This drawing shows a single visit of a hummingbird to flowers in my herb garden. The path is set against a background that includes the sun and the impact that this body might have on the structure of the space surrounding it. The spatial elements and activity of the bird exist at different scales within the single design with the goal of imagining what immersion in the totality of this subject’s space might look like.
The bird’s path is not determined in advance, but is directed by a goal. This path creation fits the definition of improvisation.
Working dancers learn to perceive both floor plans, which describe a birdseye view of paths taken by the choreography through space, and space plans, which, like perspective plans in architecture, describe relationships among dancers and sometimes objects. Added to these is the ever-emerging relationship to a sound score (which can consist partly or entirely of silence) making movement patterns and rhythms both audible and visible. Intrinsic to this kind of mapping is movement and ongoing change, and only occasionally may include stationary or immobile objects.
What is interesting is that dancers become skilled in this complex reading of space without the assistance of technology. No immersive seeing devices are used or needed. Though various forms of notation exist to describe movement in space and sound, it is atypical for dancers to use any of these in their daily practice. When dancers improvise as opposed to performing choreographed pieces, all of these plans emerge in real time.
How does this work? Both the choreographed and the improvised must be executed as if no path has been determined in advance, but emerges within an environment fueled by a goal.
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