Improvisation is a word that, for some dancers, fills their entire being with dread. In classes I’ve had people tell me outright they’re just not going to do the improv portion of class. More often I’ve witnessed people crawl right back into their shell, afraid to just move without strict instruction as to how to do just that. They visibly cringe at the notion of letting their body take the lead instead of being up in their head.
Even if you never go on stage and improvise, practicing improvisation will make you a better performer. Why? Well for starters if you forget a chunk of your perfectly choreographed piece you won’t just stand there not knowing what to do, and nobody will know any the wiser. Secondly, you can be more free to be in the moment on stage rather than all up in your head trying to remember what comes next and wondering what all those people out there are thinking of you. Having some improvisational skills will make a huge difference to your confidence to walk out on stage, even if you never ever improvise in front of an audience.
Improvisation is a skill that needs to be practiced just like any other skill. You don’t just remember choreography by having a good memory – it’s a muscle that needs training like any other. Improv is no different. I recommend dancing around your kitchen, no mirrors, no judgement. Just put on a piece of music you love and dance. I got a solid foundation in improvisation by doing exactly that. That’s how you can walk on stage and dance to something you’ve never heard before and slay. It helps to have an understanding of typical musical structure too, whether you’re stepping out on stage to the latest chart topper or heading out with a drummer for a drum solo – know your rhythms!
Ok, so I want to practice improvising. How do I do that? One of the biggest issues I’ve seen students face is being in editor mode before they’ve even given their body a chance to use all the stuff you’ve been training it for. The control freaks (and I feel like I can call them that because I am one myself), that can’t let go and just be in the moment and trust the body will do the work. You can see the exact moment they start to edit on their faces. Editing will kill your improv. Editing is for choreography. I use improvisation to build choreography and if I was constantly in editor mode for the duration, I’d never get anything done and I’d never try anything new.
In improvisational theatre and comedy they use a lot of techniques for creating scenes and sketches. Many of them are perhaps not translatable for the dancer, but here are some that I’ve found useful while exploring improvisation, perhaps you’ll like them too.
Just say YES. Shut off that voice in your head that’s saying this isn’t a good idea or I don’t know what to do with this. If your body starts to move your right arm when you were thinking it would be better to step, just say yes and go with it. You might create something entirely new that you would have never done if you’d said no. I listen to a podcast called Lackluster Video where the presenters discuss movies they’ve watched and at the end of every podcast pitch an imaginary film. One of them gives them the genre, the actors and the title of the movie, and the other has to come up with a movie pitch on that basis. Some of them are hysterical and some of them really suck! That’s the nature of improvisation. You win some, you lose some. But how will you know how to win if you never try?
Ok, I said yes. What’s next? Say yes, AND….. Going back to the podcast, they had two guests on that filmed a TV show for Viceland in Canada. They set up a sketch in a museum in Toronto – a map set behind glass (that glass they use in movies that’s really thin and breaks easily without hurting the actors). They had a plan – to steal the map. The map was worth nothing but they placed it in the museum the previous day as if it were an artifact. They had the plan – go in, smash the glass, steal the map. On the day they filmed, the museum was open as usual and a French tourist was hanging around the map. He started talking to the guys filming, asking about the map. One of them told him – I really need that map. And he suggested, ‘Why don’t you just use your phone?’ – like to take a picture of the map. The actor said, ‘Yes, and….’ in his mind. Yes – and why don’t I use my phone to smash the glass so I can steal the map. Which is exactly what he did. They started to exit the building thinking the scene is done and filmed, but some guy grabs them at the exit. They think the producers of the show have planted him to freak them out, but in reality was a plain clothes police officer. They decided to say ‘yes, and…’ again – they wriggled from the security guard’s grasp and ran for the exit, knowing that if they didn’t they’d ruin the scene which was still filming. They ran for several blocks before the museum’s security guards caught up to them. They managed to convince the security guards that they were filming, it wasn’t a real exhibit and after some checks were done they agreed to let them go. Now what? They couldn’t go back and reshoot the scene. So they said yes, and…. again and created a whole continuation of the sketch of them being chased onto the tracks of the Toronto subway system by newly hired actors to play the security guards. If they hadn’t said ‘Yes, and….’ then they would have shot an entire scene for nothing. It ended up being a better sketch than the one they had planned for. And that is the magic of improvisation!
Try to go against the voice of reason – remember your body knows what to do. If you always listen to your head, you will never make new and exciting discoveries about what is possible in movement. Ok, sometimes you need to listen to your inner thoughts to keep you safe – don’t end up pushing yourself into something that’s going to hurt you. But don’t let the voice of reason try to hold you back from making new discoveries either. This is where the magic happens – stop that editing! Save it for when you’re using this improv session to make a choreo out of it!
The biggest thing to remember in that regard is that there are no mistakes. In improv, it doesn’t matter what the next person says, you just have to say yes and go with it. Saying no shuts down the entire conversation. It’s the same for your body. There are no mistakes in movement, there is only movement. Let the mistakes happen, and you might find something unique and magical you wouldn’t have otherwise found. Same goes for perceived failure. Failure is great – it means we learn things! If you put on a song and move around and it’s rubbish (in your mind!), then why? Was it because you were up in your head trying to edit? Was it because you automatically went to your default moves? Remember there’s nothing wrong with comfort zone, but taking a chance will help you to create new ideas and movements.
The best advice I can give you for improvisation is to just say yes and go with it. Don’t hold yourself back by placing judgement on the movements. Try to work without a mirror. Put on the record function on your mobile and do enough songs that you forget it’s recording. I find that the first few songs in improvisation sessions are me doing the same old same old, and editing because I know the camera’s running. After three songs I start to forget it’s even there, and that’s when magical new movements (for my body at least!) get created. That’s where you achieve improv magic! Try it some time – it’s incredibly freeing! Leave those insecurities at the door and enjoy what it feels like to trust your body to take you wherever it wants you to go! Eventually it’ll be like second nature.