Movement scores : creative language as a means of inspiring dance improvisation

Abstract

This dissertation project investigates how the creative use of written and verbal language can impact and inspire the dance improvisation of experienced performers. The project sheds light on the expressive features of both dance and language, and investigates how these forms of communication can become intertwined through the use of written movement scores. By working with movement scores that utilise different modes of language, the research investigates how verbally conveyed information becomes an altered form of expression in movement. Amongst other interests, the research also examines how the performers’ intellectual understanding of a certain text and their motivation to move are correlated in the context of dance improvisation.