[Adta] defining improvisation

[Heather Hill]

Hi Luv!
An article you might find interesting is Maxine Sheets-Johnstone's article 
"Thinking in Movement".  It's an old one from1981, Journal of Aesthetics and 
Art Criticism, vo. 39, no. 4, Summer 1981.  I think it gives a really good 
description of the process of improvisation.  I'm hesitant to pick out 
something which could be said to define improvisation as it would be better 
for you to read the article as a whole.  However, one comment she makes 
about improvisation is:  "It is to dance this evening's dance, whatever it 
might turn out to be; no more than anyone else does the dancer know what 
this evening's dance will be until it has in fact been created".  She also 
says "It exists only in the here and now of its creation".  and "what is 
essential is a nonseparation of thinking and doing, and that the very ground 
of this nonseparation is the capacity, indeed, the very experience of the 
dancer, to be thinking in movement"...and of course the article goes on to 
expand on what she means by "thinking in movement".

In terms of an improvisational approach in the moment within the therapeutic 
relationship, you might also find Daniel Stern's book "The Present Moment in 
Psychotherapy and Everyday Life" useful (in particular ch10 - but you'd be 
as well to read the whole book!)
I'd be interested to hear how others define improvisation, so if you can 
share any of this with the listserve, that'd be great.

Cheers!
Heather
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Luv Seamon" <lseamon at musicinst.org>
To: <adta at adta.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 20, 2007 8:08 AM
Subject: [Adta] defining improvisation



I was in a meeting at work this morning with my clinical team of art,
music, drama, and dance therapists, and we were reviewing an article
about a particular treatment model that stresses the importance of
improvisation in both the creative and therapeutic process (The Creative
Axis).  In our discussion we discovered that we all had very different
views on what actually defined improvisation (somewhat informed by our
different artforms).  I have taken on/been given the task of trying to
compile a "comprehensive" definition of improvisation and was wondering
how others defined improvisation for themselves.  I'ts not something
i've really ever thought about defining before, particularly because it
encompases so many things.
so
what is your definition of improvisation?

I am compiling all of the responses to this question that I receive, and
would be happy to share them with others as well.
thanks
Luv Seamon

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