Joy in Motion

The Positive Side of Anticipation: Play, Humor, and the Breaking of Expectations

We’re all taught that anticipation is a negative in the dance, especially when it comes to following. But once you have learned how not to, it can be fun (and funny) to consciously choose to anticipate. The other night I had a wonderful dance with a gentleman that was all about me anticipating, and enjoying the glorious feeling of jumping in and out of synchronicity with my partner. At times, we would be perfectly matched up in where we saw ourselves going. In other moments I would giggle at the difference in where our minds and bodies were moving and would find a creative way to jump back into his flow. I can’t remember the last time I felt so giddy in a dance. Playing with the natural expectations we form as movers, thinkers, and feelers is extraordinary, and I was lucky to be dancing with a partner who was able and willing (and skilled and flexible and fun enough) to play that game with me.

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Born to Improvise: The Natural Magic of the Human Brain

I recently came across a great talk on TED by Charles Limb, M.D., a surgeon who has conducted some fascinating studies to find out what happens in the brain when we play music that is spontaneously generated (i.e. improvised) compared to when we play music that is over-learned (i.e., memorized).

The studies include jazz pianists improvising on a scale, jazz pianists improvising with each other (also known as “trading fours"), and rappers free-styling. The resulting brain scans that analyze blood flow as an indicator of brain activity revealed three things that happen during improvisation vs. recited music:

1. During improvisation, the self-monitoring parts of the brain deactivate while the self-expressive parts activate.

2. The parts of the brain that deal with expressive communication (you may have heard of Broca’s area before) are activated during improvisational interplay between musicians, supporting the language analogy often used in discussions about music (and dance) acquisition.

3. The brain experiences an overall increase in brain activity - including in visual and motor areas - during improvisation compared to the playing of over-learned music.

Here is the full video of Limb’s talk on TED, which I highly recommend you watch before delving further into his study…

I was very excited about Limb’s findings, so I read the full study on jazz improvisation and found it pretty accessible and easy to read. There are a few gems in there that won’t be found on the video…

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Child’s Play: A Lesson in Musicality

I found this video very enjoyable to watch, and I am so glad I watched it all the way through and didn’t miss the ending. To me, this is the perfect combination of seriousness and joy, virtuosity and innocence. The intensity in this young boy’s face mirrors the feelings about the dance I carry inside of me. When you love something, you engage in serious play until you collapse from joy.

On a more practical (but still playful) note, this video actually provides a great exercise for dancers. Homer and Cristina Ladas use an exercise in their classes called Tai Chi Tango, in which partners face each other with their palms touching and take turns leading the hands in movement and compressions to the rhythm, syncopations, and other effects in the music. What this video demonstrates – air conducting – is a similar way to open up creativity and musicality in dancers because it removes judgment of right or wrong moves and focuses instead on serious play that can unlock our ability to hear and interpret the music in bodily form. Who ever said practicing isn’t fun?

Thank you to Ms. Hedgehog for sharing this video!