Dear Carrie and everybody-
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Carrie Lobman [mailto:lobman@rci.rutgers.edu]
> Sent: Friday, August 08, 2003 8:00 AM
> To: Eugene Matusov
> Cc: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> Subject: RE: improv
>
> Eugene,
> I have not read as much Bakhtin as I would like, but in what I have read I
> have often seen connections between Bakhtin's work and improvisation. Do
> you have anything in particular you would recommend that I read?
I'd recommend the following two books:
Bakhtin, M. M. (1984). Rabelais and his world (H. Iswolsky, Trans. 1st
Midland book ed.). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Bakhtin, M. M., & Emerson, C. (1999). Problems of Dostoevsky's poetics (Vol.
8). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Any other suggestions?
Eugene
>
> Carrie
>
> On Thu, 7 Aug 2003, Eugene Matusov wrote:
>
> > Dear Carrie and Ana-
> >
> > I just want to make a connection between your characterization and
emphasis
> > on "not knowing" in improvisation and Bakhtin's notion of
"unfinalizing". He
> > also stressed importance of listening and responding to others. Bakhtin
> > argued that Dostoevsky did not tell about his characters more than they
> > already know themselves. He generalized that this type of unfinalized
and
> > addressed relations have to be the key for any social sciences.
> >
> > What do you think?
> >
> > Eugene
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: lobman@rci.rutgers.edu [mailto:lobman@rci.rutgers.edu]
> > > Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 1:18 PM
> > > To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > > Subject: RE: improv
> > >
> > >
> > > I think improv does change some of the expert/novice dynamic because
its
> > > a not-knowing activity--as Ana says no one "knows" where it is going.
I
> > > do think I think for me the prerequisite to listening and responding
is
> > > not knowing. It is impossible, not to mention not necessary, to listen
> > > to people if we already "know" what they mean--it stops the process of
> > > making meaning together.
> > >
> > > I see this as different than equalizing people or making people
> > > equal--in my experience when people improvise together all of the
power
> > > relationships are still there, but they are played with or used in the
> > > process of creating the performance.
> > >
> > > For example, there was one man and seven women in the group of
teachers
> > > that participated in the improv trainings. During the first couple of
> > > weeks some of the women had reactions to the more his "more male"
> > > performances--more vulgar or lifting up his shirt... In addition he
was
> > > the only one in the group with any theatre training so his
performances
> > > tended to be a little more polished. Over the course of the eight
weeks
> > > the group began to use his offers to create interesting scenes--they
> > > began to use their more "honest" reactions to him to create playful
> > > scenes about sex roles.
> > >
> > > Carrie
> > >
> > >
> > > > I loved the idea of improv leveling power differentials. That is a
> > > major
> > > > goal of various customs in the 5thD. It is, however, very
threatening
> > > to
> > > > teachers who are working in regimes where they must appear to be in
> > > > control all the time!
> > > > mike
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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