Introduction
There is Room for You
The Great Break into a Million Pieces
An Overview
How to Use This Book—Getting the Most from your Companion
Composing as Companion?
More Notes on Semantics
You Say Impro, I Say Improv
Chapter 1 Materia Prima
Introduction
Using What's Available: Forti, Dilley, Campbell
Dancing with All You've Got: Sgorbati, Duck
Going Beyond What You Do: Martin
Playing with What's Given: Bull, Reitz, Topf, Overlie, Forsythe
A Closing Thought about Material
Interlude—So many influences, so little time . . .
Chapter 2 Form: Dancing Takes Shape
Introduction
Ritual: Anna Halprin
Performance Practice: Deborah Hay
Ancient Memories: Eiko and Koma
A New Form of Dance: Steve Paxton
Studying Form: Richard Bull
From Chaos to Form through Play: Keith Hennessy
Articulating Forms: Nina Martin
Fostering Form: Penny Campbell
Emerging Forms: Susan Sgorbati
Frames as Forms: Mary Overlie
The Senses as Composers: Lisa Nelson
Forming a Dialogue of Spirit, Nature, and Culture: Suprapto Suryodarmo (Prapto)
Investigating Open Space Improvisation: Barbara Dilley
A Closing Thought about Form
Practices for Further Research
Interlude—Notes to myself: "No room for form with love this strong." (Rumi)
Chapter 3 Time Machines
Introduction
A Chance Encounter: Katie Duck
Options to Glacial Time: Nina Martin
Time Warp: Mary Overlie
Surprise: Min Tanaka
Shaping Time: Dana Reitz
Epic: Nancy Stark Smith
Time to Digest: Nancy Topf
Through the Looking Glass: Steve Paxton
Compressing Time: William Forsythe
A Sense of Time: Barbara Dilley
Back in Time: Lisa Nelson
A Closing Thought about Time
Practices for Further Research
Interlude—Notes to myself: Living Backwards
Chapter 4 Spacial Relations
Introduction
Palindrome: Richard Bull
The Grid: Barbara Dilley
Spherical Space: Paxton
The Global Underscore: Nancy Stark Smith
The Hot Spot: Nina Martin
Listen to the Space: Dana Reitz
Architecture: Mary Overlie
Room Writing: William Forsythe
Exit and Dance: Katie Duck
A Closing Thought about Space
Practices for Further Research
Interlude—Ma
Chapter 5 The Dancing Image
Introduction
The Red Square: Barbara Dilley
The Single Image Score: Lisa Nelson
Complete the Form and Neuro: Nina Martin
Poetic and Anatomical Imagery: Joan Skinner and Marsha Paludan et al.
Dynamic Anatomy: Nancy Topf
Becoming Butoh: Kazuo Ohno
Body Weather: Min Tanaka
Disappearing: Mary Overlie
A Closing Thought about the Dancing Image
Practices for Further Research
Interlude—Invisible Dances with Mary Overlie
Chapter 6 The Possibilities of Music
Introduction
Equals in Process: Judith Dunn and Bill Dixon
Integrated yet Independent: Penny Campbell
An Emerging Duet: Susan Sgorbati
A Dialogue of Forms: Richard Bull
Minimalists: Nancy Topf and Jon Gibson
Magpie Music Dance: Katie Duck
The Music in Movement: Dana Reitz
Carrying the Music: Kazuo Ohno
86 Aspects: Nancy Stark Smith and Mike Vargas
A Closing Thought about Music
Practices for Further Research
Interlude—Notes to myself: Listening
Chapter 7 The Eyes
Introduction
The Five Eye Practices: Barbara Dilley
Engaging the Eyes: Katie Duck
The Kinesthetics of Seeing: Lisa Nelson
The Eyes as an Image of Depth: Nancy Topf
Playing the Field: Nina Martin
Peripheral Vision: Steve Paxton
Cleaning the Windows of Perception: Suprapto Suryodarmo (Prapto)
A Closing Thought about the Eyes
Practices for Further Research
Interlude—Notes to myself: Catch It Out of the Corner of my Eye
Chapter 8 Partnering Science
Introduction
Comparative Anatomy of a Moving Body: Jennifer Monson
Embodying Complexity: Susan Sgorbati
Physics for the Body: Steve Paxton
A Research Proposal: Simone Forti
A Closing Thought about Partnering Science
Practices for Further Research
Interlude—Notes to myself on not knowing
Chapter 9 The Magical Object
Introduction
Taking Instructions from Objects: Lisa Nelson
Re-reify: Mary Overlie
Animate Dancing: Simone Forti
Drawing Dances: Dana Reitz
Wiggle Room: William Forsythe
Bytes: Pooh Kaye
Objects in Space: Nancy Topf
Not Only for Yourself: Min Tanaka
A Closing Thought about Objects
Practices for Further Research
Interlude–The objects begin to speak . . .
Appendices:
Who's Who and What's What in the Improviser's Companion
Dance-Maker Biographical Sketches and Contextual Information
Bibliography
Dance-Maker Selected Bibliographies and Further Reading
