Authentic Insight

I am taking an Improv class at Go Comedy in Ferndale.  Tonight was my second class.   So the first night jitters were a thing of the past, for all of us.  It was easier to really get into the class.

This is what I’ve learned about Improv so far.  Improv is about being present and listening.  It is not about being funny… that just happens.  Sometimes you get to be the funny one and sometimes you are a supporting character.   It doesn’t matter — everyone is important.  There is no right or wrong way to do it (other than not listening).  Mistakes are a gift.  It all works out in the end.  Improv is a team sport.

I realized as I was writing this that I can easily substitute “Life”  for “Improv” and the above statements will still be true.

This is what I’ve learned about Life so far.  Life is about being present and listening.  It is not about being a star… you already are special.  Sometimes you get to be the leading character and sometimes you are a supporting character.  It doesn’t matter — everyone is important. There is no right or wrong way to do it (other than not listening).  Look for the gift in mistakes.  It all works out in the end.  Life is a team sport.

See… all true.  I also learned that like meditation Improv is a great tool for quieting the inner critic.  How?  By forcing us to be present and focused.  There is no time to listen to the critic… the voice is drowned out by the attention given to the  interaction of the group.  When I meditate the voice is drowned out by my attention to my breath.

The best Improv performers are very giving.  It’s not the place to show boat… that is not funny or entertaining to watch.  What’s funny is watching magic unfold as a group of people intuitively create and make up things as they go along, improvising the rules and details along the way.  By giving, negotiating through eye contact, body language, and  instinct  it all works!

I’ve spent hours laughing myself silly watching Harvey Korman, Tim Conway and Carol Burnette create magic with their incredible teamwork.  It’s fun to try my hand at it now with this great group of people!

Tags: go comedy, improv, life lessons, meditation

This entry was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 6:31 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.