Dance, Monkey, Dance!

We've heard of improvisational comedy, music, and art - all three can be found pretty commonly nowadays. But improvisational dance?

It seems also contradictory to what we've always imagined to be the nature of dance itself: carefully rehearsed movements conveying a precisely choreographed grace of form. But this might very well be because the only forms of 'dance' we've ever seen outside of a performance space are the slapstick appendicular convulsions exhibited in nightclubs, dive bars and high school proms.

But enough about us!

There's a group in town known as the Improvisational Movement Project, sponsored by Refraction Arts, who are Austin's sole dance organization specializing in what they call "composition in the moment." This finds emphasis in "elements of choreography that can be called upon instantly", which, if you think about it, is almost like saying these dancers are able to perform out of reflex. With a similarly-improvised musical accompaniment, we suspect it makes for a pretty unique show.

This Thursday and Saturday are your chances to gawk at IMP at Clear Spring Studio. They'll be performing at 8:30pm each night.

The Improvisational Movement Project
July 14, 16 @ 8:30pm
Clear Spring Studio (map)
512-554-5503
Tickets: $10/$7