The Art of Presence: Contemplation, Communing and Creativity reflects on the making of a dance theatre work called Song of Longing presented at Victorian College of the Arts in 2008. Song of Longing was made in collaboration with the cast, who participated in a process centred on improvisation. The resulting performance was a synergy of dance and unaccompanied singing. / The thesis is an investigation of the choreographer's ongoing exploration of movement, singing and improvisation, informed by Buddhist philosophy. Both the writing and the performance mirror an embodied practice - making tangible themes and concepts that have emerged into consciousness. / Central interests include the ‘life-world’ of the artist and its influence on the creative process, the concepts of spirituality, spirit and ‘flow’, the experiential focus of the inquiry, improvisation as presence and the value of art as healing and therapy. / While the perspective of the writing is drawn from the subjectivity of the practitioner, the aim of the work is to draw on the broader fields of research in these areas and to connect with the creative practices of other artists. To this end, a conventional survey of the literature has been augmented by writings and teachings on Buddhism and other spiritual practices, documentaries and visual art. Interviews with artists in Australia and India and thoughts from the performers of Song of Longing are also included.

L'improvisation a une place importante dans la danse contemporaine, soit pour permettre au chorégraphe d'inventer de la matière gestuelle et de composer, soit en tant qu'oeuvre qui se construit dans l'instant, l'improvisation spectacle. Cette thèse s'intéresse à comprendre comment le danseur improvisateur procède pour créer dans l'immédiat, et fait la supposition de la nécessité d'une conscience affinée de son propre corps et de son environnement scénique. Trois artistes improvisateurs (Michel Raji, Loïc Touzé et Pascal Quéneau) se sont produits sur scène dans le cadre de cette étude et ont répondu à différents entretiens afin d'expliquer et d'analyser leur travail. Le cadre théorique que propose la Gestalt-thérapie permet, grâce à des concepts comme la théorie du self, le cycle de contact-retrait, l'awareness, le vide fertile, d'analyser l'interaction d'un individu avec son environnement dans un contexte précis et sa manière de répondre à des besoins. En utilisant ce cadre, il a été mis en évidence cinq spécificités qui pourraient caractériser l'improvisation en danse. Lorsqu'il improvise, l'artiste raconte sur scène sa propre histoire à travers son style personnel. Il adapte son travail en fonction du contexte dans lequel il se produit. Il s'appuie sur une structure compositionnelle qu'il a pensée antérieurement. La relation au moment présent est essentielle aussi bien dans la dimension immédiate du geste que dans la dimension contemporaine, historique et esthétique. Enfin, l'invention de mouvements dans l'instant, la vigilance et l'engagement dont font preuve les improvisateurs, caractérisent leur facilité à être dans l'awareness

On s'intéresse ici à une classe particulière de phénomènes musicaux improvisés : ceux qui réunissent au moins deux musiciens improvisant simultanément et librement. Les musiciens placés dans cette situation doivent affronter un problème particulier : il n'y a aucun ensemble intersubjectif de données musicales (voire extra-musicales) qui vienne contrôler non seulement le devenir formel de l'improvisation (inter-détermination horizontale) mais encore la coexistence concurrente des différents discours improvisés (inter-détermination verticale).A partir de là, il s'agit de montrer que l'on peut penser l'improvisation collective libre, en tant qu'elle est une situation interactive, stratégique et collaborative, sous la catégorie générique du problème de coordination.Cette appartenance étant posée, la question est ensuite envisagée sous différents angles. Dans la première partie, la théorie des jeux, en particulier la théorie des points focaux, est mobilisée pour déterminer les heuristiques cognitives qui seront utilisées par les improvisateurs pour parvenir effectivement à se coordonner. On montre dans la deuxième partie la place centrale qu'occupe l'idée de coordination dans la dynamique et la gestion formelle d'une improvisation collective libre. Le cadre théorique est finalement confronté à deux types de données empiriques : des analyses d'extraits du festival Company Week, organisé par le guitariste Derek Bailey, dans la troisième partie ; et les résultats de cinq proto-expérimentations menées auprès de musiciens issus de la Norwegian Academy of Music et du CNSMD de Lyon, dans la quatrième partie.

<p>Purpose</p><p>To study how improvisation allows a crisis manager to answer the crisis when it has occurred, and how the improvisational act and the environment are linked. Methodology/ApproachFirst, we led research on the concepts of crisis, crisis management and improvisation. We were able to distinguish two major characteristics of the crisis situation – uncertainty and time pressure – as well as two moments in crisis response – containment and recovery. In parallel, we studied improvisation. The improvisation act intervenes when one realizes the environment conditions, reduces the gap between thinking the action and executing the action, and increases the speed of his actual action. Also, we identified that improvisation was expressed through the use of creativity, bricolage and intuition. At last, some authors developed levels of improvisation whether based on creativity levels or on the distance between the way one acts and the procedures, the normal ways to act. From this literature review, we were able to highlight two research propositions: Proposition 1: As soon as a situation enters a crisis phase, improvisation is used. Proposition 2: The way and the extent to improvise depend on the extent of time-pressure and uncertainty.Our belief in a mainly subjective conception of reality and of our knowledge and the fact we could use enough existing knowledge to enunciate propositions led us to have a semi-inductive research approach and a qualitative strategy. Our data were collected by using recorded semi-structured interviews. Our sample was constituted of managers specialized in the management of a crisis – surgeons and high mountain rescuers.</p><p>Findings</p><p>Our data analysis allowed us to confirm the research propositions. Crisis managers improvise when responding to a crisis by being creative, aware and adaptable to the environment conditions, and by having quick decision-making processes. Their improvisation levels are dependent on the situation uncertainty/novelty levels. In fact, we could identify a “mirror effect”: the level of improvisation increases as uncertainty increases.</p><p>Limitations</p><p>Some points are factors of the limitation of this research. These limitations are essentially linked to a reduced transdisciplinary approach. The topic of this research deserves a larger sample of interviewees in order to improve the relevance of our findings and their capacity to be generalized.</p><p>Originality/Value</p><p>The value of this study comes from the relevance of the investigated fields – fields with recurrent crisis management – and from the experience of their interviewed members. This research was also led with philosophical considerations materialized by a transdisciplinary approach. Indeed, we interviewed persons from fields outside business management.</p>

<p>In this essay, I will treat the view of learning and musicianship among educated and uneducated musicians in improvised music. The survey is based on six different interviews with musicians in improvised music. In my inquiry, I have found that there are some differences between the two groups in their view of the subject.</p>

<p>In this essay, I will treat the view of learning and musicianship among educated and uneducated musicians in improvised music. The survey is based on six different interviews with musicians in improvised music. In my inquiry, I have found that there are some differences between the two groups in their view of the subject.</p>

<p>Syftet med denna undersökning är att kartlägga struktur och generella drag hos kundsamtal i en lanthandel samt att studera improvisation, dvs. hur språket varierar beroende på samtalspartner, i dessa samtal.</p><p>Femtiotre samtal har spelats in i kassan i en uppländsk lanthandel. Inspelningarna är det huvudsakliga materialet och ligger till grund för analysen, men de har kompletterats med kortare intervjuer.</p><p>Samtalens organisation följer i stora drag transaktionsprocessen. Samtalen är uppdelade i fem faser. Endast en av dessa, betalfasen, är obligatorisk och längden på faserna varierar mellan olika samtal. Samtalen är längre, mer varierade och innehåller mer relationellt tal än kassasamtal som tidigare studerats. Liksom i andra studerade servicesamtal är dock rollerna som kund och kassör tydligt åtskilda och maktrelationen dem emellan asymmetrisk.</p><p>Improvisation är en självklar del av samtalen som används för att förhandla fram vad som ska ske härnäst och upprätthålla goda relationer. Ett improviserat beteende hjälper kassören att handskas med dilemmat att bevara en god relation till kunden samtidigt som man ska leva upp till butikens krav på lönsamhet.</p>

The purposes of the essay are to transcribe and analyze selected solos from the 1964 J. J. Johnson recording, Proof Positive as well as to increase the amount of analytical literature on J. J. Johnson presently obtainable for study by jazz trombonists. J. J. Johnson will further be affirmed as a jazz musician worthy of doctoral level study. Selected solos from the 1964 J. J. Johnson recording Proof Positive will be transcribed and analyzed in depth using a method of analysis incorporating improvisational devices identified by the author. A brief biography of J. J. Johnson is presented along with a review of jazz trombone history in order to provide perspective. A review of related literature will be provided as well. The study will be limited to those solos that meet a selection criterion. The specific solos that were selected met the standard of containing a substantial number of Johnson's characteristic improvisational devices. Melody, harmony, rhythm, and stylistic inflection within each solo are discussed in detail and musical examples from the improvisations are cited to provide emphasis. The 1964 J. J. Johnson recording, Proof Positive was chosen for transcription and analysis due to its historical significance as a seminal recording and for the fact that only "Stella by Starlight" has been published. The remaining trombone solos have not yet been readily made available for study.

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In this essay, I will treat the view of learning and musicianship among educated and uneducated musicians in improvised music. The survey is based on six different interviews with musicians in improvised music. In my inquiry, I have found that there are some differences between the two groups in their view of the subject.