample,wemightspendtimeimprovisingwherethedancersonlyfocusonherperceptionandcompositionofduration.Alternately,wemightaskhertofocusonthespatialdesignofthespace.
Settingthetoneimmediatelypriortodancingisimportant.Weteachstudentsregularlyhowtocultivatetheabilitytobebothalertandcalm.Wedothisbydrawingattentiontothesensationofgravity,weight,andtheearthbeneaththeirfeet.Thisdrawsthestudenttoconcretesensationswhichcanabsorbherattentionenoughtoquellherfearsornervousenergy.Thisre-settingofthetonecanbedoneduringtheperformanceifthedancerfeelsoverloadedwithinformation.
Partofthepreparationforperformanceimprovisationisreadyingyourselftobeseen.Wesuggestthatratherthanfocusingonshowingwhatshecando,thestudentframeherperformanceasasharingofartisticresearch.Theaudienceisanessentialpartofthatresearchandthestudentsmustlearnstrategiesofinclusion.Wesuggestthattheaudienceisnottheretojudgebutisareactiveparticipantsintheresearch.
Anotherwaywepreparedancerstoimproviseisthroughtheuseofscoresandsubscores.Scoresaresimplyconstraintsthatdancersplaceuponthemselveswhentheyaredancing.Theycanbephysical(suchaslimitingwhatpartoftheirbodytheyareinitiatingmovementfrom),perceptual(suchasfocusingonnegativespaceorthesensationofweight)oraesthetic(suchascomposingwiththeideaofconflictortheformalconstraintsofunisonmovement).Thedifferencebetweenascoreandasubscoreisthatasubscoreiscreatedbytheindividualandisprivatewhereasascoreissharedbytheensemble.Weencouragedancerstohavealong-termpracticeofdevelopingsubscores.Thesesometimesbecomelong-termpracticethreadsthatthedancercanaccessinthemomentwhenthespaceforthemarises.Anexamplemightbethatanensembledancerfindsthemselvesinasituationwhereasoloopportunitypresentsitself.Inthatmomenttheycanactivatetheirresearchthroughtheuseofasubscore.Someexamplesofthiscouldinclude:focusingonthekineticmelodyoftheirmovement,ortuningtothespacebetweentheirgestures,orfocusingontheintegrateduseoftheirspine.Thepointofhavingsubscoresistoprepareoneselftobereadywithmaterialshouldthemomentarisewhenoneiscalledupontobethegenerativecenteroftheperformance.
Whatdostudentslearnwhenthereisnowheretohide? Inourteachinginhighereducationweseestudentshinderedbylackofconfidenceacrosstheiracademicandsocialendeavors.Thoughtheymayhavetheskillsandknowledgetosucceedtheyarenotalwaysabletocapitalizebecauseofalackofawarenessandtrustintheirownpreparedness.Thisshowsupacrossdisciplinesincurricularandco-curricularactivities.Theworkofperformingimprovisationdemandsthecouragetodoit.Ourclassesgivestudentstheopportunitytoengagedirectlywithcourage--havingit,losingit,findingit,inventingit.Weareinterestedincultivatingconfidencethroughourimprovisationpracticeandtranslatingthatconfidenceintoboldchoice-makingandembodiedcreativity.Improvisationalendeavorsdeliveralivedexperienceofmakingchoicesandsurvivingtheoutcomes.Weoftenusetheword“surviving”topointattheintensityofinner-awarenessandexperiencethatisgoingonwhena
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studentisimprovising.InthewordsofJonathanBurrows“itisjustastupiddance”[8]butinthereal-timemomentofperformanceitcanfeelincrediblyhigh-stakes.Thiscreatesaplaceforthestudenttoexperiencetherealpsycho-emotionalchallengesofbeingseenwhilebeingaskedtosynthesizecomplexinformation.
Wecanmaketheanalogytoanoraldefenseofathesis.This‘riteofpassage’intheacademyisthemeasureofacertainlevelof‘mastery’instudent’sareaofstudy.Asuccessfuloraldefenseincludesagilityofthinking,precisionofknowledgeandarticulation,andthedevelopmentaclearpointofview.Astudentwhocanexpressherknowledgeandskillsinapreparedpaperorprojectbutfumblesthroughanoralisconsiderednottohavemasteredthematerial.Sowhatishappeningintheoraldefensethatisnothappeninginthepreparedpaperorproject?Ouranswer:thesynthesisofreal-timecompositionofideas,aclearpointofview,andresponsivenesstotheenvironment.
Wewantstudentstobeabletomergewiththeideasofothers,tocoordinateandsupport,butwealsowantthemtobeabletostandontheirown;toconfidentlyputforthsomething.Synthesishappensinthecomingtogetheratthemomentofpresentation.Thiscallsonaholisticfiringofskillsincludinginterpersonalandpersonalskillslikeconfidenceandagilityofcommunication.
Indanceimprovisationwepracticeboldnessandconfidenceonacontinuumoflowtohighstakeactivities.Alowstakeactivitymightbeimprovisinginagroupinwhicheveryonehaseyesclosed.Thisliberatesthedancerfromthechatterinherheadaboutwhatothersareseeinginherdancing.Ahigh-stakeactivitymightbeimprovisinginanensembleonatraditionalprosceniumstagewiththeatricallightsandapayingaudience.Neitherofthesesituationsismorevaluable,itistherangethatwefindyieldsqualitylearningandpractice.Inalltheseactivities,wedonotfocusonthestudentpracticingthethingsheispreparing(thedance),ratherwesheispracticingthemomentofsynthesis–theplacewherethereisnowheretohide.Thestudentmusttestherpreparationatthatmoment.Noonecanstoptimeandgetthepreparationthatislacking,thereforeonemustworkwithwhatisavailable.Everyonecanseewherethepersonisinthatmomentofpresentation.Thiscanbeterrifying,revealing,andintensebutifdoneinaconsciousenvironmentthestudentsareabletopracticerealmomentsofperseverance,failure,success,boldness,regret,fear,prideandaccomplishment.
Conclusion Theteachingofresilienceisaconceptthatisgainingtractioninhighereducation,recentlyidentifiedatSmithCollegeasan“essentialcapacity”studentsshouldhaveoncompletionoftheirundergraduateexperience.Resiliencesuggeststheabilitytoadapttoadversityandchallenge.Itsuggeststheabilitytoinhibitchoicesthatarenon-productiveorself-destructive.Inourteachingofimprovisationweteachstudentshowtotoleratefailure,discomfortanduncertaintybybothcreatingavarietyofhighandlowstakesettingsforthemtopractice.Inthesesituationswelearntoembracebeingwitnessedbyothers,beingseensolvingproblems,whichincludefailureandaccomplishment.Itisourbeliefthatstudentsarebetterequippedtohandlethereallifestressandfailureiftheyseethemselvesengagedinalong-termgrowthprocess.Weemphasizeinhibitover-emphasizingindividualactionsandtovaluethetransformationsthatoccurovertime.WeoftenquotechoreographerandfilmmakerYvonneRainer’sinjunctionthat“allimprovisersmustdeveloparelationshiptoregret”.Itisnotaboutifyoufail,butwhenyoufail.Failureisexplicitlyrequiredinourclass.Thisisillustratedbyoneofourevaluationmethodologieswhichmeasuresstudent’sworkonascaleof“Failure”to“NotFailure”withthe“Failure”endofthecontinuumbeingthedesirablegoal.Thisexplicit
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expectationthatattimesthestudentwillnotreachthemarksheisaimingforyetisexpectedtomaketheattemptwithabsolutelyeverythingsheispreparedwithatthatmomentisthefoundationofourteachingphilosophyandpractice.
Theskillsstudentslearnindanceimprovisationareapplicabletoanysituationinwhichastudentischallengedtobeagileinherthinking,collaboratewithothersandtobeattunedtoemergingsituations.Theabilitytostrategize,regulateandprocessone’sthoughts,feelingsandactionsarethehallmarksofmetacognitionandareapplicabletoallliberalartsdisciplines.Althoughstudentsoftenbeginourclassesfeelingoverwhelmedwiththeamountofthingstheymustkeeptrackofandtheproblemstheymustsolve,overtimetheylearnhowtobecomemoreadeptandefficientatprocessingwhatishappeninganddevelopstrategiestobesuccessful.Theseskillsbuildself-confidencebecausethestudentknowsthatshecanstandonherowntwofeet,putforthherideas,andcollaboratewithothers.Herexperienceswithimprovisationteachherthatfailureispartoftheprocess.Successisdefinedbyone’sdepthofinquiry,one’sstrengthofpurposeandone’sgenerositytowardsothers. References
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