Improvisation with Children for the Classical Ballet Class
Improvisation is a very important part of the ballet lesson, especially when working with children. The word "improvisation" used in the context of dance covers very wide ground; however, this article will address its importance and how it can be incorporated effectively into a classical ballet class to prepare a child for ballet steps.
The word "improvisation" comes from Latin "improvisus", which literally means "unforeseen". In today's Webster Dictionary, it means to compose, play, make, invent, or fabricate out of what is conveniently on hand. Dance improvisation is a technique used to explore space, time, dynamics, and various playful states of mind. It is the use of basic imagery, which can be applied to any movement to increase the depth, range, and degree of performance or execution.
Tracing the roots of improvisation is very complicated. In most cultures of the world, dance is an integral part of society, ritual, and ceremony. Somewhere along the line, our western civilization has lost this aspect. How, where, and when this happened is worth further exploration. However, since this article concerns itself only with improvisation in the classical ballet lesson, it includes only a brief history. Many well-known artists have influenced this technique, such as Rudolph von Laban, Mary Wigman, Ruth St. Denis, and today's Eric Franklin. An educated person might argue that the roots of improvisation go back much further to a time when symbols and art were one in ritual and ceremony--a time of Jungian archetypal images and the beginning of man's consciousness. Is improvisation only the perceptual reconstruction of stored images from our collective preconscious?
"The symbolic content in fairy tales, religious sagas, and primitive myths is similar. The importance is not found in the actual symbol, but in what it represents of earlier and deeper levels of the psyche"(Trance, Art, and Creativity, John Curtis Gowan, 1974: pg. 179)
Unfortunately, many dancers today focus only on what is right or wrong in a technical sense. It is the duty of the teacher not only to give technical corrections, but to nurture young dancers to move intentionally with awareness. It is vital to support the student's own body awareness and sense of movement to bring about a complete presence. Dancing is more than perfecting various steps. The steps are vehicles of communication to relay information about weight, space, rhythm, quality, flow, and intent--perhaps even to convey information to the intellect, the heart, and the soul!
"The real function of art is to express feeling and transmit understanding" (Trance, Art, and Creativity, Gowan, Read 1951:260)
What types of improvisation
techniques are there?
There are countless ideas materials and images that a teacher can incorporate for improvisation. Some of the most common examples are:
Imagery--drawing upon real or imaginary experience.
ÀObjects--working with objects, such as balls, scarves, or hats.
ÃMusic--children play sing, clap, or play simple instruments, such as drums, or the teacher can play live or recorded music as the impulse.
ÕStories--good for engaging young children, the teacher can guide the children through a tale of being, for example, a "cowboy in the wild west" or a "tree blowing in a storm".
What can improvisation be used for?
Improvisation is an excellent way to improve ballet technique and alignment. It is also arguably the only way to work with the Efforts (as defined by Laban). Improvisation can also enhance performance and is a great way of introducing new steps and coordination.
In improvising with children, it is best to work in a group under teacher's supervision. If using images, images need to be adapted to the dancers' age group and experience! Images, such as rain drops falling or wind blowing, are appropriate for any age; however, images referring to molecular mass or anatomical terminology (i.e., relax the rectus femoris where it crosses the hip joint children!) would be useless for a young child and only confuse them. It is a good idea to let the children watch one another. It may be interesting to hear what the observers see. This feedback can be very educational for both parties. It would be very useful in training the eyes of the young observer to become a thinking critic. Also, it is important for the improviser to hear if he is effectively conveying what he wished to convey.
In using improvisation techniques specifically for ballet, the teacher needs to clearly decide what goal he is trying to achieve. This goal should preferably emphasise only one aspect, as not to confuse the child. For example, say you would like to do an improvisation with the goal of improving technique. You want the students to better feel the floor and articulate the foot in battement tendu. Students could then be asked to take their shoes off and imagine a "fluffy floor". Imagine a big pink or brown floor covered with fluffy soft teddy bear fur. The students could sit or stand and comb the "fur" back and forth with their feet and toes. Later, when doing battement tendu at the barre, the teacher can draw quickly upon this image only by saying "teddy bear fur". Now, if during the improvisation, the teacher smothered the students with corrections about alignment and placement, the student would only be confused and the teacher would have wasted the whole point of the improvisation, which was to feel the floor.
The focus of the improvisation should stay on one aspect! This sends a clear message that is easily comprehended and remembered by the student. Obviously, huge alignment errors that may injure the child can and should be corrected.
Some examples of improvisation.
We have already discussed, in short, improvisation with the goal of improving technique. These images, such as "glass of water on the head" during plie, can be used quickly during class without an entire improvisation devoted to it. Children and adults respond wonderfully to images.
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist one he grows up"--Pablo Picasso(Artist's Way, Julia Cameron 1992:pg. 20)
Images can also be used very effectively for the efforts. In order to work on the effort of space, a teacher can do an improvisation where the children hungrily "eat space", are "in a wind storm", or are "a cowboy conquering the West". Efforts of dynamics can be explored as the children pretend to be "robots" or a "Jack-in-the-box." Colors are a wonderful way to explain dynamics. The teacher can bring in an art book with prints of masterpieces. The children are asked to pick out the many colors of the "Picasso". Then try the adagio again, but, this time, "paint" the adagio with all the colors of the Picasso!
The teacher can also bring in props, such as balls, scarves, or rubber bands, so the children can talk about, observe, and explore the different dynamics of the objects.
The effort of time is a wonderful opportunity to use musical instruments, such as drums, to quicken or slow down the tempo of the steps. Weight can be explored by imploring images of heavy elephants, delicate butterflies, or leaping grasshoppers. The ideas are endless, and the only limit is the teacher's imagination.
Improvisation can also be used effectively to strengthen performance. It has been scientifically proven that both children and adults remember better when a story is attached to the order of something. For a small child, the task of remembering to bring the arms to 3rd position, then 2nd position, and then begin battement tendu, could all be made easy by saying, "the flower opens its petals and starts to dance!"
Also, the energy in the performance could be enhanced with improvisation by picturing a ray of light shining out of the center of the body, or the curtains opening to a rising sun. In rehearsal, the teacher could create an atmosphere by selling imaginary tickets to the audience and the performers wearing imaginary costumes of sparkling diamonds and fancy hats.
"Each of you must be strong enough to pull the entire audience with you and carry them symbolically up the mountain slope" -- Martha Graham, in rehearsing the first graham company,( Bird's Eye View, Dorothy Bird, 1997:Pg.31)
Improvisation can be very useful in introducing new steps. A commonly used example, grand jete, becomes "jumping over puddles." It is an easy way to help students with this coordination for weight shift through space, before being bogged down by the technical aspects.
The union of strong technique and improvisation skills is a bountiful one, but can be a tough thing to balance. That is why it is so crucial that the teacher be very clear with himself concerning which aspect he is trying to focus on in an improvisation. The students' responses and progress should be the deciding factor, not the teacher's preference! The goal is to help the student teach and correct themselves, building independent and intelligent learners. The teacher should not smother the students with corrections. Before giving a correction, a teacher should ask themselves, "Is this what this student needs most at this moment?"
Guidelines
1.Set a clear goal of what you are trying to accomplish.
2.Allow time each class to work on improvisation.
3.The improvisation should apply directly to the material you are working on or plan to work on in the near future.
4.Use clear images. Unclear images, such as "pull up", may leave the students wondering "pull up what?"
5.Use language students understand according to their age group and ability.
6.Avoid lengthy explanations and look for the most direct way of communicating an idea.
7.Avoid negative images, such as "you look dead" or "you have no neck".
8.Explain the improvisation while the students are rested and alert, for example, not in the middle of chaine turns or when getting their shoes on.
9.Pay attention to how the students are interpreting your instructions and be prepared to adapt.
10.Have a clear beginning, middle goal, and end.
11.If you are using music, be clear about the relationship to the music you are using. Are you mimicking the melody? Is the strong percussion inspiring dynamics?
12.Let the children observe one another and give feedback.
Improvisation is a very important and productive part of the children's classical ballet lesson. There are many different types of improvisation techniques, such as using objects, imagery, music, and stories. Improvisation can be used to improve technique and alignment, work on the efforts, enhance performance, and introduce new steps. It is a wonderful way to engage the creative mind of a child and inspire them into learning to dance. Guidelines should be followed in order for improvisation to work effectively. The opportunity here is endless, and an intelligent teacher will enjoy and take full advantage of this very important part of class.