Teaching Dance Improvisation

Matthew Farmer is Chair of the Dance Department at Hope College and the Dorothy Wiley DeLong Endowed Professor of Dance. He is the former Co-Artistic Director of R.G. Dance Productions, current Co-Artistic Director of H2 Dance Co., and co-author of the book Introductory Modern Dance: A Teaching Manual. Matthew received his MFA from the University of Michigan in Dance Performance and Choreography, and his BA in Theatre and Dance from Hope College. Matthew was a company member of The Peter Sparling Dance Co., company member and Associate Director of LehrerDance, and has performed as a solo artist in the United States, Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. Farmer’s choreography has been produced by college and university dance programs, professional dance companies, international festivals, theater companies, dance competitions, and musical theater venues throughout the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, France, and Ecuador. As an educator, Matthew focuses on modern dance, contemporary dance, jazz dance, improvisation, partnering, and dance composition.

• AcknowledgementsIntroductionChapter 1What Is Improvisation?Chapter 2The 10 Rules of Improvisation; Plus 1Chapter 3Rule #1 – There is No Right or Wrong… But Sometimes There Is a Better ChoiceChapter 4Rule #2 – Follow Your ImpulseChapter 5Rule #3 – Start with What You KnowChapter 6Rule #4 – When in Doubt, Go Back to the BeginningChapter 7Rule # 5 – The Moment You Check Out, Someone Gets HurtChapter 8Rule #6 – It Takes a Village to Raise an ImprovisationChapter 9Rule #7 – The Hardest Part Isn’t Knowing When to Start: It’s Knowing How to StartChapter 10Rule #8 – Everything You Need Exists in the World around YouChapter 11Rule #9 – Continual Movement in and of Itself Is Not Necessarily ImprovisationChapter 12Rule #10 – Be Wary of the Black HoleChapter 13Plus 1 – Repetition Is Comfort FoodChapter 14Additional Considerations and Concluding ThoughtsChapter 15Sample Class CurriculumsIndex