“The dancer feels anxious, thinks judgemental, deprecating thoughts … and in response often initiates habitual movement forms.” This quote from Robert Turner, I feel perfectly describes my relationship with improvisation. It is something new and very strange to me.Provide me steps I know and can use and there will be no problem, but give me freedom, panic sets in. I know that is is something which I need to work on, believing in my choices and accepting that although it may feel ridiculous to me, it probably isn’t in actuality.

The phrase ‘sleep on it’ can often be useful in dance. It has been realised that stepping away from something for a while, reflecting on it and then returning with a fresh perspective can help. The brain works out any kinks there may be while you may not be concentrating on it. This was the case with myself and the helix and crescent rolls this week. Something clicked while I had been away and they seemed to make so much more sense. For me, it felt like the rolls were much more continuous, I didn’t have to stop and think what I was doing quite so much. I found in particular with the crescent roll, thinking about the hips controlling the movement instead of the arms and legs made the roll easier and caused far less stress in my back. This has made me wonder whether there are other movements which I use which I may not be initiating from the correct place, whether this would carry less tension.

In trying the spinal progressions, which are like ‘S’ shape movements initiating from the head or the pelvis, on the floor, with the help of a partner, it became evident that there is part of my spine which is not very mobile. Every spine has their own little quirks, things which make them different. This is the part in which I have an inflamed facet joint due to a car accident. I could not tell this when moving while standing originally, however since repeating the movement on the floor, it has drawn my attention to it more, something I need to work with to try and either improve or work around.

Works Cited

Turner, Robert. TDR: The Drama Review, Fall2010, Vol. 54 Issue 3, p123-135, 13p, 5 Black and White Photographs