Description
Book SynopsisLandscape of the Now takes readers on a deep journey into the underlying processes and structures of movement improvisation. Based on interviews with Steve Paxton, Simone Forti, Nancy Stark Smith, and others, this book offers the rare opportunity to find some clarity in what is often a complex and confusing creative experience.
Trade ReviewDe Spain is a master storyteller. More than that, he is a philosopher who uses his exceptional analytical skills to get to the heart of what defines postmodern improvisation as improvisation. This quest - a personal passion for De Spain - energizes the book. * David Gere, co-editor, Taken By Surprise: A Dance Improvisation Reader *
Improvisation is the alchemy of giving form to the present moment. Contained within are essentially master classes in addressing some of the varied mysteries and issues that can emerge from the practice of improvisation. De Spain's book shines a bright light on how these eight groundbreaking artists wrap words around their processes of inquiry and their experiences of the embodied mind in motion. * Eric Handman, Assistant Professor of Dance, University of Utah *
I began to read and realized I had started my next dance. De Spain's invitation to your own practice is waiting. De Spain, with his curiosity and engagement, has brought eight master artists to our studio doors. * Bebe Miller, Artistic Director, Bebe Miller Company *
Table of ContentsIntroduction ; What and Who ; Section One: Issues ; Agendas ; Tracking ; Verbal/Nonverbal Awareness ; The Audience/Improviser Relationship ; Intentionality ; What is Good? ; The Transpersonal ; Section Two: Resources ; Body ; Movement ; The Senses ; Space ; Time ; Artistic Form ; Images and the Imagination ; Cognitive Skills ; Emotion ; Memory ; Structures ; Attention ; Conclusion ; Appendix ; Suggested Reading ; Index
