Improvisation (also called extemporization) is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or new ways to act. An invention is a new form composition of matter device or Process. This invention cycle occurs most effectively when the practitioner has a thorough intuitive and/or technical understanding of the necessary skills and concerns within the improvised domain.
The skills of improvisation can apply to many different abilities or forms of communication and expression across all artistic, scientific, physical, cognitive, academic, and non-academic disciplines. For example, music, cooking, presenting a speech, sales, personal or romantic relationships, sports, flower arranging, martial arts, psychotherapy, the arts, and much more. Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. Cooking is the process of preparing Food by applying Heat, selecting measuring and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure for producing safe and edible Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured deliberate manner intended to inform influence or entertain the listeners Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively Floristry is the general term used to describe the professional floral trade Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for Combat. Psychotherapy is an Interpersonal, relational intervention used by trained psychotherapists to aid clients in problems of living The arts is a broad subdivision of Culture, composed of many expressive disciplines.
Contents |
Explanation
Philosophically, improvisation often focuses on bringing one's personal awareness "into the moment," and on developing a profound understanding for the action one is doing. This fusion of "awareness" and "understanding" brings the practitioner to the point where he or she can act with a range of options that best fit the situation, even if he or she has never experienced a similar situation. The study of the skills and techniques of improvisation can strongly influence one's competence in business, personal life, and/or in the arts. A business (also called firm or an enterprise) is a legally recognized organizational entity designed to provide goods and/or services to The arts is a broad subdivision of Culture, composed of many expressive disciplines.
The mental and emotional states needed to practice the art of improvisation are very similar to the practice taught in the religious and philosophical art of Zen, and many of the same concepts are used in both practices. Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan. Although it is not necessary for the study and practice of either improvisation or Zen, the study of one often gives new insight into the practice of the other. Keith Johnstone, a teacher of improvisational theatre, often relates the two when teaching about improv. Keith Johnstone is a drama instructor whose teachings and books have focused on Improvisational theatre and have had a major influence on the art of improvisation Improvisational theatre (also known as improv or impro) is a form of Theatre in which the Actors use Improvisational acting techniques
Techniques of improvisation are widely trained in the entertainment arts; for example, music, theatre and dance. Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic
To "extemporize" or "ad lib" is basically the same as improvising. Colloquial terms such as "let's play it by ear," "take it as it comes," and "make it up as we go along" are all used to describe "improvisation. " In professional wrestling, they call improvisation a "shoot" ie wrestlers are working in the ring for real or when some are given the mic on tv are making "shoot" comments. Some give "shoot" interviews.
Musical improvisation
Improvisation is an important aspect of music in general. Musical Improvisation is the creative activity of immediate Musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. Musical improvisers often understand the idiom of one or more musical styles—e. g. blues, rock, folk, jazz—and work within the idiom to express ideas with creativity and originality. Improvisation can take place as a solo performance, or interdependently in ensemble with other players. When done well, it often elicits gratifying emotional responses from the audience. Very few musicians have ever dared to offer fully improvised concerts such as the famous improvised piano recitals by classical composers/pianists like Franz Liszt or modern pianists such as Alicia Techintin. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers A recital is a Musical ( Vocal or instrumental Performance. It can highlight a single performer sometimes accompanied by Piano, or The origins of Liszt's improvisation in an earlier tradition of playing variations on a theme were mastered and epitomized by Mozart and Beethoven. Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. However, some have managed some very successful attempts similar to these precedents, one of the most successful of these is Keith Jarrett. Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945 in Allentown Pennsylvania) is an American Pianist and Composer. He has performed many completely improvised concerts that have captivated audiences all over the world. A few pianists have given modern recitals of improvisation in the baroque style, which may be less intimidating because of its stricter development and range of modulation and yet, on the other hand, more daunting because of its polyphony. In Telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying a periodic Waveform, i In Music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent Melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice ( Monophony There have also been a few other exceptional improvised solo piano concerts in Stuttgart, Southern Germany in the 1990s. Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. German dialectal mapPNG|right|thumb|200px|Southern Germany roughly corresponds to the area of Germany south of the Speyer line where Upper German dialects are spoken The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999
Singing improvisation
Singing improvisation is an ancient art form. It is a mixture of musical improvisation and improvisational theater A singer makes up the words and melody to a song at the same time the musicians are making up the music to the song. Musical Improvisation is the creative activity of immediate Musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental Improvisational theatre (also known as improv or impro) is a form of Theatre in which the Actors use Improvisational acting techniques Additionally, aspects of dance, comedy and showmanship are all part of the singing improviser's repertoire. Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic Comedy (from the Greek κωμωδίαkomodia has a popular meaning (any discourse generally intended to amuse especially in Television, Film, and
In the Wales of centuries ago, there was an annual competition for poets and musicians that featured improvised singing. It was sung in the style of music called a penillion, which is defined as “Welsh songs, often improvised, and sung to a harp accompaniment. ” Harpist John Parry, father of John Orlando Parry, described this art: “(. John Orlando Parry ( 3 January 1810 – 20 February 1879) was a Welsh actor pianist artist comedian and singer . . ) The singer is obliged to follow the harper, who may change the tune, or perform variations, ad libitum, whilst the vocalist must keep time, and end precisely with the strain…” See article: Eisteddfod
Beginning in the late 1800s, thousands of years of folk singing and popular music were changed forever: This happened because of the printing of popular music and the impact of the record player. See also An eisteddfod (aɪˈstɛðvəd Welsh ə(iˈstɛðvɔd plural eisteddfodau or eisteddfods) is a Welsh Festival Prior to the record player, popular music, "music of the people," was largely improvised. It was extremely common for people who sang songs to change the lyrics whenever they sang them. They would change parts of the song to adapt it to whatever was going on at the moment or to play to the next audience they faced. Since people mostly learned songs by hearing them and remembering them, the “improvising” of lyrics and melody was quite common amongst the populace.
Other forms of singing that make use of improvisation are payada and freestyle rap. Freestyle rap is an Improvisational form of Rapping, performed with few or no previously composed Lyrics, which is said to reflect a direct mapping of the ***
Theatre
Dance
Dance improvisation as a choreographic tool: Improvisation is used as a choreographic tool in dance composition. Improvisational theatre (also known as improv or impro) is a form of Theatre in which the Actors use Improvisational acting techniques Dance improvisation is the creation of improvised movement and is sometimes associated with 20th century concert dance but is not exclusive to that genre See also, Choreography (literally "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" (circular dance see chorea) and "γραφή" The term dance composition is used to describe to the practice and teaching of Choreography and the Navigation or Connection of choreographic structures Experimenting with the concepts of shape, space, time, and energy while moving without inhibition or cognitive thinking can create unique and innovative movement designs, spatial configuration, dynamics, and unpredictable rhythms. The term innovation means a new way of doing something It may refer to incremental radical and revolutionary changes in thinking products processes or organisations Improvisation without inhibition allows the choreographer to connect to their deepest creative self, which in turn clears the way for pure invention. An invention is a new form composition of matter device or Process.
Contact improvisation: a form developed 30 years ago that is now practiced around the world. Contact improvisation (CI is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation Contact improvisation originated from the movement studies of Steve Paxton in the 1970s and developed through the continued exploration of the Judson Dance Theater. Judson Dance Theater is located at the Judson Memorial Church, New York. It is a dance form based on sharing weight, partnering, playing with weight and unpredictable outcomes.
Film
The director Mike Leigh uses lengthy improvisations developed over a period of weeks to build characters and storylines for his films. Mike Leigh, OBE (born February 20, 1943) is an English film and theatre director screenwriter and playwright He starts with some sketch ideas of how he thinks things might develop but does not reveal all his intentions with the cast who discover their fate and act out their responses as their destinies are gradually revealed, including significant aspects of their lives which will not subsequently be shown onscreen. The final filming draws on dialogue and actions that have been recorded during the improvisation period.
Comedy
See main article - Improvisational theatre
Improvisational comedy is a common art performed throughout the world and throughout history. Improvisational theatre (also known as improv or impro) is a form of Theatre in which the Actors use Improvisational acting techniques
Some of the more famous comic improv groups are: Upright Citizens Brigade and Noo Yawk Tawk from New York City, the Groundlings from Los Angeles, The Second City from Chicago, ComedySportz from Milwaukee, Washington Improv Theater from Washington D. The Upright Citizens Brigade is an Improvisational comedy and Sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago 's ImprovOlympic in 1990 The City of New York The Groundlings is an Improvisational comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California, USA Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. ComedySportz is an Improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee Wisconsin, by Dick Chudnow. Washington Improv Theater, or WIT is an Improv comedy group and school based in Washington D C. , DSI Comedy Theater from North Carolina and Theatresports from Calgary, Canada. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States Theatresports is a form of Improvisational theatre which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada Extemporizing on the methods of pioneers such as Viola Spolin, Paul Sills, Del Close, Martin DeMatt, and Keith Johnstone. Viola Spolin ( November 7, 1906 - November 22, 1994) was an American drama teacher and author Paul Sills ( November 18, 1927 &ndash June 2, 2008) was a director and Improvisation teacher and the original director of The Del Close ( March 9, 1934 – March 4, 1999) along with Keith Johnstone, Paul Sills, Dudley Riggs and Viola Keith Johnstone is a drama instructor whose teachings and books have focused on Improvisational theatre and have had a major influence on the art of improvisation Individual performers include: Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters and Eddie Izzard.
Corporate Improvisation Training
Corporate Improvisation Training is the practice of applying improvisational skills to help shape and build corporate competencies. Basic principles such as "Yes, and" and more complex improvisational principles relating to outward thought, listening skills, and brainstorming are used to change dynamics of individuals, teams, and companies.
Improvisation is especially well applied in activities within business such as Presentation Skills and Communications. These exercises work best when mixed with behavior principals that help generalize these skills to a broader workplace application.
Improvisational training can range from simple team building skills that require employees to work as a team and explore new relationships and dynamics to more complex skills such as dynamic presentation skills, offsite facilitation, and brainstorming.
Corporate improvisation was developed within companies such as Biz Improv [1], The Second City [2] and The Groundlings [3] and has been adapted to Organizational Development Programs by companies like The Business of Improvisation [4] and Comedy Sports [5].
Recently Organizational Development magazines, The Los Angeles and New York Times, and training and development groups at the Fortune 500 have all singled out Corporate Improvisation as a cutting edge training tool. More information can be found on these respective websites.
Poetry
Traditional epic poetry included improvisation moments where the reciter flattered the audience (specially the authorities) or to substitute a forgotten passage. An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation There are also societies that value improvised poetry as a genre, often as a debate or "poetic joust", where improvisators compete for public approval. Some of these impromptu poems are later recorded in paper or transmitted orally. An impromptu (loosely meaning "offhand" is a free-form musical composition with the character of an improvisation usually for a solo instrument such as piano
Some forms of improvised poetry:
- Basque bertsos
- Cuban décimas
- Japanese haiku
- Trinidadan extempo
- The Dozens, ritual rhyming insults among African American ghetto youths
- Norse and Germanic flyting
- Provençal and Catalan Jocs Florals
- Arabic naqa'id
- Argentinian payadores
- The partimen and tenso of troubadours
- Lebanese zajal
- Portuguese cantigas ao desafio (sung)
Usually wit is as valued as conformity to poetical form. Bertsolaritza is the art of singing extemporary composed songs in Basque according to various melodies and rhyming patterns Décima is a style of poetry that is Octosyllabic and has 10 lines is a form of Japanese poetry. Previously called Extempo (also extempo calypso is a lyrically improvised form of calypso and is most notably practised in Trinidad and Tobago. "The Dozens", also known as "Yo Momma Fights" is an element of the African American oral tradition in which two competitors usually males Flyting is a contest of insults often conducted in verse The word has been adopted by social historians from Scots usage of the fifteenth and sixteenth century in Floral Games were any of a series historically-related Poetry contests with Floral prizes The partimen, partiment, partia, or joc partit is a Genre of Occitan Lyric poetry Zajal ( Arabic: زجل) is a traditional form of oral strophic poetry declaimed in a colloquial dialect (most notably in one of the many dialects of Arabic with ancient Some of these forms also include humour.
Television
In the 1990s, a TV show called Whose Line Is It Anyway? popularized shortform comedic improvisation. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 Whose Line Is It Anyway? (abbreviated to Whose Line? or WLIIA) was a short-form Improvisational comedy TV show Improvisational theatre (also known as improv or impro) is a form of Theatre in which the Actors use Improvisational acting techniques The original version was British, but it was later revived and popularized in the United States with Drew Carey as a host. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Drew Allison Carey (born May 23 1958 is an American Comedian, Actor and Game show host. More recently, television shows such as HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm (starring Seinfeld co-creator Larry David) and Bravo series Significant Others have used improvisation to create longer-form programs with more dramatic flavor. Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American Sitcom starring Seinfeld writer co-creator and executive producer Larry David as himself and Seinfeld is an American Situation comedy, or sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5 1989 to May 14 1998 lasting nine seasons Lawrence Eugene "Larry" David (born July 2 1947 is an American Emmy -winning Actor, Writer, Comedian, producer Bravo is a Cable television network owned by NBC Universal. It is currently seen in more than 80 million homes and was the first service dedicated to film drama Another improvisation based show is i's "World Cup Comedy. Ion Television is a broadcast television network first broadcast on August 31 1998 " In Canada, the Global Television soap opera Train 48, based on the Australian series Going Home, uses a form of structured improvisation, in which actors improvise dialog from written plot outlines. Global Television Network (more commonly called Global TV or just Global) is a Canadian English language privately owned Television network Train 48 was a Canadian Television Soap opera, broadcast on Global Television Network or CH (depending on location Going Home is a Television series screened on the SBS network in Australia from 2000 to 2001.
Even more recently, Australia's Thank God You're Here is a gameshow where celebrities are put into scenes they know nothing about and have to improvise. Synopsis Each contestant is dressed in appropriate costume has some brief banter with the host and is then invited to "walk through the blue door" onto a hidden set
Role-playing games
Role-playing games often involve a casual form of improvisational acting; a player's character may be pre-defined, with game statistics and a history, but the character's response to game events and to other players is improvised. A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. Some players are more interested in the depth of the "acting" than others, while others enjoy elaborate plots, emotional investment in characters, and intense or witty repartee. Wit is a form of intellectual Humour. A wit (person is someone skilled in making witty remarks Some earlier role-playing games emphasise combat and game mechanics over role-playing; however, modern storytelling games are often more plot-driven, and Live action role-playing games are often more acting-focused. A game mechanic is a construct of rules intended to produce an enjoyable Game or Gameplay. A storytelling game is a Game where two or more persons collaborate on telling a spontaneous story. A live action role-playing game ( LARP) is a form of Role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions
See also
External links
- Business Improvisation Research : Characteristics of Improv Professionals vs Executives
- Biz Improv Business Improvisation Workshops
- Business Theatre improvisation Belgian improvisational business theater
- Improglob - inside the improvisation
- IMPRO.INFINI improvisation et theatre en entreprise French improvisational theater
- Troupe En Construction Improvisation in Paris, France. Commedia dell'Arte ( Italian: "the comedy of artists" is a form of Improvisational theatre that began in Italy in the 16th century Improvisational theatre (also known as improv or impro) is a form of Theatre in which the Actors use Improvisational acting techniques Musical Improvisation is the creative activity of immediate Musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental
- Improv Shmimprov Improvisation in Orange County, California.
- Edge Improv Improvisation in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- The Far Games Improv games and workshops formats to get wise or laugh trying#
- Sparks Creative Communication Training Geneva (Switzerland) based Management Consultancy working with Applied Improvisation in Business.
- The Business of Improvisation Improvisation applied to corporate skills.
- Improvisation on Improvisation: composer Karlheinz Essl und performer Jack Hauser improvise on improvisation concepts
- Feza Neverd Improvised music recorded by Mehmet Gencler. . .
Dictionary
improvisation
-noun
- The act or art of composing and rendering music, poetry, and the like, extemporaneously; as, improvisation on the organ.
- That which is improvised; an impromptu.
- Musical technique, characteristic of blues music.
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic