Mar 24 / Blanche Evan's Improvisational Methods: Externalizing

 

Unit: Blanche Evan's Improvisational Methods

Theme: Externalizing

 

I

Introduction

Externalizing means to express a thought or feeling in words or actions. It is equivalent to "an urgent need to externalize the experience. It psychology, it means to

project (a mental image or process) onto a figure outside oneself.

According to Blanch Evan's methodology, externalizing, one her improvisational techniques, means to dance out a dream, a fantasy, or a physical memory.

II 

Learning Objectives

 

• Understand the ideas behind externalizing
  
• Explain the sensations generated as a result of externalizing
• Gain awareness of the use of externalizing in improv
  
• Experience solo and group dance using dreams, fantasies and memory
  
• Reflect on the creative process at the end of the lesson
  

 

 III

 

 WARM UP

Stretching 

 

IV

 

Main Lesson

 

 

1

Dance psychotherapist Ekin Bernay. (16:57 min)

 

Warm Up for Your Creative Self

 Because of the way we are all working; I think this exercise can help us to be centered and focused. It can also help us get into the new unit of study, Blanch Evan's ideas about dance improvisation.

Steps

Look in the mirror and observe your face
Say what you see as you record your voice.
Write on a peace of paper what you said
Circle the negatives words you said
Underline the positive words you said

Shift the meaning of words through: breathing, movement and body awareness.

Follow Bernay's lead until you can do the exercise by yourself.

Question 1

Write a reflection on the effect the exercise had on you.

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2

 

Blanch Evan (5 min)

Blanche Evan was a dancer and choreographer who was a pioneer in the development of dance therapy. For 41 years she had a studio in New York City in which she worked for 20 years teaching creative dance to children and subsequently conducting dance therapy sessions for adults. She was a founding member of the American Dance Therapy Association. Her objective, she once said, was ''the integration of dance with therapy, so that it becomes one.'' Although Miss Evan received training at the Alfred Adler Institute of Individual Psychology and was a member of its faculty, she regarded herself as a dancer and choreographer first.

Blanche Evan's Improvisation Method

Improvisation refers to the Evan method of insight-oriented dance, characterized by free association in movement and guided by psychological, physical, or psycho-physical themes. "Improvisation is dependent on an over-all state of receptivity which is replaced with identification with your theme. At the point of action, it is the summation of your past and present. It is also the arbiter between reality and fantasy" (Evan, 1950, p. 80). Improvisation gives physical form to psychological experiences and Evan states: "Honest improvisation is a direct route to the unconscious" (Benov, 1991, p. 192). 

This work, will allow you to explore content-evoking themes suggested by your own awareness in response to your own verbal and/or movement communications, reason why Berney's exercise, above, is useful. 

Four examples of improvisation techniques, as defined by Evan, are "externalizing," "enacting," "physicalizing," and "rehearsing."

Externalizing

Dance out a dream, fantasy, or physical memory.

Enacting

Recreating a significant life experience that one may be able to embellish through the enactment of previously unexpressed feelings by creating movement and dance.

Physicalizing

Putting into movement an idea, a memory, or a feeling that has been previously stored in a cognitive realm.

Rehearsing

An improvisation in which alternative responses are created and practiced in order to prepare for dance and movement changes outside the studio.

Question 2

After reading the introduction to Evan's ideas about dance improvisation, briefly describe a dream, fantasy or physical memory that you may identify with as your theme for today's work.  

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3

 

  Improvisation Exercise (10 min)

Today we will address  externalizing, which is when you improvise a dance based on
a dream, fantasy, or physical memory. 

Warm up helps us to loosen up our bodies. Ekin Berney's warm up helps us to loosen up our imagination. 

So, now let us delve fully into body movement and creative dance improvisation using the theme you described in question 4.

Follow the following order:

Explore: Movement exploration to begin to feel feelings (2 min)

Identify: Identify those feelings when they are felt (2 min)

Express: Express these feelings in movement metaphors (2 min)

Connect: Find the connection between your movement metaphors
               and the theme you chose (2 min)

Choose 8 moves and create your phrase. 

 

Improvise and use the music below as complement to your movement.

 Question 3

Write a brief reflection of your creative process.

 

 

4

 

 

Read Page xii

 

Dance Improvisations 

Recent History 

Joy Morgenroth

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dance_Improvisations/Z27GUPk1C-IC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Dance+Improvisation&printsec=frontcover 

Morgenroth, Joy (1987). Dance Improvisations. University of Pittsburgh Press

 

Question 4

 

After reading page xii summarize the origins of improvisation.

 

 

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V 

A Note to Remember

 Improvisation gives physical form to psychological experiences and Evan states: "Honest improvisation is a direct route to the unconscious" (Benov, 1991, p. 192).

 

 VI

Case Studies

 

1

RAW Movement Project | MeKinzey

As artists, we all have something that drives our artistic flavor, but rarely do we get the opportunity to embrace and celebrate that individuality. RAW movement is a project that aims to shed light on the difficulties and challenges we face as well as the moments that bring joy and how dance is an outlet to heal, lift, and encourage us as we walk through this thing we call life. We invite dancers of all backgrounds to open up and be vulnerable, to be RAW with us as we try to create a place where we can celebrate dance! We want to see YOU, in all your RAW beauty!

Question 4

Write a brief response to this video. 

How does it relate to your own experience as a dancer.

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2

 

Inspirational Solo

Example of what externalizing could look like.

Question 5

How does watching this video affect your vision of what dance improvisation can become for you in the near future?

 

 

VII

Journaling

 

 

VIII

Glossary

 

 

 IX

Sources

 

 

X

Students' Work 

Academic

William Brodsky

Question 1: Reflection on Ekin Bernay’s Exercise

 
This exercise was unexpectedly powerful. Looking into the mirror and recording my voice allowed me to confront my internal dialogue in a way I don’t usually do. It felt vulnerable—almost intrusive—to hear myself name both the critical and kind observations I had. Circling the negative words and underlining the positives was revealing. Through breathing and movement, I felt those words shift. What started as harsh criticism softened. The practice helped me begin loosening the grip of judgment and made me feel more open to using my body to express something deeper. It wasn’t just a warm-up for dance—it was a warm-up for honesty.

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Question 2: Dream, Fantasy, or Physical Memory

 
The theme I chose for this improvisation was a physical memory—the moment I stepped onto a stage alone for the first time as a teenager. I remember the lights hitting me, the sound of my own breath in the silence, the way my chest tightened—but also how something in me expanded. That moment was a mix of fear, freedom, and adrenaline. I’ve never forgotten the physical rush of it, the groundedness in my feet and the floating sensation in my upper body. That duality became the foundation for today’s improvisation.

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Question 3: Creative Process Reflection

 
As I began to explore, I felt a wave of tightness in my chest that mirrored the memory of nervousness. I let that guide my arms into a protective position, wrapping around myself, and then slowly released them outward to express the freedom I found on that stage. Identifying the feelings—anxiety, courage, vulnerability—helped me create clearer movement metaphors. My phrase included eight gestures that moved from contraction to expansion, floor to standing, spirals to open reaches. Connecting the movement to that memory brought up emotion, but also healing. I wasn’t reliving the moment—I was re-owning it through motion. It felt like closure and celebration at the same time.

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Question 4: Response to the RAW Movement Project Video

 
The RAW Movement Project deeply resonated with me. Seeing other dancers unapologetically embody their stories reminded me of why I fell in love with improvisation. Dance isn’t about perfection—it’s about truth. The way the dancers used movement to release pain, celebrate joy, and reclaim their voice made me feel seen. I relate to the message of vulnerability being strength. As someone who often overthinks, this reminded me to let go, to let the dance lead. It gave me permission to show up, not as a performer, but as a person with something to say through my body.

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Question 5: Inspirational Solo Video Reflection

 
Watching the solo video reframed how I see dance improvisation evolving for me. It showed that movement doesn’t have to be big to be powerful. Sometimes the smallest gesture carries the most meaning. What struck me most was the emotional clarity—how the dancer expressed complex feelings with stillness, tension, and release. It made me realize that improvisation isn’t just a tool for exploration—it can be a deeply refined practice. It inspired me to lean into my own emotional truth with more confidence and to trust that what I feel is enough to move with.

 

George Dipp 

1. Write a reflection on the effect the exercise had on you. 

This mirror exercise really brought to the forefront my present insecurities, but also ones from the past I have overcome. For example, I used to hate my nose, but as I looked in the mirror today I thought it looked mighty fine. Overall, the exercise helped me realize I shouldn't be so hard on myself and that I am capable of learning to love myself more.

2. After reading the introduction to Evan's ideas about dance improvisation, briefly describe a dream, fantasy or physical memory that you may identify with as your theme for today's work.  

The fantasy I'd like to use for my themes work is the thought of becoming a perfect individual and the work that must be put in to achieve such an impossible feat. 

3. Write a brief reflection of your creative process.

For me, I like to let my body move before my mind thinks. I start by moving in random motions till I feel a rhythm or flow. Once I get my dances down I create a story using different tempos in how I move and adding different emotional expressions to my execution. Finally, I tie it all together to try and create a dance which projects my true feelings or intentions.

4. Write a brief response to this video. How does it relate to your own experience as a dancer.

The girl in the video enjoys that dancing makes her feel as though she's created something unique and I can relate very strongly to that. I believe that dance is an amazing form of individual expression, and really helps a person understand themselves better.

5. How does watching this video affect your vision of what dance improvisation can become for you in the near future? 

The dancer is definitely moving in a different style than I'm used to, but I find that inspiring as it offers new ways for me to move my own body in improv.

Isabella Almodovar

1. The exercise made me more aware of my self-perception, revealing what I thought were my most notable features. 

2. I chose the memory of my first day of college, where I was both excited and nervous. My improv for this memory can explore my journey toward confidence in a new environment. 

3. The exercise helped me translate emotions into movement, with nervous energy showing in sharp, quick gestures and confidence in expansive, flowing motions. 

4. The video resonated with me because it showed how dance can be a raw and emotional outlet rather than just a performance.

5. Watching the video expanded my understanding of improvisation as a tool for storytelling rather than just technique.