For a 150-pound person, one hour of fast dancing can burn 374 calories. It's also good for your brain; a 2003 study in the "New England Journal of Medicine" linked dancing to decreased rates of dementia. Dance helps you stay healthy and age gracefully, and when you add in an element of improvisation, it can also help you build confidence, creativity and the ability to think on your feet.
Winging It
Improvisational dance simply means making up movements instead of following a prescribed routine. If you go out dancing with friends you are probably participating in improvisational dance, you just don't know it. Improvisational dance is natural. It's instinctive, and you don't need a lot of advanced dance experience to be able to do it either in a class or on your own.
Going Solo
Many people will be more comfortable trying out improvisational dance at home. If you want to go solo, take a few minutes to put together music that inspires you. Simple music with strong percussion makes it easier to find the beat. Create a playlist that builds from moderate to faster-paced music and then winds down to moderate again. This will provide you with a natural warmup and cooldown.
What to Do
When improvising, keep it simple. Start off with something you are comfortable doing, like a march or a step-tap. Focus on the music: use songs you know well, and find the beat. Think of ways to highlight the accents in the music by using your arms or varying foot motions. Try not to over-analyze what you're doing; after all, humans have been spontaneously dancing to drum beats since time immemorial.
Taking a Class
Some dance schools offer improvisational dance classes. These classes usually involve the instructor leading students through a variety of types of moves, with plenty of room for interpretation. For example, a teacher might ask students to move across the floor as if they were walking on stilts. Sometimes two or more students are partnered together, and the second one mirrors the movements of the first. This class format gives students an immediate performance experience and can help advanced dancers build spontaneity.
Teaching a Class
If you teach a dance or fitness class and want to try a bit of improvisational dance, start out with a five- to ten-minute improv segment. Select a simple, percussion-driven song and clap out the beat. Ask the students to form a circle and tell the students which direction the action will go. Pick one person to start off, and give him eight counts to show off a step all his own that the other students will copy. After eight counts, move on to the next person in the circle. You can also insert a 16-count segment in a choreographed routine and ask students to freestyle during that segment.
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