Improvisation refers to something that is created spontaneously or without preparation. The term is generally associated with the absence of deliberation. Due to its spontaneity, it usually results in creative invention and action. In the arts, it is seen in performance showing the skill and creativity of the artist be it in music, dance or theater or any form of art that can be perceived by an audience.
In I Want to be Ready by Danielle Goldman focuses on the relationship between performance and composition. Improvisation allows for both to occur simultaneously which then emphasizes surprise and innovation rather than the synchrony and perfection of the final product. Due to this relationship, it can be inferred that composition can begin with improvisation that is then refined. The ability to improvise can in some ways also distinguish an experienced performer since it is the culmination of tying together resources and memories of past years including academic, historical and technical understanding of the art.
I really value improvisation because I enjoy the unexpected. I also never thought of it in the manner or composition and performance. While this is quite evident I never broke it down in this way. Composition for me always seemed to entail the creation of something concise precise and perfected. Yet improvisation does in fact embrace the flaws that come with creativity. I have the utmost respect for people who improvise because they need a great deal of skill. It is only with a clear understanding of the parameters which one faces in the artform that one can push the boundaries and create something instantly which does not extend beyond these parameters and still be beautiful and innovative.
Carter, Curtis L. 2000. "Improvisation in Dance." "Improvisation in Dance." The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 58. no. 2: 181-190.
Hi Gabi,
As I wrote to Ana, improvisation also is the art of making do with the constraints of the situation. So many artists demand certain conditions to produce their vision while improvisation, as you rightly note, draws from the experience the artist has developed and uses to invent with what is at hand – whether that be bodies, the built environment, or music and sound. There is a different thrill to watching improvisation than work that is rehearsed and repeated until it is perfected. It is the thrill, in dance, of watching kinesthetic thinking revealed – how a dancer can navigate obstacles and make it into a dance without the expectation of perfection. To watch what was unknown a moment ago, thought and executed. But improvisation also depends so much on knowledge – how to think about spaces, to assess risk, to make a move that will allow for a recovery and a movement forward. Improvisation depends on understanding of what could work in the past, and building from that knowledge when assessing risk and making something new.