Improv Improvement.

Part of what is so great about coming from a family of performers is the fact that I have constant opportunities to experience other realms of the art world. My sister is a gorgeous modern and tap dancer, my mother is tap dancer and my father is an actor so you might say that it just runs in the family. Along with being constantly supportive of my endeavors, they all challenge me to go and do other things to feed my "artistic soul". In the past twenty-four hours I have started what I am now nicknaming the "Dance Extravaganza," where I have seen and taken on some great and challenging dance experiences.

Last night I went to see my sister perform in a program called "Tap City," which she has appeared in for the past two years. As far as I am concerned there is no greater experience than seeing a sibling performing and growing before your eyes. Not to be the typical congratulatory family member but I can honestly say that my sister was basically just better than all of them. She has such a natural ease and glow on stage and from the minute she caught my eye (I was in the third row) during the opening number I got a sense of what she so instinctively possesses; magnetic charm. On top of that she has pretty flawless technique, which adds up to a pretty killer combo. I just wish that I got to see her dance more often.

The rest of the program was okay at some parts and great at others; a little uneven but still enjoyable. As well as having some great dancers, the three-piece band was awesome. It's so interesting in a form of dance like tap where, unlike ballet, improv is not only welcome but demanded at times. Tap shows sometimes turn into a type of dance-off not only between the dancers but between the band and dancers as well. You can see the energy rushing between the dancer and the band as they push each other into more and more of a frenzy. Imagine me standing on stage at the Met and getting the orchestra to follow my every move....don't know how well that would go. Point being, for someone like me, I can't even fathom improv at times it really just blows my mind.

So what did I to today? Subject myself to an hour and half Master Class from Ohad Naharin where we did nothing but improv. It was probably best that at the time of signing up I had no idea what I was in for because had Naharin not walked in and locked the door behind him (not kidding) I might have been tempted to run out due to my own insecurity. I decided to take this class after seeing what immediately rose to the top of my "best ever" list of dance, his piece "Minus 16." The piece was a reminder of the joy of movement, and that is what his class attempted to recreate and teach.

The mirrors in the room we were in had been completely covered so we couldn't stare at ourselves but instead needed to feel the movement. He has some incredible useful ideas that can be used in not only his technique but ballet as well. The idea that dance is an expansive, joyous activity sometimes gets lost in classical ballet with all of its structure and placement. By allowing the dancers to "create curves" with any and all parts of our bodies, play with space, and "let the bones sink out" of our skin I discovered movement I didn't know I was capable of. Perhaps my favorite thing he said today was the advice to "never have just one thought" when doing anything. Make it a full body experience where you aren't just thinking "lift my leg" but instead are aware of how everything is existing at the same time, not just some extraneous limb. He also had some incredible things to say about the phrasing of musculature and musicality. We played a lot with having both "floaty" and "thick" movement coexisting where one hand would be in the tightest fist you could make while the other flowed as freely as lava. I wish that I could just sit and listen to him speak about what he thinks dance should be, because even just this hour and a half I was able to find so much, even through my level of discomfort.

Which brings me to my next point. Are ballet dancers the least outgoing people compared to other dancers and actors? As I have been hanging out with some great musical theater friends from U of Mich I am amazed at some of the similarities and differences in our temperaments. Does the freedom that comes along with your art of choice influence how you act socially as well?

(Out with my "outgoing" friends the other night)

I looked around the room at the tap show last night and during class today and thought about how improv requires such an extreme amount of vulnerability and fearlessness. Ballet dancers are never asked to improv or even really ever "asked" to choreograph although some obviously choose to. Between playing some games with these musical theater folk and witnessing these other dancers I can't help but see how shy we seem in comparison. Maybe not shy but rather uptight. Maybe its the buns and dance belts that are sucking our sanity away! I say that as if modern dancers don't wear dance belts....

Continuing on my "Dance Extravaganza" there will be another "Tap City" show tonight and a performance by Ohad Naharin's company tomorrow night at State Theater. All of this adds up to.....MORE BLOGGAGE! Ugh and I still have so much "normal" stuff I want to blog about. More to come.

(Random picture while coming home during the pouring rain from class)