January 30, 2008

beginnings

when does a beginning end? when working with open improvisation scores, perceiving sections can be hard.

this webcam footage is from a 40 min improvisation rehearsal. it shows the first 2.5 mins, how many sections are there? where is the end of the first section? how are you deciding what constitutes a section?

i try to be conscious of the shape an improvisation takes over time. with open improvisations patterns emerge and dissipate like a flock of starlings disturbed from their roost.

carla and myself improvise alone, aware of each other but not agreeing strategies beforehand. sometimes, we share our readings of the sections and patterns. we call them out by name; section, duet, solo, repeat, copy, diagonal (etc). the aim is not to follow, but to learn how the other sees.

doing, watching and reviewing are the core of our practice. bad dances often tell us more than good dances. what failed to work is often more clear than why something worked. beyond this we develop skills to fill the gaps we find. this summer i noticed i rarely fell onto my chest or frontal plane. since then, i have looked for safe ways to fall in this alignment.

this post is a prelude. next time i will start at the beginning; tuning the body for (contact) improvisation.

Posted by Matt Gough on January 30, 2008 6:06 PM

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