the energy of improv

by payalcshah

One thing that struck me almost immediately about our dynamic as a class was how comfortable we were with each other.  Some of us were either new to the art of improvisation, some merely wanting to gain confidence in spontaneity, others-the occasional improv performer and weekend champ, while others were just committed spectators of the sport wanting to delve deeper.  Whatever level we all seemed to be at, within just a handful of minutes, we all seemed to be on the same wavelength (as Alanis Morissette would put it). It was unexpected. And yet the palpable energy of the room kept the game of improv ablaze. Although aided and abetted by chocolate pretzels, the energy swirled and swelled because of the team. And by the team, I mean, us.

We went from a dozen slightly–or very–uncomfortable individuals to an interdependent team so fast!  And from the ability of ours as a group to lend ourselves 100% to the moment by moment living of improvisation, I knew this was going to be a great quarter of learning.  If all of our heads were in the game day 1, we are definitely going to accomplish something at the end of week 10 to put it simply. As Saif said, we all need to be there for each other to lock into our eye contact when we need, to dive and hacky sack the ball back in action with just an ankle, to offer three solutions to dear friends’ eccentric queries.  And we definitely did so! It’s like we all took the step into the freezing pool of discomfort, but because we all fell in together, dunking our heads completely and whatnot…it didn’t feel so cold anymore. We surprisingly got past 40 on the first day of the ball game, and were just all so committed. I think we’re off to a great start, and I can’t wait for a good quarter of improv!

Super Scenes Tonight!

by educ95si

I really enjoyed freeze tag tonight. Two of my favorite scenes were something as follows:

Improvisers M and B start the scene with M standing up with both her hands up like she’s gripping something and B lying down on the floor.

M: (starts to move her hands like she’s climbing a ladder)

B: God, it sucks to fall off the ladder.

 

It could have been the other way roun but it doesnt matter because it was amazing! It totally cracked me up. They started from their physical poses and neither of them had any idea what they were in for but within the first line spoken they had justified it perfectly.

 

Improvisers M and P start out by M pointing something at P.

M: (makes shooting noise)

P: AAAh, you have wounded me

M: (accepts the offer of “wounding”) Yes, I will keep you alive because I want you to spend your life in pain because you poisoned my fish.

P: (accepting the offer of poisoning fish) Your fish laughed at me…

 

It was great. Each improviser built on top of what the last one said working together to create the scene. I think this speaks directly to Lindsay’s last post titled “When you have nothing to say…”

 

Thanks for a great class everyone!

Here’s My Idea

by educ95si

We all have plans for how things could be better. We have exciting ideas for the perfect restaurant and movie,  how to re-decorate the living room, or how to improve sales figures. More often than not, others have ideas of their own and when we pitch our idea to the rest of the folks it doesn’t quite pack the same punch for them as it did for us. In the worst case scenario they think its an awful idea. In the average case we arrive at some sort of compromise. Its a process of negotiation that is always playing out in any collaborative environment. In the improvisational setting, every idea is “good.” Which is not to say that it will benefit us in some way but it is good in that it is worth our attention. Sharp improvisers pay attention to every idea that is thrown out as if it was gold, the best idea that could possibly have been generated at that point. No idea is ignored, judged, debated, just totally embraced and built upon. In a traditional setting, everyone’s ideas are collated and each idea is analyzed and compared. Rational analysis and comparison are somewhat antithetical to improv. In improvisation, we want to take the first idea that comes up and totally go with it. It then becomes the property of the group as a whole, not only the person who came up with it. The group as a whole then adds to it and shapes it working together as a unit. For this, it is also important for hte idea-generator to not become attached to their idea and instead be delighted in how it changes and morphs. These are two central skills in improvisation. To accept every idea if you are receiving and to immediately let go if you are generating.