Research: Creation and Performance Preparing for the...

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.

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