Inspirational Improvisation

Two bastions of Beijing's creative scene will join forces on 19 March in an exploration of language, movement, interaction and all sorts of artistic subtleties in-between. Promising both culture and fun, the event will mix bold, bilingual elements, a healthy dose of audience participation and just the right amount of the unexpected, all resulting in the highly experimental, definitely memorable and daringly innovative Improv2, an ambitious fusion of theatre and dance taking place this weekend under the wide-reaching JUE festival umbrella.

Established in 2005, independent contemporary dance company, LDTX has carved out quite a name for themselves, both on the local and international stage. Under the guidance of acclaimed and award-winning artistic director Willy Tsao, the collective have gone from strength to strength, regularly holding dance workshops, performances and classes. This will be the third time they've teamed up with fellow Beijing legends, Beijing Improv and both parties, it would seem, are thrilled at the prospect of this latest collaboration, perhaps their most creative yet.

"We really like what Beijing Dance/ LDTX do", enthuses Lottie Dowling, co-founder of Beijing Improv, the city's longest-running group dedicated to the theatrical genre. " We said to them, why don't we combine our two art forms - all improvised – both groups working together and exchanging ideas onstage… it's kind of an experiment!"

Indeed it is: comprising a dance workshop, improv workshop and performance, the event will be a foray into the unknown – quite literally: dancers and actors will respond to themes called out by the audience, as well as react to each others' spontaneity. Beijing Improv will perform a series of short scenes, interspersed with LDTX's physical and no doubt highly creative take on both theatre and theme. "Hopefully the dance will develop from the scenes and vice-versa", explains Lottie.

And as if that weren't boundary-pushing enough, there'll be a bilingual element too. "Actually Beijing Improv has two main groups – the main stage players who perform every month do short form and musical improve, as well as the free Wednesday workshop", clarifies Lottie. "Our bilingual team were formed from a course run by myself and Jonathan [Palley, the group's co-fouder] – after the sessions had ended, they didn't want to disband, they wanted to carry on so we took them under the Beijing Improv wing so to speak and they're now our bilingual team. They're Chinese with great or mixed English, and foreigners with good or variable Chinese. It's incredibly hard – how can you do improv bilingually, switching between two languages and still making it work for both the audience and the actors. It's really exciting and very new for China".

On a practical level, though, such a layered approach inevitably presents creative challenges for both parties. Lottie, however, is undeterred: "You've got dancers who don't speak English, actors and groups who are bilingual or speak just one or the other language… we'll see how it works; whatever happens it's going to be really interesting."

Na Na, LDTX's Training Centre Coordinator is similarly excited by the possibilities the fusion of these various elements presents, "The really enjoyable part for the dancers is responding to the topics, on the spot – it will be very creative and we're looking forward to the random, unexpected parts of it."

Improv – of all kinds – is still a relatively new art form in China. Experimental in their approach to, well, just about everything, the Beijing group dabble in not only long- and short-form improv, but also musical, and new for what will be their third annual festival later this year, cooking. However free-flowing and unplanned it may seem, however, there are certain guidelines to follow for success. "Because it's so loose, there are formats you need to follow, explains Lottie. "For example, you should always say yes to people's ideas. If you start blocking, the scene shuts down really quickly. Improvising is all about teams and team performing. The number one rule is to make the other person look good – if you do that then it works".

Although lending itself well to comedy, improv can follow any genre. "Long-form tends not to be so much comedy – short-form is. Saturday's show will comprise a bit of both – comedic and non", assures Lottie.

No matter whether you're of a theatrical, dance or even linguistics persuasion, Improv2! promises to be a must-see event. "It's something creatively different, really exploring and pushing the boundaries of the arts, enthuses Lottie. "There are a lot of set formats – sculpture, improv, dance, painting - but combining two formats together is going to be really interesting".

Na Na echoes her sentiments: "The event is for everyone, especially people studying theatre or dance – we're really looking forward to it"

So, if you fancy trying your hand at improv, dabbling in contemporary dance and watching one of JUE festival's more innovative collaborations, make sure you're at LDTX studios this Saturday from 2pm. Tickets start at an eminently reasonable 60rmb and are available here. Enjoy!

北京朝阳区下甸厂坡村16号，北京雷动天下现代舞团。
16 Xiadianchangpo Village, Xidawang Road, Chaoyang District

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Beijing Improv continue their JUE collaboration with a performance by The Main Stage Players and workshop on 26 and 27 March respectively. For further details of all events, check the JUE schedule here

Pictures with this article taken from the Bejing Dance LDTX website