Improvisation seems to be a black hole in the social dance world. It is one of those skills that oftentimes seems underdeveloped, overdone, misunderstood, or ignored altogether. I have seen salsa instructors teach entire routines based on their own improvisations, only to have them repeated by their students step-by-step on the social dance floor without a thought given to the dynamics of the music or relationship with one's partner. All social dances suffer from a lack of understanding and lack of confidence among its participants when it comes to improvisation. And it seems there isn't really a clear path for learning how to break away from the structure and attain that beautiful - and skillful - quality of spontaneous creativity.
Stephen Nachmanovitch's beautiful book offers enriching reflections for any dancer to meditate on. The author himself is a musician and a poet, but he approaches improvisation and creativity in a way that is accessible to devotees of all art forms and every discipline in life that prizes being in the moment. He offers a number of examples from the worlds of art and music, but my dancer's perspective did not have to make great leaps to apply these concepts to the skills required to improvise and express oneself on the dance floor.
What I found so refreshing about the book was how rich his thoughts are on the topic. After reading several books on mastery and creativity that seemed superficial, fluffy, and more like self-help literature than deep reflection and analysis, Nachmanovitch's book was a true pleasure to delve into. His writing manages to be at once intellectual and inspiring while covering concepts such as the power of limits and mistakes, the value of inspiration and judgment, and the tension and reward of creative collaboration. These topics touch not only on musicality and improvisation but on technique and partnering as well. Though he never directly refers to the concept, a number of his thoughts seem to coincide perfectly with the conditions and characteristics of flow, and I finished his book with a more well-rounded appreciation of flow in social dance. I found it interesting to read in the author's biography that he holds a PhD in the History of Consciousness.
Nachmanovitch's own introduction offers great insight into his vision for Free Play: "I began writing this book as an exploration of the inner dimensions of improvisation. I found it inescapably fascinating that the conception, composition, practice, and performance of a piece of music could blossom in a single moment, and come out whole and satisfying. When I first found myself improvising, I felt with great excitement that I was onto something, a kind of spiritual connectedness that went far beyond the scope of music making. At the same time, improvisation extended the scope and relevance of music making until the artificial boundary between art and life disintegrated. I had found a freedom that was both exhilarating and exacting. Looking into the moment of improvisation, I was uncovering patterns related to every kind of creativity; uncovering clues as well to living a life that is self-creating, self-organizing, and authentic. I came to see improvisation as a master key to creativity."
I always try to balance my reviews by offering constructive criticism and areas for improvement. However, this book did not really allow me room to do so. While some chapters were more interesting and applicable to the world of dance than others, I found so many gems throughout the book and have returned to it often since. While reading it will not directly improve one's improvisation on the dance floor, for many dancers I believe it can provide the mental shift required to open oneself up to inner creativity, outward expression, and meaningful improvisation.
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Giulia Serra
The most mind-blowing book an Artist can read
Reviewed in Italy on March 1, 2022