Mislabeling a performance

[shiradotnet]

I used to have a teacher who improvised EVERYTHING when she performed. She never performed choreographed pieces because she'd lose her place in the choreography.

One time I watched two videos of her back-to-back, made several years apart, to different songs. My husband commented that they almost looked as though she had created choreography and did the same choreo with minor tweaks to both. He was right! Now, I KNOW that she improvised both songs, but after 20 years of performing professionally, she had fallen into the habit of using certain step combinations regularly, and interpreting certain musical structures the same way every time.

 

[alosha]

So is it more common for dancers to do their solos improvised? (I'm talking seasoned dancers here, not newbies)

 

[Shanazel]

She never performed choreographed pieces because she'd lose her place in the choreography.

God bless her, we are sisters under the skin.

 

[da Sage]

My ITS group calls all of its performances improv. Even though the individual moves are set, it's just the order and which ones we use that are improvised. We also occasionally choreograph entrances and beginnings of sets. The performance we just did has a slow, 55 second intro. We could easily improv to it if it weren't for the possibility that we'd be cut off mid-move. For a better performance, we choreographed that small section to be a specific series of our usual moves. So yeah, it's improv, except for that bit that we choreographed.:lol:

I think most dancers dance the same way to a song one time, as they do another, even while improvising. And you can officially improvise to a song you've been choreographing for, but you would tend to do many movements at the same time, even if you don't plan to.

 

[Maria_Aya]

A dance can have a structure without it being a choreography.

Most people who improvise have some structure in mind, at least a beginning, middle and end.

Some people do just 'wing it'.

If they are very skilled they get away with it, if they are not... then they looked like they 'winged it'.

Being economical with the truth is another matter all together.

I'm near to Caroline's opinion on this.
When I say improvise, its 99% to be a baladi instrumental piece with solo's from various instruments. I cant even think of doing a choreo on this, for me its wrong wrong wrong lol
Now even when I teach a choreo in class, because I believe in personal aproach to the dance, i leave some elements out of teaching (the style of the turns, some hands, some musical parts (like a small kanoon session) ) for each dancer to be her self.
In a workshop i teach strict choreo.

But if you have seen the same song danced in the same exact way... probably its a matter of making people excited that its improvisation lol

 

[Maria_Aya]

God bless her, we are sisters under the skin.

3rd sister here lol
I cant even remember my own choreo's lol, what can I say about others? he he
So thats why when I dance, i may label it as : Inspired/based on X teacher choreo.

Maria Aya

 

[alosha]

So for my solo, part is choreographed. The veil is improvised, and ad two other spots are also improvised. But I'm calling it a choreography. Is that what I should call it?

 

[da Sage]

So for my solo, part is choreographed. The veil is improvised, and ad two other spots are also improvised. But I'm calling it a choreography. Is that what I should call it?

To cover all your bases, you could say that you choreographed most of it, but some parts are improvised. If you want to put a blurb in the program, you could say "Choreography and Improvisation by Alosha"

Incidentally, you will find some people who think that improvisation is hard, and choreography is easy, and other people who think choreography is hard, and improvisation is easy. I know one local dancer who IMO is MUCH better when she improvises than when she's doing a choreography (I know it was improvisation because I know she hadn't rehearsed with the band).

 

[alosha]

Do I actually need to specify? Cuz I just want to dance.....

 

[Aniseteph]

Unless there's something you think the audience ought to know, why explain anything?

 

[Caroline_afifi]

I used to have a teacher who improvised EVERYTHING when she performed. She never performed choreographed pieces because she'd lose her place in the choreography.

One time I watched two videos of her back-to-back, made several years apart, to different songs. My husband commented that they almost looked as though she had created choreography and did the same choreo with minor tweaks to both. He was right! Now, I KNOW that she improvised both songs, but after 20 years of performing professionally, she had fallen into the habit of using certain step combinations regularly, and interpreting certain musical structures the same way every time.

That is exactly why I say 'have a structure'.

It is true that when you improvise your brain has certain triggers to musical patterns, and you basically do the same to everything that sounds like that. It gets very boring.

It is quite difficult to keep your style moving once is has got into 'pattern habits'. there are some dancers you feel you have seen a million times despite the costume and music change because they are stuck in their style and fall back on the same movements. You can avoid this by putting a little bit of thought into it.

This is also why I believe teachers and performers should constantly train by attending workshops or privates etc.

 

[Maria_Aya]

That is exactly why I say 'have a structure'.

It is true that when you improvise your brain has certain triggers to musical patterns, and you basically do the same to everything that sounds like that. It gets very boring.

It is quite difficult to keep your style moving once is has got into 'pattern habits'. there are some dancers you feel you have seen a million times despite the costume and music change because they are stuck in their style and fall back on the same movements. You can avoid this by putting a little bit of thought into it.

This is also why I believe teachers and performers should constantly train by attending workshops or privates etc.

I agree with Caroline on the last phrase.
Beside that at least for me, is more easy to be "different" in performances, if I choose different style songs (special if in the same performance have to appear lets say 2 or 3 times) and also dance with a different "dance personality".
As one song being Dala, one El Seit and one more Folkloric.