Improvisation

Experiment with and examine the structures and modes of dance improvisation

• Looking back I think this outcome was the best for me, I took to learning new ways of improvisations quickly. in fact I think looking at all the different scores and aspects of improvisation allowed me to be more open about this style of dance, this was because it gave me a reason to dance, instead of just being told to dance on the spot without no instructions. which is what I thought improvisation was before this module.

Investigate movement from a number of starting points

• In relation to the scores in improvisation I would say that they have helped me to find new movements that I wouldn’t usually consider ‘dance like’, so having them as a starting point has been a big help for me. I feel that I need to work on this outcome more when it comes to not having a score and not being given guidelines to work with. I like the restrictions scores give me.

Demonstrate a heightened awareness of self and group in solo and ensemble improvisations

• I feel that this is one of my strongest aspects of improvisation, especially in the last few weeks. I have developed my improvisation skills with my peers to contrast, compliment, develop or manipulate their movements, this making more interesting work. I have also developed my skill as an improviser further, I can track what I have done in order to repeat or play with already used movements. I also don’t have to think as much about what I am doing for me to create something interesting.

Apply basic compositional understanding, knowledge and skill in solo and ensemble improvisations

• I’m not really sure if I did this well or not, I think it was more effective in solo improvisations because I only had to think about myself, compared to ensemble improvisations where I needed to think about what other people were doing. To apply my knowledge further I just need to be comfortable with the people I’m dancing with and with the movements I am trying to perform.

Utilise reflective practices and situate pedagogical practices to further ongoing development

• This last outcome may be my worst, I’m not too sure. I think I worked with what I was taught in order to develop my skills but I think I could have researched the practices in more depth to understand what I was being taught and to see where the practitioner wanted their works to develop.

I feel like I enjoyed this weeks readings more than I have done in previous weeks. I think this is because I connected to what the author and practitioners were saying. How the audience changes the way that we dance or how a dance is perceived. I can relate to this because when I have an audience I perform worse than if I was dancing with a group of people or just in the studio on my own. This is because I’m self conscious of peoples views on my dancing.

On stage I feel less pressure performing to an audience to what I do in the studio. I think this is because the studio is my own personal space and I’m inviting people into that space. You’re also a lot closer to the audience in a studio, meaning they will be able to tell if you’ve done something wrong.

This weeks lesson flew by again, I think this was because we scored the lesson at the start like we did in the previous week, so we knew what to expect.

In preparation for next weeks assessment I need to think about doing a few things, these are;

• Be confident in what I’m doing and forget about the audience
• Engage more with other students
• Develop material deeper to see if I can create new movements
• Come into class with a high level of energy and a positive attitude towards the session

This will allow me to develop my skills as a improviser further.

R- resources

S- scores

V- valuaction

P- performance

The definitions of the RSVP by Anna Halprin is the only thing I understand about this score? I’m not sure what she uses it for? or how it aids her in her dance?

What I do understand is how to put the four sections of this score into my own practice. That is what was done in this weeks session which is why I understand it.

The best part of this weeks session was choosing in which order we did things throughout the three hours. I think this was because we knew what to expect from the session. The 3 hours also went faster than they have done in previous weeks. For a lot of us the music aided this, dancing to music always makes time go faster, in return making me enjoy the session more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The things that I feel I need to work on next week;

• Understand the RSVP score in more depth so that I can incorporate this in my work, this will enable me to see if this practice works for me.
• Ask more questions about the reading if I feel like I don’t understand what it’s about, or re read the reading, this way I’m not just reading it for the sake of it.

I really enjoyed this weeks readings and class, probably more than all of the other weeks. The readings made sense in my head, the first one was Olivia Millard’s opinion on scores and how she explores scores or verbal propositions in improvising dance (Millard, O, 2016, p. 1)

The main question was what a score and what does it do?

My definition would be that a score is a set of rules put in place to limit, inspire, frame and structure the way in which a piece of improvisation takes place.

The second reading was about the ‘Functions’ and ‘It’s better to…’ score. Practicing these scores in class changed my view of which score I would enjoy more. throughout the reading I perceived the functions score to be the best because of the amount of rules you are set. I thought I liked being given limitations, but in hindsight it was the it’s better to… score that I most enjoyed performing. It was energetic and gave me the energy I needed to come up with creative material.

I had a one to one this week which I feel changed my view on
myself as an improviser. I know that when I go into my improvisation
class I need to not let other peoples attitude or mood effect
what I’m doing. The happier I am the better my improvisation skills
are. So in the future I’m going to concentrate on myself.
The feedback I was given made me feel positive about my improvisation
experience.

Bibliography

• Millard. O (2015) What’s the score? Using scores in dance improvisation. Brolga: An Australian Journal About Dance, 40, pp. 45-56. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text, EBSCOhost. [accessed 12 March 2017].