Improvisation in the Dance Classroom

Improvisation exercises are very common in the practice of teaching and learning choreography. Both are a way to allow students to explore movements and to find material that they will later consider for developing choreography.¹ Improvisation helps develop ideas and aids in the creative process. The creative process of developing their own choreography is just as important for students to learn as it is for them to learn how to dance someone else’s chorography.

In order for students to be comfortable, the teacher has to create a friendly and relaxed environment where learners can express themselves without embarrassment.¹ Once the student is comfortable, they will be able to start to play around in movement. This is important for the student to do in order to develop a personal movement style. Personal movement style often develops when the student regularly improvises with choreography.²

Improvisation can be incorporated in the classroom in many different ways. The most common way is to relate it back to the technique they are learning in class. Once the students have learned a new technique, allow them to play around and make the new steps their own. Introducing improvisation into the technique class provides opportunities for students to connect with the learned material. Another way for the students to connect with technique and learned material is to encourage improvisation away from the mirror. Moving away from the mirror invites students to interact with each other, creating an inclusive community in which a diverse student group can further experiment with class material.²

Improvisation is a useful tool when developing students’ ability to choreograph and personal movement style. A comfortable setting creates a relaxed environment for students to try new and different movements. In the classroom it is important to utilize improvisation techniques.

¹ Biasutti, M. (2013). Improvisation in dance education: teacher views. Research In Dance Education, 14(2), 120-140. doi:10.1080/14647893.2012.761193

² Rimmer, R. (2013). Improvising with Material in the Higher Education Dance Technique Class: Exploration and Ownership. Journal Of Dance Education, 13(4), 143-146. doi:10.1080/15290824.2013.819978