Photo: Jeremiah Cumberbatch
Improvisation as Sustainability
By Mitsuko Clarke-Verdery
I was introduced to Jazz in Pittsburgh, at the late CJs Lounge thanks to an old partner of mine. Every Thursday night, committed local Jazz lovers would turn out to hear some incredible musicians perform. It was such a vibrant community of people, energy, and music. As each artist took their solo spotlight, I studied their nuances. They improvised so naturally; it was as if I could taste what they were playing. I realized then that improvising is about creating with what you have and know. It’s having all of the spices in your cabinet, knowing how each spice tastes, and then making something new.
Right now in this global crisis, we’re all improvising with preparation, even when we didn’t think we had enough prep time. For my partner Anya and myself, it’s been a daily improvisation with reimagining our shared space and lives. With what was a living room and bedroom, it is now an office, dance studio, art making nook, and more. With our dance company, MICHIYAYA Dance, we’re turning our canceled performance into a dance film and transforming old choreographic material. This week we led online rehearsals and company class—which surfaced new discoveries of dancing with our couches, doorways, and home goods.
Improvisation is vital. Growing up I was taught to save everything. ”You never know when you might need it,” my mom would say. She grew up with parents that lived through the Great Depression, and it’s through that lineage that instilled improv as sustainability. And right now we’re doing so to support one another, for a collective healing. I just hope I can improvise the way I experienced artists like Roger Humphries—with ease, confidence, and prepped for all kinds of artful surprises.
Listen to Roger Humphries "Why Wait"
Mitsuko Clarke-Verdery is a New York bred performance, dance, and visual artist. She received her BFA in Visual Art from Carnegie Mellon University along with a completion of the Independent Study program at the Alvin Ailey Dance School. Mitsuko is the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of MICHIYAYA Dance, a femme-centric contemporary dance theater company based in New York City. With MICHIYAYA, Mitsuko directs the company, producing multidisciplinary work that centers the experiences of queer womxn. Alongside her partner Anya Clarke-Verdery, they were 2019 Carnegie Mellon University School of Art & Drama Resident Artists and Guest Lecturers. Mitsuko has been featured in Art Forum, Vice i-D, THINX, Medium, among others. She has received grants and awards from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Opportunity Fund, and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. For more information visit michiyayadance.org.
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