I Notice that I'm Noticing

Abstract

This essay considers the concept of noticing in improvisational movement practices and interrogates how what and how we notice can have a significant impact on movement material that is spontaneously composed. This essay takes as its starting point the premise that the act of noticing is a conscious and active form of engagement, and then goes on to discuss this in relation to what and how dance artists notice in the moment of improvising. The author draws from her experience of studying with leading improvisers but primary focus is on the author’s experience of working with American dance maker Deborah Hay in her 2011 Solo Performance Commissioning Project (SPCP). Interviews with dance artists Simon Ellis and Matthias Sperling provide further in-vivo perspectives in order to exemplify the significance of noticing in Hay’s performance practice.