Walking the tight rope.

In every dancers life, improv happens at least once. (this does not include ATS or ITS)
Whether it's live music with drummers or a band playing a piece of music you don't know very well or have had no say-so in what they play or it's in having music gremlins show up and you dance to someone else's music.

It doesn't always happen on purpose.

Either way, dancing in an improvisational style is not always easy it can be very scary. 

I am hoping with this piece I can take some of the fear away, since I happen to love improvising and being very impromptu with my own style.
There are a few things that you should have together when it comes to this.

The first and hardest thing to do is to Trust Yourself.
As I have said before (and will likely repeat) we all have an inner critic who is incredibly hard to deal with.  This critic can really jack you up in the head if you let it.  So, I highly recommend learning to ply this critic with chocolate a glass of wine and a good dose of  "Shut the hell up.".

The next thing to do is Let Go.
What happens when you hit the stage, is going to happen no matter what.  You can't stop this mad freight train.


Once you do those two things there are a few important things to remember.
You know the moves.
Chances are, you have been dancing for a while now. The movement vocabulary is strong with you.  You've been in class, practicing and watching LOTS of video footage of yourself and other dancers.
On your own, during improv you may actually move a little differently than you would in class, with your troupe or with your other dancers, you may execute these moves in a different order than you have in the past.   This is where letting go and trusting yourself are incredibly important.   Just because you are doing them in a different order does not make it wrong, it makes it yours.


You understand musical phrasing.
This simply means that you know what moves go where in music.  You know to move differently with both taxim and percussion heavy moments in the music.
When you are improvising with music you don't know very well, you may not know how long either of these portions will last.  This may make your movements a beat or two off...  While the ears hear it, the brain processes it and translates it to your muscles.   This synapse of movements is mere seconds.  Not enough that the audience will notice that you are behind the music. 
It's not like you are going to stand there dumbstruck while this happens.
You will probably recognize this if you were to see video footage of this performance, but again, give chocolate to your inner critic, trust and let go.

You have a great support system.
Any other dancer who is in the audience(or back stage), will understand what you are doing is impromptu.  Even if they themselves do not dance this way, they will have an understanding and and appreciation for the fact that this is not something for the faint of heart.
Any non-dancer in the audience who understands what improvisation is, will also understand and appreciate this, for the simple fact that what they are seeing is raw and unedited.
The adulation's that they will give to you at the end of the performance are NOT lip-service.
Again, trust and let go.  Let the praise stifle the inner-critic. 

 Even as I reread this, it seems like I have over-simplified.  However, that is really all there is to this kind of movement.
This does not take away all of the trepidation, it won't quell the worries or fears.   Words on a screen cannot do that for you. 
Just like riding a bike for the first time without training wheels, you have to actually do it to appreciate the fact that it does settle you down and can easily become something that you can do without thinking too hard.


I am aware that I have made this sound really simple and easy to do.  But, trust me when I say that the very first time I had to improvise to music that was not my own.... Was terrifying.  I had to admit to the producer of the show, that it was not my music. I was shaking and near tears after my performance, feeling very much that I had just made an absolute fool of myself.
At the time I was at the early stage of performing as a soloist and did not know that it was okay to stop the music then and there to say "Not my music.".
However, it was the praise that came afterward that I did such a good job with the performance that I was hooked on dancing this way.

To this day, most of my practicing is done improv style.  I find myself in a state of creativity doing this.  Stumbling on new combination's, making good friends with the combination's of movements that I have come to trust and rely on.
Improvisation is not for everyone, some dancers are not wired for it and take great comfort in carefully choreographed and well counted movements.  This is 100% okay. 

Remember, there is no wrong way to dance.   Dance is exactly what it is, no matter if you are exacting in your movements or if you are flying by the seat of your pants.