Download - Research: Creation and Performance Preparing for the ......Imagine if every time we rode a bicycle we had to focus on the details of pedaling, balancing and steering. Bernstein discovered

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]

ForthcominginCriticalStudiesinImprovisation/Étudescritiqueenimprovisation 1

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


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


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.


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


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


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


• 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.


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


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


expectationthatattimesthestudentwillnotreachthemarksheisaimingforyetisexpectedtomaketheattemptwithabsolutelyeverythingsheispreparedwithatthatmomentisthefoundationofourteachingphilosophyandpractice.

Theskillsstudentslearnindanceimprovisationareapplicabletoanysituationinwhichastudentischallengedtobeagileinherthinking,collaboratewithothersandtobeattunedtoemergingsituations.Theabilitytostrategize,regulateandprocessone’sthoughts,feelingsandactionsarethehallmarksofmetacognitionandareapplicabletoallliberalartsdisciplines.Althoughstudentsoftenbeginourclassesfeelingoverwhelmedwiththeamountofthingstheymustkeeptrackofandtheproblemstheymustsolve,overtimetheylearnhowtobecomemoreadeptandefficientatprocessingwhatishappeninganddevelopstrategiestobesuccessful.Theseskillsbuildself-confidencebecausethestudentknowsthatshecanstandonherowntwofeet,putforthherideas,andcollaboratewithothers.Herexperienceswithimprovisationteachherthatfailureispartoftheprocess.Successisdefinedbyone’sdepthofinquiry,one’sstrengthofpurposeandone’sgenerositytowardsothers. References

1. Monson, Ingrid. "Hearing, Seeing, and Perceptual Agency." Critical Inquiry 2008: S36. 2. Livingston, Jennifer A. "Metacognition: An Overview." 2003. 3. Gibson, James J. The Ecological Approach To Visual Perception. n.p.: Boston : Houghton Mifflin,

c1979., 1979. 4. Spirn, Anne Whiston. The Language Of Landscape. n.p.: New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University

Press, c1998., 1998. 5. Pick, Herbert L. "Eleanor J. Gibson: Learning To Perceive And Perceiving To Learn."

Developmental Psychology 28.5 (1992): 787-794. 6. Barba, Eugenio. The Paper Canoe : A Guide To Theatre Anthropology. n.p.: London ; New York :

Routledge, 1995. 7. Frank, Kevin. “Orientation and Empathic Resonance Considered as Psychobiological Elements in

Structural Integration”. Structural Integration, p.2-5, June 2011 8. Burrows, Jonathan. A Choreographer's Handbook. n.p.: Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York :

Routledge, 2010.

Download - Research: Creation and Performance Preparing for the ......Imagine if every time we rode a bicycle we had to focus on the details of pedaling, balancing and steering. Bernstein discovered

Top Related