This week we got into our research groups again. One group looked at the idea of entering an improvisation and making a connection with someone. We, as a class, were split into groups of five and stood at opposite sides of the room to each other. The individuals carrying out the research lab told two people to enter the space. We were asked to enter in a way other than walking/ running. We were then told to initiate contact with the other person in the space, improvise for a bit before leaving the space. This task was to help us with entering the space in new and interesting ways, as in previous weeks we’ve mentioned how difficult as a group we find it to enter and exit a jam. Personally the reason I find it difficult to enter a jam is because I struggle to make contact with people who are already in the space. I find it hard to initiate or find a connection with someone who is already moving with a purpose. So in this task when we were told to enter the space with another person, we entered with the purpose of connecting with the other and therefore I didn’t feel like I could apply it to a jam. However, it did make me think about how I physically entered the space. By moving in a way other than walking means you don’t have to start from neutral in the space which could possibly help form connections while in the improvisation area.
The other two groups focused on this idea of dynamics, speed and intention. One group did this by telling us to dance at a certain percentage and how we interpreted that would determine our movement speed/ effort. I found at first the higher the percentage was the faster the speed of my movement and the more direct and rushed my dynamics were. It wasn’t until they started adding imagery when I saw it from a different perspective. We were asked to go at 60% keeping in mind this idea that you’re having a race with a snail and loosing. This made me really aware of the amount of effort I put into a movement rather than the speed I carried it out. I found this specific image made my movement very weighted and grounded where as other images such as every cell in your body is having a race made my movement hectic. I found that while the images helped me think about dynamics and effort but by simply changing the dynamics my movement material changed with it. This helped me avoid habitual movement and also getting stuck and repeating myself.
For our research lab we decided to focus on four separate factors, entering, dynamics, upper kinesphere and incorporating lifts. We created two exercises. The first one looked at entering and dynamics. It involved everyone standing in a circle and someone would then enter the middle of the circle, similarly to the previous group by thinking about how they enter rather than just walking in but also thinking about the dynamic they bring into the space. The individual would then improvise in the space, maintaining the dynamic they entered with. Another person could then choose to enter the space although when they did this they had to bring another dynamic into the space which was distinctly different to the last. Whoever was already in the space had to then alter their dynamics to fit the one being introduced. Individuals could enter/ exit whenever they liked and as many people could be in the space at any one time. This task was somewhat a structured score as everyone was involved and had the freedom to join/ exit when they felt like it. The dancers were free to perform whatever movement they wanted, the only restriction was their dynamic quality and the restriction was introduced through the ‘unexpected decisions’ (Keefe, 2003, 232) made by the performers.
The feedback we received from this was positive. People found it interesting to watch and said it made them think about dancing as an individual but still keeping a connection with the others in the space. They said this was different as they tend to shut out the environment when dancing alone, whereas this made you aware of what was going on around you. However some said that it was difficult to notice when someone brought in a new idea and often were so involved in what they were doing that they forgot about changing. Some people did say they felt reluctant to switch between dynamics, especially if you had just established one. Individuals commented on how certain dynamics deterred them from entering the space, especially if it was fast pace as they were tired. We asked whether individuals found themselves copying others movement or being influenced by it as they tried to pick up another’s dynamic. The response was interesting and people said if they felt the dynamic was clear they could easily interpret it in their own movement, whereas if they were unsure on the intention of the dynamic they found themselves embodying the other person movement to try and gain clarity.
As a class we all find ourselves depending on the floor when improvising, so our second task focused on the idea of improvising when standing. We asked everyone to stand at one end of the room and to travel into the space individually. Shortly after we said for another body to follow and to instigate a connection. The pair then would duet in the space and before they were allowed to leave a lift had to be carried out. This would then be repeated with a new body entering the space as the initial dancer left. This cycle would continue numerous times. We told people to try and switch between being lifted and being the lifter. From an observational point of view, I felt it was a little forced and people felt rushed to make the lift and leave the space. When receiving feedback everyone said they felt awkward. People agreed that because they knew it was coming, they over thought it and ended up feeling uncomfortable. They felt restricted in the fact they couldn’t use the floor and that they had to perform a lift before leaving the space. I noticed no one chose to stay in the space after performing the lift to continue the improvisation, was this because they felt uncomfortable?
Next week in our research groups we have to come up with a score. This week’s reading What’s the Score? (Keefe, 2003) spoke in depth about a particular example and how a structured improvisation would be carried out keeping in mind set regulations. Just like an improvisation there’s an ‘infinite variety of ways to travel from beginning to end’ (Keefe, 2003, 233), it’s just the set nature of a score allows for guidance during the piece.
Keefe, M. (2003) What’s the score? Improvisation in Everyday Life. In: Albright, A. C., & Gere, D.Taken by surprise: A dance improvisation reader. Middletown, Conn: Wesleyan University Press, 229-237.