All improvisations are about 'something'. Often the 'something' is hidden because we don't take enough time to look for it. I teach improvisation for performance (rather than devising), so my students learn to look for and shape 'somethings'.
We don't have the time to make full works, so 'rapid prototyping' is an effective alternative. The target duration is 8 to 10 minutes, this gives you time to settle in. I find that shorter durations leave you feeling 'cheated' as the 'something' does not have time to emerge.
The rapid prototyping process is simple; perform, review, re-do. We let the dancing do the teaching, observing what does not seem to work, what we liked, and areas to develop.
I find it useful to change the parameters of the first few iterations. This allows you to focus on developing what makes a work 'watchable'. the video at the end of this post is the third of three iterations:
No contact
Close proximity
Performative
In my experience, 10 to 20 iterations will get you to the start of a 'performable' (short) work. With pacing, focus and stamina you can do this over a two day course.
As you will see, this iteration is a long way from being performable. But it is somewhere to work from. I find that iterations tend to oscillate around the point you are aiming for. Finding a balance between the 'understood' and the 'emergent' can be tricky.
There are some clear issues with this footage. Next time i will remember the tripod. Hopefully, despite the 'distractions' you will see why i posted this footage (9.5 mins).
Patrick is one of my acting students. The theatrical context within this iteration did not occur in the first two runs. There is also a lot of 'dampening'. I think this style of work is polarizing for some people, it is not the flowing abstraction they assume (contact) improvisation to be.
Most (online) dance improvisation videos lack context, this makes is hard to see why 'practice' is important. Many of the videos are edited excerpts, these can also be misleading. But improvisation can be hard to watch, highlights make it easier to view.
As a raw 'sketch in progress' i hope these 9.5 mins give you some insight into where and how improvisations can be developed whilst remaining 'improvised'. Doug was asking for longer videos recently. and whilst this is not polished work, i think we also need to see more process.
Last note ... did you see the masking tape on the floor? It defines a 'proximal square'. One purpose for this square is establish the natural incidence of contact within the performance volume. every fourth iteration the size of the square is increased until the 'natural' volume is found.
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.
