Dismantling the Predictable
A fascinating part of improvising without prompts, starting cold, with “nothing,” is how quickly the mind floods in with ideas to eliminate the unknown. Old habitual movements, familiar character voices, remnants from the past bubble up to coat over the scary black hole. Neuroscience tells us that 80-85% of the time our brains are repeating the same thoughts over and over. How do we bypass that? How do we sabotage the engines of repetitive structures? Unless you remain actually present ‑ actually experiencing your experience as you experience it – you are condemned to repeat old patterns and habits. You can change that with practice; you can intercept the familiar pathways by pausing, by noticing what is actually taking place, and allowing that moment to change you.
This is improvising. Being present, noticing the past as it tries to dominate the future, not buying in to the old tricks, the hold-outs, or go-to’s that have always saved you, saying “yes” to what is there and letting the present lead you into a new now.
In this workshop you should expect to be challenged, to get beyond your usual stuff and find some new stars inside the old dust. It’s not going to be easy.