Improv Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect

Rant Alert! This episode is a rant… but it’s the good kind…

Earlier in my dance career, I watched many dancers enjoy performances with live musicians. Back then, it never really occurred to me that I could dance with a live band too. I thought that the experience was something reserved for very special and experienced dancers. Professionals only. Not advanced beginners or early intermediate dancers like myself at that time. For two years, I watched these lovely dancers doing what seemed like choreography. They all appeared so confident. I wondered how they did it and made it look so easy…so comfortable…so perfect.

I knew that they were dancing improv. But what I didn’t know is that they hadn’t rehearsed for days and weeks on end with the band. They were improvising totally on the fly. I was mesmerized by the interaction, the give and take between the dancers and the band. I thought how…could I possibly do that? I only had experience with choreography.

Choreography is safe. You know exactly what you’re going to do and it’s pretty much the same thing every time with the dance and the music. Improv, however, is a living, fluid thing. The music is alive through the musicians. It comes in waves over the body and tickles the senses. In a word, improv is delicious!

But improvisation can also be a very scary thing. Not having the road map of a choreography can leave a dancer feeling lost, nervous or even downright panicked.

All sorts of nasty comments can erupt from that little voice inside of us. Things like… “What if I don’t know the song the band plays? Is the band laughing at me? Band? What band? Is the audience bored with what I’m doing? Oh my gosh, that person just looked down…they’re bored. I’d better change this move to something else. Hey…you there. Look at this new trick!”

How many times has all or part of that conversation played out in your head? Was it helpful? Probably not. Why do we have these thoughts? I suspect it’s because we think our dance needs to be perfect and we’re worried that it won’t be.

Choreography is safe. But is IT ever really perfect? NO! So why do we expect improv to be perfect? Do we really believe that we have to catch every beat, rhythm and melody change exactly as it happens? We may WANT to catch every single nuance, but the reality is that we may not. And that’s okay.

But that judgmental voice inside us can negatively impact improvisation. It keeps you closed off and unable to fully give to the audience. Believing that your dance needs to be perfect can suck the joy out of improvising and interacting with the band and the audience.

Thinking that your improv needs to be perfect can leave you feeling afraid to even try. And if you wait until you think you CAN do it perfectly, you’ll probably never get out there. Some dancers never give improv a try for that very reason. Or they may do it once and feel like it wasn’t good enough and never do it again. That’s really sad.

Let’s not be sad. Why do we improvise with live musicians? For the sweet joy of being moved by live music.

So, let’s figure out how to kick this whole “gotta be perfect” myth to the curb! Let’s cultivate confidence in your choices so you can get out there with the band.

First, start by listening to a LOT of music in the style that the band performs. The more you listen, the better you’ll be at internalizing the general structure of the music. You’ll begin to naturally feel the changes and respond as they come. Most bands have a repertoire of songs that they post electronically for dancers. Study it and listen to several versions of each song (or the band’s song clips if those are available).

Next, know that the band is on your team! The musicians want to create music that will move the dancer and the audience. They want to make us feel something. The band is not there to make the dancer look bad.

Then…LISTEN to the band. Adrenaline, excitement and nerves can make you throw every move you know into the mix. Redirect that energy by using just a handful of safety moves with varied arm frames, body angles and stage positions to tell the story of the music.

Lastly, understand that the audience is on your team too. They’re not bored. You may think you’re boring LONG before they do. Use the Rule of Four, where you repeat the same move or sequence four times before changing to a new idea. Variations on your moves help keep things interesting too.

For two years, I watched those beautiful dancers experience the rush of dancing on live music. Then I worked through Nadira’s Be Amazing In the Moment coaching program which included both Improvisation Toolkit DVDs (and LOTS more!). The strategies and skills that I learned gave me the confidence to perform with a live band for the first time. That was all it took. I’m hooked!

Some people never try improvisation out fear or feeling unprepared for the experience. If I were to make a guess, I’d say that many, if not most dancers’ training with improv comes in the form of an instructor putting on music and telling them to “just do what they feel”. While there is certainly value in that approach, it is best utilized after learning “HOW” to improv. Just because improvisation is “made in the moment” doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be some kind of framework or structure. But even inside that framework and structure, perfection doesn’t live (nor should it).

There is NO such thing as perfect in dance. Life is imperfect. Improv is alive. It’s ever changing. It’s never the same twice, the music or the dance. That’s what makes it so delicious.

If learning how to structure improv is important to you, check out our Improvisation Toolkit, Vol. II which is designed to help you create structure on the fly. And, as part of the 10-year Toolkit birthday celebration, you can save 20% on downloadable or DVD versions of any Improvisation Toolkit videos from now through November 26, 2018. Use the coupon code BIRTHDAY during checkout at bellydancegeek.com/store