Over the past few weeks, I have really started to become open to the idea of improvisation. Something clicked, and it was then I realised that becoming attached to my habitual movements and tendencies would result in me thinking about what I was doing and “looking good.” If I feel comfortable in what I am doing, then who’s to say that it is wrong?

This is how I felt when re-visiting Nancy Stark Smith’s Underscore this week.

Starting this week’s class with this score enabled me to pay close attention to my body, whilst finding new ways to explore movement and relationships within the different stages.

…Agitating the mass, skinesphere, low kinesphere, high kinesphere.

Being given these structures, especially the low and high kinesphere, enabled me to explore the movement possibilities in one part of my body.  Doing so, my movement vocabulary increased due to all of the new possibilities I found. Moving forward into the open score, I found that I was free within my self and my movements and I felt more able to finally move away from my habitual tendencies. Because of this, I felt that I didn’t have to judge myself, and I could just do what felt natural instead of doing what looked good.

After all of the structures of the underscore had been performed, we moved into an open score. I often found myself stood in the wings, trying to decide when would be best to enter the space.

 If I enter, will I create a barrier for the rest of the group?

How long should I stay in the space?

Will my ideas bring something new to the space, or will I just be ‘there’?

With all these questions going around my head, I found it difficult to focus on what was happening in the space. I found it difficult to see the space, as well as being aware of what was already taking place. This made it extremely difficult for me to enter, and so I found myself hesitant to want to join the score.

When standing in the wings, I often found my critical consciousness overtaking my natural thoughts when taking part in any open score. Feeling the movement in the space, and thinking about the movement that I could contribute to the score, when really I should be feeling the movement all the time, feeling when I could contribute, feeling when I could completely change the aesthetics of the score. Instead of wondering if my ideas will work, I should feel what the score needs.

De Spain discusses this in ‘Landscape of the Now’. He explains that ‘where in the studio my conscious mind sometimes dominates my experience, in performance I am both less in conscious control and more available to energies and influences beyond my “self”’ (De Spain, 2014, 60). I hope to take on what De Spain has said here, so I do not find myself consciously critisising any ideas that I have, so I can feed off the energies and influences of what is already happening in the space.

Development of our own scores… 

In order for us to improve our score from last week, we changed several components:

All 5 dancers must start in the space

All performers must be moving in the space

No one can exit or enter the space

When a performer sees another repeating habitual movements, or a movement phrase, they must announce a limitation (movement, dynamics, space) so that they move away from this.

As opposed to last week where we focused on an individuals habitual movements in general, this week we focused on their habitual tendencies within that score, and at the present moment in time.

 This seemed to work much better than before, and it seemed to become clearer to the audience as to what we were trying to achieve.

However, it still did not feel right. Something was still not working out, and we could not pin point what it was.

The Jam: Further Development of the score…

During this time, we focused as a group on how we could make our score interesting and effective, whilst still taking into consideration the idea of habitual movements and tendencies.

So…

 Any dancer can enter and exit the space, either because they want to add something new to the space or if another dancer invites them into the space.

We must see the space, dancers and any repeated movement, form or dynamics.

If we see any repetition within another dancer, we must shout out a limitation.

The limitations can consist of anything… movement, dynamics, space, relationships.

 By extending the vocabulary of the score, we are making it more exciting for both ourselves, and for the audience.

But… how do we find an ending? 

Our score could go on and on and on and on… until we finally ran out of ideas or got tired.  So to give the score some structure, we decided to add five pauses.  These pauses had to be long enough for the audience to recognise them, as well as the other dancers.

The pauses can be dictated by any dancer at any point in the score,

The fifth pause signifies that the performers must find an ending… either immediately or after a period of time. 

This gave our score a structure, something that will help us know how to find an ending with ease, and without questioning or confusion.

Next week, in the final performance of our score, I hope to investigate smaller movements, in which I can indulge in… whether this be circling of the wrists and ankles, or using my hand to change my focus.  I also hope to explore dynamics, and how I can connect myself and movements with the audience.

On a final note… linking back to what feels right or wrong, I hope to lose this, and instead of having my focus on this, I hope to use my movement vocabulary to connect with the audience, like Anna Halprin.

“I am not concerned with an audience’s judgement.  I’m concerned that we have a connection, and that what I’m doing as I’m doing it is connecting with them… You feel when they’re with you.” (De Spain, 2014, 62).

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De Spain, K. (2014) Landscape of the Now. New York, NY, USA: Oxford University Press.