Choreography: A Basic Approach Using Improvisation (3rd edition)
Pub. Date: 2007
ISBN: 0736064761
Edition Description: 176pp, paperback
Author: Sandra Cerny Minton

Reviewer: Mary Raciborski

The purpose of this book is to provide a formula for using improvisation to create a dance. It is a book that would be a wonderful resource that can be used very effectively by anyone from dance majors to teachers desiring to incorporate dance into his/her program.

Not only is this book visually captivating, it is instructionally superior. Minton has arranged the book in a sequence that even the non-dancer can use. She breaks down the skills in an orderly way. She also provides written and visual prompts, including the proper vocabulary to use. A glossary, references and resources, plus an index are incorporated in the 152 pages that comprise this book. The language flows easily from one paragraph to the next. Each step in the creation of the dance is clearly broken down to a level that the projected audience can easily understand.

One particularly important sequence found in Chapter 1 - Exploring and Improvising Movement - deals with solving improvisational challenges. Mental blocks, remembering movements, and fitting it all together are areas that frequently stymie a choreographer. For the new choreographer, Minton breaks down the skills needed to overcome these problems. For the seasoned choreographer, she provides fresh ideas for creations, and support for skills they may already be using. She reminds the reader that a dance takes shape in stages, and that enough time is needed for the dance to both incubate and emerge.

Minton reminds us that movement memory can only be improved through repetition. She gives the reader permission to understand choreography without judging it immediately, and to allow the form to develop naturally in relation to what the choreographer is planning. This is only one brief example of the valuable information Minton provides in her book on all areas of improvisational choreography. She takes the mystery out of what dance can be for choreographers and teachers alike. By accomplishing that, she makes dance a very doable addition in all levels of physical education programs.

People who read this book will be amazed that improvisation actually has an orderly formula to follow. All too often people feel that improvisation is just a spontaneous act. After reading this book you will understand why the performers who follow a format during improvisation are so successful. These lessons can easily transfer to any level of teaching dance, and will be a valuable resource for years to come. Kudos to Minton for a job well done!

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