Yagi, Naoko (1999) Towards a definition of performance improvisation. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis discusses the interconnection of 'performance' and
'improvisation', which, despite its long and established history,
has always proved difficult to definitively pin down. My
research question presupposes that 'performance' and
'improvisation' are neither completely separate nor completely
interchangeable. I focus on the area where 'performance' and
'improvisation' overlap each other, which I call 'performance
improvisation'. The thesis seeks to answer the question, 'What
can I induce from materials focussed around the individual
"creativities" that might serve to construct a prototypical
explanation to define "performance improvisation"? '. The main
chapters interpret and analyse materials written and published
between the beginning of the twentieth century and the 1990s with
particular emphasis on the so-called 'theatre' and 'dance' in
North America. The concluding chapter proposes oppositional
features of 'performance' and 'improvisation', stating that
'performance improvisation' is a dynamic intertwinement of those
features, which manifests in each individual 'creativity'. The
conclusion offers a benchmark for future attempts at defining
'performance improvisation'.
A brief overview of the commedia dell'arte in Chapter 1
introduces the main chapters. Chapter 2 looks at the correlation
of human body and mind. In Chapter 3, I discuss body and mind
negotiating with and deviating from traditions and conventions.
The scope of the discussion expands in Chapter 4, which considers
the idea, or the concept, of 'performance' and 'improvisation' as
seen by individuals. Chapter 5 looks at the audience's point of
view in relation to the performer's point of view. The argument
in those chapters is tested in Chapter 6 against case study
materials that discuss highly experimental practices. Chapter 7
concludes the thesis, in which I answer the research question by
way of proposing eight pairs of oppositional features that
characterise 'performance' and 'improvisation'.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Improvisation (Acting), Theater -- United States, Dance -- United States
Official Date:	June 1999
Dates:	Date Event June 1999 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Theatre Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Barker, Clive, 1931-
Extent:	[vi], 340 leaves
Language:	eng

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