Dance

Dance improvisation as a choreographic tool: Improvisation is used as a choreogr

aphic tool in dance composition. Experimenting with the concepts of shape, space
, time, and energy while moving without inhibition or cognitive thinking can cre
ate unique and innovative movement designs, spatial configuration, dynamics, and
unpredictable rhythms. Improvisation without inhibition allows the choreographe
r to connect to their deepest creative self, which in turn clears the way for pu
re invention.
Contact improvisation: a form developed in 1973, that is now practiced around th
e world. Contact improvisation originated from the movement studies of Steve Pax
ton in the 1970s and developed through the continued exploration of the Judson D
ance Theater. It is a dance form based on weight sharing, partnering, playing wi
th weight, exploring negative space and unpredictable outcomes.
Poetry
Traditional epic poetry included improvisation moments where the reciter flatter
ed the audience (especially the authorities) or to substitute a forgotten passag
e. 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.[cita
tion needed]
Usually wit is as valued as conformity to poetical form.[citation needed]
Some of these forms also include humour. But Michel Ducom established himself wi
thin Bordeaux poetical improvisation movement in the 1990s but has since compose
d and performed with a wide range of poets working in diverse poetical areas (Be
rnat Manciet, Serge Pey, Mryl Marchetti ). The emergence of poetical improvisation, li
ke previous developments in French poetry, was largely tied to the free jazz exp
erience.[citation needed]
Sculpture
Sculpture often relies on the enlargement of a small model or maquette to create
the final work in a chosen material. Where the material is plastic such as clay
, a working structure or armature often needs to be built to allow the pre-deter
mined design to be realized. Alan Thornhill's method for working with clay aband
ons the maquette,[2] seeing it as ultimately deadening to creativity.[3] Without
the restrictions of the armature, a clay matrix of elements allows that when re
cognisable forms start to emerge, they can be essentially disregarded by turning
the work, allowing for infinite possibility and the chance for the unforeseen t
o emerge more powerfully at a later stage.
Moving from adding and taking away to purely reductive working, the architectura
l considerations of turning the work are eased considerably but continued remova
l of material through the rejection of forms deemed too obvious can mean one end
s up with nothing. Former pupil Jon Edgar uses Thornhill's method as a creative
extension to direct carving in stone and wood.
Film
The director Mike Leigh uses lengthy improvisations developed over a period of w
eeks to build characters and story lines for his films. He starts with some sket
ch ideas of how he thinks things might develop but does not reveal all his inten
tions 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 dialog
ue and actions that have been recorded during the improvisation period.
The film company ACT 2 CAM uses improvisation to create the characters, contexts
and plot for their films. Improvisation also forms a large part of the final fi

lmed product.
Television
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Improvisation was originally rarely used on dramatic television. A major excepti
on was the situation comedy Mork and Mindy where star Robin Williams, famed for
this kind of performing, was allotted specific sections in each episode where he
was allowed to perform freely.
In the 1990s, a TV show called Whose Line Is It Anyway? popularized shortform co
medic improvisation; the original version aired on British television, but it wa
s later revived and popularized in the United States, with Drew Carey as its hos
t. With improvisation becoming a more common aspect of television, there have be
en television shows which have garnered great success by utilizing partial impro
visation to create longer-form programs with more dramatic flavor while some sho
ws are completely improvised in terms of lines, including: The Office, Parks and
Recreation, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Significant Others, The Loop, Sons & Daughter
s, 10 Items or Less, Dog Bites Man, Halfway Home, Reno 911!,The League, Free Rid
e, Campus Ladies, Lovespring International, Players, and After Lately.
In Canada, the Global Television soap opera Train 48, based on the Australian se
ries Going Home, uses a form of structured improvisation, in which actors improv
ise dialog from written plot outlines. Australia's Thank God You're Here is a ga
me show where celebrities are put into scenes they know nothing about and have t
o improvise.
Writing
Improvisational writing is an exercise that imposes limitations on a writer such
as a time limit, word limit, a specific topic, or rules on what can be written.
This forces the writer to work within stream of consciousness and write without
judgment of the work they produce. This technique is used for a variety of reas
ons, such as to bypass writer's block, improve creativity, strengthen one's writ
ing instinct and enhance one's flexibility in writing.
Some improvisational writing is collaborative, focusing on an almost dadaist for
m of collaborative fiction. This can take a variety of forms, from as basic as p
assing a notebook around a circle of writers with each writing a sentence, to co
ded environments that focus on collaborative novel-writing,[4] like OtherSpace.[
5]