Flowing Improvisational Dance

"How can I make my improvisational dancing smoother?" from N.S. in California

The answer I heard the most when I first learned to improv was... "You should slow down." But theres a big problem with that--not everybody wants to dance slowly. You can be sensual and still move fast, just check out tango and latin dancers. Instead consider what latin dancers, and sensual exotic and aerial dancers (pole included) have in common. Beyond beauty and strength, they also have a balance between emotional expression and resistance. What I mean is that when you watch an improvisational dancer, she is moving according to what she feels as well as creating resistance to that movement.

Pure Shadow Style

Whether she moves fast or slow isn't as important as taking the movement generated by emotion and creating a balance by using her technique and control to physically resist it. You can practice this right now by raising your arms, but slightly resisting the movement. This will create some tension in the muscle, but more importantly, this will create an intensity in your movement as you extend to your full range of motion or contract back to your relaxed position. You can practice this technique during your ShadowStyle Improvisations until you find the balance of resistance and emotional expression thats perfect for you.