2/16/2026 - Week 6 / Meeting 10: Multi-Modal / Dancing and Drawing

 

 

Unit: Multi-Modal

Theme: Dancing and Drawing

 

I

Introduction

Dance Improvisation can also derive from other art modalities.Today, we will explore the influence that drawing has on dance that emerges from stream of consciousness creativity. It is a kind of aesthetic response to art, but in this case, the dancer's own art.

II 

Learning Objectives

 

• Understand the inter-modal process (drawing, music, dance).
  
• Explain the sensations generated as a result of the work
• Gain awareness of the use of drawing to generate movement vocabulary
  
• Experience solo improv when responding to the piece
  
• Reflect on the creative process at the end of the process
  

 

III

 

Warm Up

Stretching

 

IV

Main Lesson

1

Link:

Dancing and Drawing by Auriea Harvey

 

"While I was not able to explore a structural representational style I would like to employ, due to reasons of time, I still feel what this exercise provided me with is a visceral approach to starting a drawing, a method for developing poses or even an entire choreographic outline for a model or performer whom I will draw. I think an applied theme or narrative would lead to an even more visually rich outcome. I wouldn't mind trying this all again." A. Harvey

 ------------------------------

Questions

After reading A. Harvey's report answer the following questions:

1. What does A. Harvey mean when she says, " I have a preference for the motions of the everyday and the absurd? "

2. Explain the meaning of the following statement:

"For it is not the performance but the intentionality of the created artefact and its aesthetic effect that I am interested in."  A. Harvey

3. What is A. Harvey's idea of a score?

4. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement; explain the meaning of the statement below:

"The world needs spaces for artists to experiment, discuss and transform vague ideas into big plans." 

 

 2

Read the Article

 

Composing While Dancing: An Improviser's Companion

Melinda Buckwalter

Introduction (1st and 2nd paragraph)

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Composing_while_Dancing/LRt59Uv9_OEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Art,+Music+and+Dance+Improvisation&printsec=frontcover 

Buckwalter, Melinda (2010).  Composing While Dancing: An Improviser's Companion. The University of Wisconsin Press

 

V

 A Note to Remember

The danger of attempting to capture something of improvisation's essence and place it on the page, is that to capture it is to stop it from being the thing that it is - changeable. (Buckwalter 2010)

 

VI

Case Study

Video

Live Drawing and Dance Response to visual art: Laura Kvelstein and Jaanika Peerna

Question 5

Write your reflection to this piece.

VII

Activity 1

Draw freely any image you want to draw and dance to it using the following guidelines:

Dance its colors

Dance its textures

Dance its shapes 

*

Is there a story?

What is the story?

Exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution

Express it in movement & dance.

 *

Imagine the painting could talk through you.

What would it say?

Express it in movement & dance.

 

VIII

 

Activity 2

 

Now think about the concepts bellow and create your score,

• Synthesis
• Composition
• Score

And, create a score of your improvisational dance based on your drawing

 

IX

Glossary

 

X

Journaling

 

XI

Sources

 

XII

Students' Work 

Academic

 

Michael Safir

• Harvey is interested in movement that comes from both everyday actions and more unusual or unexpected gestures. She values the ordinary as well as the strange, finding creative potential outside of traditional dance techniques.
• She emphasizes that the intention behind the work matters more than the act of performing it. For her, the meaning, purpose, and the way the audience experiences the piece are more important than the performance itself.
• In Harvey’s view, a score is a flexible guideline that sparks creativity. It acts as a starting point for exploration in movement or drawing, rather than a strict set of rules to follow.
• I agree with this idea because artists need supportive spaces where they can experiment freely. These environments allow ideas to develop over time through trial, collaboration, and discovery.
• The video demonstrated a strong connection between movement and visual art. The dancer and the drawing influenced one another in real time, creating a fluid and interactive exchange. It showed how different art forms can come together and evolve through improvisation.