ABSTRACT
Improvisation is often perceived as risky, and it is this very risk that renders the practice virtuosic. Musicians who practise free improvisation work without a safety net. All their decisions are made in the moment, complex responses to external stimuli, internal impulses, memory, and context. The possibility of failure is always imminent, because the process demands such a high degree of self-exposure. Improvisation is most satisfying when the conditions of trust exist that allow participants to risk everything in the moment of performance. This means that improvisation is an arena of social interaction and accountability. It also positions improvisation as a site of dialogism-in-action, where we bring our personal histories and values into contact with others in a spirit of openness to change. What’s at stake in improvisation, then, is nothing less than the possibility of personal transformation.
