Choreography & Improvisation

I realized that both choreography and improvisation exist as the means to reveal the essential qualities behind the movements.

I have been thinking that both are related to each other as the yin yang concept. Their nature has opposite characters: one set and the other not. They are origin of each other: choreography is generated from improvisation and improvisation happens after the maturity/repetition of choreography as developed form. They contain the essence of one another: choreography cannot avoid containing essence of improvisation and vise versa. Both exist as a whole for creative means balancing and based on each other.

Choreography is the mean which makes us capable to keep the ways to reveal the found essential qualities. A lot of choreographers creatively have their own ways to keep their instinct and given movements in the moments. Memory functions largely to realize this keeping activity.

Improvisation is the free-spirited activity. It is sometimes done to cast out new movements for choreography or used in or overlapped with choreography. Yet, the ephemeral nature and destiny is more distinctive than choreographic activity and its own character is cherished because of the supreme representation as the fact of being. Improvisation gives us opportunities to encounter the world of unconsciousness. That is why choreographers initiate their creative process from improvising to dig out and sample the hidden unconscious materials for composition.

Dance is art of movement. When the truth behind is revealed, that is the moment of Eureka, which gives us an opportunity to sense and reach the fundamental quality of being.

I just noticed that all of us, dance artists, are striving to express the essential qualities behind what we want to express and when we encounter someone who are good at it, people call him or her genius.

Ayako