Improvisation, a Curious Thing
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage
Festival is a 10-day celebration in my home town; known for great food, art
works from around the country and music from local and internationally
acclaimed musicians. Jazz, rhythm and blues, zydeco, gospel. Whatever the music,
it always includes unscripted improvisation. There is something uniquely
amazing about improvisation, even when sitting (or dancing) among thousands of
people.
Not only does improvisation
enrich an experience of music, but also theater, preparing a meal, discovering a
solution to a project we’ve taken on, etc. Improvisation inspires us to broaden
our imagination. With study and practice, it invariably enhances the original
idea! Some of us, however, rely so heavily on carefully scripted notes that we
miss out on the joy of freely choosing ‘yes’ and participating in a new
creation.
Women religious are engaged in
many conversations these days, about the witness of our vowed commitments now
and into the future. What would happen if we dialogued from a place of
curiosity and creativity, utilizing techniques similar to those found in
improvisation? How might our conversations be different? How would your life
and our Sinsinawa Dominican community be enriched if we did this improvisation-thing
together?
Tanya Williams, OP
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
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