Composing while dancing: an improviser's companion

"A great resource for beginning through advanced choreography and dance improvisation courses. There is no book similar to this currently available."--Maura Keefe, resident scholar at Jacob's Pillow Festival and associate professor at SUNY Brockport.

Composing while Dancing: An Improviser's Companion examines the world of improvisational dance and the varied approaches to this art form. By introducing the improvisational strategies of twenty-six top contemporary artists of movement improvisation, Melinda Buckwalter offers a practical primer to the dance form. Each chapter focuses on an important aspect of improvisation including spatial relations, the eyes, and the dancing image. Included are sample practices from the artists profiled, exercises for further research, and a glossary of terms. Buckwalter gathers history, methods, interviews, and biographies in one book to showcase the many facets of improvisational dance and create an invaluable reference for dancers and dance educators.

"Composing while Dancing is a treasure trove of dance improvisation information. The background history, the artists covered, and the inclusion of practical scores and exercises make for rich reading. It's an important resource for teachers, students, professionals, and dance lovers."--Paul Langland, New York University.

"A welcome addition to the sparse literature of movement improvisation. Through years of her own study, Buckwalter has gathered a cornucopia of improvisational practices from more than two dozen of the most intriguing (and underdocumented) movement artists working today. She then invites you, through the organization of the chapters and through her own energy and interest, to join the dance."--Kent De Spain, author of Method to the Madness: Movement Improvisation in the Words of Its Practitioners --Book Jacket.

Materia prima -- Dancing takes shape -- Time machines -- Spatial relations -- The dancing image -- The possibilities of music -- The eyes -- Partnering science -- The magical object.