Improvisation Strategies for Dancers – by Susan Kempster

Unlock Your Creative Potential: Improvisation Strategies for Dancers

In this course, you’ll discover powerful improvisation techniques designed to help you tap into your intuitive creativity and move beyond overthinking. Learn how to manage your nervous system so that you can perform at your best, even under the pressure of auditions.

Explore tools that enable you to create unique movement languages and unleash your creativity. One of the key practices you’ll learn is Threading – a signature group improvisation technique that guides you into intuitive flow, fostering deep connection and responsiveness with others.

You’ll gain a deeper understanding of how to balance the rational, critical mind with intuitive, spontaneous movement. Learn how to focus your attention, stay grounded in the present moment, and quiet unnecessary thoughts that block creativity.

Through partnering exercises and instant composition, you’ll cultivate sensitivity, strengthen your collaboration skills, and create moments of magic with fellow dancers.

What: 2 x 3hour sessions

When: Saturday 13th & 27th of September 11:00 AM to 02:00 PM

Where: Acosta Dance Centre, Woolwich

NB: Highly trained ballet dancers, in particular, often struggle with improvisation, as the perfectionism necessary for achieving a high technical standard can sometimes foster negative tendencies such as extreme self-criticism and self-consciousness. This critical voice and unhelpful self-awareness create blocks that hinder creative expression. However, when tangible and concrete tasks like threading are introduced, the brain focuses entirely on the physical task at hand, allowing dancers to bypass these negative voices and access a freer, more intuitive flow.