It was clearly billed as a performance and assembled some of San Diego's best dance artists, but the "LIVE Performance" on Saturday at SDSU's Studio Theater turned out to be an improvisation jam, which was a bittersweet realization.

There was an expectation of a structured, choreographed program. And how exciting to have artists such as Liam Clancy, Eric Geiger, Leslie Seiters, Allyson Green, Karen Schaffman, and Yolande Snaith performing together on one night? Surprise! "LIVE" was an hour of undirected improvisation that rarely stepped into new territory.

The program started with great energy and had a terrific design. Gone were the stiff bleacher seats and velvet curtains. Set in the round, viewers lounged on sofas and chairs along the perimeter. Violinist Kris Apple plucked and dancers exploded in the center. With no visible cue, they quickly lined up single file, and there was almost silence - a most annoying ticket scanner beeped every time late arrivals entered.

Improvisation is a term often bounced around in music and dance, yet it's not easy to define. It's an integral part of jazz, rock, and rap music. It's also at the core of tap dancing with call and response sequences and challenges in the center, and Flamenco solos where the dancer interprets rhythms yet is one with the singer and guitarist.

In contemporary dance, and particularly in university dance programs, improvisation is primarily a choreographic tool used to discover new vocabularies and ideas. It's a process that pushes dancers to purge the body's regular routine, and one that requires physical strength and very specific skills: discipline, trust, intuition, and knowing when to insert oneself into the group.

The cast of "LIVE" was comprised of some of the most skilled improvisers in town. They moved with ease, initiating and responding to each other without hesitation. They knew each other's weight and pushed, climbed and lifted each other with no fear of being dropped or kicked in the face. Still, other than a big clock marking out the time, the exercise seemed to be loosely constructed.

Interactions revealed the performers' unique specialties, such using text while moving, focusing on inanimate objects, and creating personalities with props and clothing. There were a few glimmers when things worked,yet many of their ideas got stuck on silly entertainment.

A woman threatened to cut the microphone cord with scissors, an image we've seen in the film "Edward Scissorhands." Clancy, Schaffman and Charlotte Greenblatt stacked in a dog pile, then rolled as Clancy shouted "…I have no plan, just ridin' the wave," and Schaffman interjected, "I'm going up Clancy" and climbed on top.

Clancy is a master of using text in his choreography and teaches a class at UC San Diego on merging the two. He was also the original curator of "4x4." A hint of that talent came out when he crawled around with his face squished to the floor. "I was in Jr. High when they last cleaned this floor…" he quipped.

Jess Humphrey prompted the crowd to clap and sing to the song "Cecilia, You're Breaking My Heart…" The clowning continued as dancers did handstands, talked to candy on the floor, and read snippets of text about orgasms and sexual hangups. Children in the crowd were oblivious to the dialogue, but one curious tot asked, "Why are they doing this?"

Snaith, a UC San Diego professor who is known for creating suspenseful dances and dramatic surreal narratives, steered the dynamics in a new direction. In one chilling moment, she hovered over Seiter's lifeless body on the floor and shouted, "Oh my God!" and covered her with a coat as if she were dead. She also spoke spontaneously about filling a big hole and finding ultimate truth. The troupe responded by climbing on a chair and creating human sculptures.

Ron Estes fueled another engaging sequence by chanting "La Jolla! La Jolla" which prompted Seiters to respond as a crazed Flamenco dancer whipping a white skirt. A final sequence had dancers rise into a precarious lift atop a chair and reciting "stick like glue, me and you." A rather subdued Geiger was captivating in smooth lifts, and he was able to interact effectively without an ego. He was an interesting character when relaxed on the floor and munching on parsley.

Improv is more experiment than performance, and watching improv is a lot like watching someone else play a video game: It's more fun to do than it is to watch. So at its best, the evening helped define the improvisational process and introduced the talented participants. Like a fly on the wall of a practice studio, we were invited to watch a developmental process. Perhaps it will lead to structured choreography and compelling formal concerts; the fascination then will be to recognize the tiny kernels gleaned from this experience.

LIVE performance by:

Liam Clancy

Karen Schaffman

Leslie Seiters

Ron Estes

Eric Geiger

Jess Humphrey

Mary Reich

Yolande Snaith

Allyson Green

Kris Apple

Charlotte Greenblatt

AT: SDSU Studio Theater (ENS 200)

Oct. 24, 2009. 8:00 p.m.