Punching Holes in Nothing
Improvisation is essentially creating something out of nothing. It is in the interior of “nothing” that we discover a multitudes of experiences and actions that we had previously overlooked. By slowly down, by allowing noticing to come to the surface and place itself above, or in front of, the critical mind the “nothingness” becomes something. A gesture, a simple turn of phrase, a bend of the foot gains the attention it deserves. The belief that “I have nothing” can be inverted to “I have everything” simply by returning to the here and now. Instead of escalating into a frenzy of activity and running away from what is present, we can turn inwards, focus on our inner awareness and learn to broadcast that experience in exciting ways. Every improvisation starts with “nothing.” Yet, that nothing is actually packed full of details we tend to overlook in our anxious need to produce. The first noticing, that first acknowledgement of the present, sets the tone and theme for the improvisation. The first action we join with, and accept as reality, is what colors the rest of the show and punches holes in the nothing.
This workshop is for those who want to move, speak and sing with power and joy, those who have experience performing in public and beyond the normal levels of pre-show anxiety are not afraid of the audience, those who are aware that there is more going on in the body than what you think there is and want to use it.