Coordinated Improvisation

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Coordinated Improvisation cues
Last Updated 2/9/06
Coordinated Improv dances have a designated
leader who uses a predefined set of moves to
improvise a dance during a piece of recorded or
live music. Each move is associated with a cue
that the leader performs just prior to switching
into that move. Once a move is established, it is
repeated until the leader cues a new move. Tempo
is set by the music and interpreted by the
leader. Leadership can be changed during the
course of a dance. Please note that the cues
and moves provided here are not the same as those
performed in tribal style bellydance or
established by Fat Chance of San Francisco. I
respect the creativity of arbitrary groups of
dancers and therefore encourage them my students
to design their own cued movements. These were
selected by my Intermediate class at McGuffey Art
Center in the winter of 2005-2006
Cue Move Direction
Begin to the left
Place hands on hips
Chest figure 8s (flat, from back to front)
Begin to the left
Floreo into open arms
Paperclips (at the hips)
Either (travel in the direction that your hand _at_
shoulder level is pointing)
Barbie arms
Hip bumps in a circle
Either (go towards whichever toe is pointed out)
Arms up, one foot extended
Falling leaves
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Cue Move Direction
Begin to the left
Place hands behind the head
Flat figure 8s, front-back
Egyptian arms down at sides, one foot on the ball
Hip drops front-back, repeat
Begin to the left, when switching to the right,
perform a floreo, then a large, obvious weight
shift
Vertical hip figure 8s with levels (over the
top). Pause at bottom before reversing direction
to come back up (under the bottom). After coming
all the way back up, do a floreo if you plan to
repeat the move.
Egyptian hands by hips
Begin to the left
Begin either side
Raise one arm (either)
Snake arms
Change of leadership (rotate!). Use ¾ shimmies
for travel step
Cross arms across chest, turn to the left
Camel first, then dolphin
Half camel/half dolphins
Put hands flat on thighs