Do you want to get better at improv dance? Then this post is perfect for you!
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Improv. Dance Improvisation. A topic so many dancers dread. And I understand why.
Improv dance requires dancers to think on their feet, be vulnerable, and also make mistakes. It’s no wonder why improv dance can be scary or intimidating for so many dancers. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.
As a dancer I also used to not enjoy improv. I had no idea what I was doing and just felt uncomfortable. But when I learned some of these essential dance improv tips things started turning around.
I’m glad to say that I now LOVE dance improvisation and genuinely feel like it is something that I am good at as a dancer. And you can feel this way too!
I’ve created these 15 essential dance improv tips to help dancers of all backgrounds learn how to LOVE improv and get better when it comes to dance improvisation.
What You’ll Learn in this Post
In this post, you’ll learn all about the best dance improv tips, improv dance, dance improvisation, how to get better at dance improvisation, and more!
After reading this post you will know and be able to use these amazing dance improv tips in your dancing in dance performances, classes, and even choreography.
What’s in this Post?
Why is Dance Improv Important?
This post is all about improv dance
Improv Dance
What is Improv Dance?
Improv dance or dance improvisation is the practice of creating dance movement spontaneously in the moment with little to no pre-planned content. It is quite literally thinking on your feet.
Improv dance is used in nearly every dance style with extra emphasis in dance genres like contemporary, modern, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and Latin dance forms.
Dance improvisation can be done with or without music and in a variety of different dance settings.
Why is Dance Improv Important?
Being able to improv as a dancer is important for a variety of reasons. Primarily, because dancers are being asked to improv in spaces like auditions, dance competitions, and even within dance choreography. This makes improvisation an essential skill that all dancers need to be able to do in a variety of settings.
Improv is also a useful tool for dancers to create and develop choreography. Many choreographers use dance improvisation as a starting point for coming up with new movement ideas in dance pieces.
Dance improvisation opens up an entirely new creative outlet to be expressive and explore artistry.
When I started practicing improv more I began to feel more creative and in touch with my artistic side as a dancer.
I also felt that by expressing myself through improv dance I was able to improve my mental health as a dancer.
For these reasons and more dance improv can be an incredibly useful and important skill for dancers to have.
Improv Dance Tips
Now, without further ado, my 15 best tips for improv dance!
Tip #1: Embrace Failure
Starting with one of the hardest parts of being a dancer and artist, embracing failure. When you decide to start your dance improv journey, you are going to fail or feel frustrated at one point or another. ITS OKAY!
Allow yourself to embrace failure and learn from your frustrations.
Tip #2: Practice, Practice, Practice
While you might not be doing the same thing over and over again when improvising, you still need to practice.
Find ways to practice improving daily to express yourself through improv.
You can also give yourself prompts and exercises to practice with. You’ll find the more you actually practice improving and being creative the easier it will become overtime.
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Tip #3: Just Explore
Put on some music (or not it’s your choice) and start to just move around. Find a place or setting where you can explore different types of movement and find how improv can work best for you.
Exploring through improv will allow you to understand who you are when improvising and give you a good starting point for your improv journey.
Tip #4: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
Now that you’ve started to explore improv dance it’s time to step outside your comfort zone.
Improv should not be about doing the same moves that you feel safe doing. It should be about taking risks and finding new ways of moving.
Before you force yourself to move differently and step outside your comfort zone. Take some time to explore your comfort zone to understand what that is when moving. This will give you a good starting point for how to move beyond it.
Notice things like what type of movement you gravitate towards, what kind of music you like to use, and the dynamics you typically use. Now your job is to try and explore the opposite.
Also notice the things you don’t like to do when dancing. What body parts do you not like to move? What music or sound do you not enjoy when dancing? Try and start stepping out of your comfort zone by starting here and exploring the areas of dance you don’t like.
Tip #5: Don’t Look in the Mirror
The mirror is not your friend during improv. Or at least when you are trying to move around and explore (if you’re doing an improv exercise or prompt with the mirror disregard this one).
If you’re looking in the mirror you are trying to watch and assess what you are doing. Improv dance should be more about feeling your movement in the moment and not worrying about how you look.
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Tip #6: BREATHE
Breath can be a great way to initiate dancing and influence your movement. We also know that you can’t dance for a long time without breathing.
Tip #7: Know the Purpose
Improving for a dance competition needs to be approached differently than improving for a contemporary dance audition. That’s why it is important that you know the reason and purpose you have for improving.
Tip #8: Don’t Think About the “Steps”
Try not to think about any steps or movement sequences you are trying to do. When you start thinking about doing this move then that move and transitioning with something else, you aren’t really improving.
Your movement should be natural and spontaneous, if you are thinking of specific “steps” you have to do then you might be defeating the purpose of improving.
Tip #9: Create a Prompt or Goal
Sometimes, getting started can be the hardest part of improving. That’s why using a prompt or goal for you dance improv session can be a great place to start.
Here are a couple example prompts or goals for your improv dance practice
- Create three shapes with your body and using only those shapes start moving
- Write your name or other words. Try in cursive, print, and other fonts.
- Use a prop and move with it.
- Take away one of your five senses (usually sight, hearing, or smell) and see how your move. Or you can focus on one of them to guide your improv.
- Pick a body part and go to a random verb generator. Move that body part in that way.
Tip #10: Use an Improv Journal
I’ve said it a million times but using a journal as a dancer changed my life, specifically in improv dance. I started using one a part of my improv class in college and it changed my entire outlook on improv.
In your improv journal you can write down anything and everything your think of, dance related or not. You never know when you’ll get a good improv or choreography idea.
Having a improv dance journal can also help you track your dance improv journey to write reflections and notes from your improv sessions.
Tip #11: Change Your Location
It can get a little tiring dancing in the same studio or location for a long time. That’s why it is important to get out and change up your dancing location.
Try dancing outside, in your closet, or in your kitchen. Being in a new location to improvise forces you to focus on new things and get more creative.
Who knows, you might create a few new dance moves based on your environment!
Tip #12: Let Transitions Be Natural
Don’t squirrel from dance idea to dance idea. This can make you dancing look frantic and unnatural.
Instead, allow your dancing to feel and flow natural.
Tip #13: Live in the Moment (DON’T CHOREOGRAPH!)
It can be easy when improving or waiting your turn to improv in class to plan and choreograph a little. However, that defeats the point of improvising in the first place.
Even if you do start to think a little bit ahead, allow everything to flow naturally out of you. Experiment and see where the movement takes you rather than where you are taking the movement.
Tip #14: Think About Your Focus
As you get more advanced in your dance improvisation practices it is important for you to think about your focus and where you are looking.
Experiement with this. Go beyond just performing but think about where you might want other people to look.
Can you focus on something without looking at it? Don’t let your focus become an after thought and use it while you improv.
Tip #15: Record Yourself
Finally, try recording yourself while you improv if you don’t have an audience to ask for feedback from. This will help you critique yourself and see where you can improve your improv dance skills.
Recording yourself, like journaling, can help you also log your progress with your improv journey. I also love to bring in choreography ideas from my improv dance sessions and having a recording of myself improving really helps that.
Before You Go
We hope you have some inspiration for your dance improvisation journey and that this post helps you get started.
Share your favorite improv dance tip in the comments below!
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This post was all about dance improvisation
