I’ve been a student of improv since December 2010, and it has quickly become one of my favorite activities. I have taken a number of awesome classes with The Improv Trick on Cherokee Street in St. Louis, and I recently started in a level one class with The Improv Shop above the Tin Can on Locust. I love every part of this class, taught by the awesome Kevin McKernan, but there are two particular activities that really stand out for me. I’ll tell you about each of them, and then I’ll tell you why I think I enjoyed them so much. And, to be honest, I will then attempt to convince you to take an improv class (complete with a very intimidating double-dog dare).
Activity One: Staring
In our very first session of the level one class, the instructor, Kevin, asked us to randomly pair up with another student and, well, stare at each other. For the first couple seconds, as I stared at my friend Aaron, I thought it was incredibly awkward. At the same time, though, I was alright with it, because it was something I could laugh at.
But then, about three seconds into the staring activity, Kevin told us to try not to laugh, because laughing is a way to protect ourselves from feeling vulnerable or silly. He was absolutely right. I thought I was laughing because the activity was funny, but the truth is my laughter was essentially a defense mechanism. Now, anyone who knows me is probably thinking “duh.” And I’m sure I have known this all along too, but this improv activity really concreted it for me. I stopped laughing, which was pretty difficult at first. The staring activity became easier and easier, and by the third or fourth person I stared at (mostly strangers), I felt completely comfortable. As Kevin told us, we all have flaws. We all think negative things about ourselves–our pores, our noses, our hair, our insert-anything-and-everything-here. But we’re all people.
Activity Two: Dancing
A couple sessions later, we were asked to stand on stage (we practice in the same room in which shows are held). Kevin asked for a volunteer, so I stepped forward. As he explained the activity, I thought, “piece of cake.” He said that he’d play a piece of music, and he wanted the person in front to dance to it and everyone else to mimic him/her. Piece of cake, right?
Wrong. Kevin followed up his explanation with a similar sentence as the one he used in the staring activity we had done weeks before. He told us not to laugh–not to make a joke of it, but to dance like we actually would if nobody was around. That sounded a bit more difficult to me. It’s easy to get out in front of a group of people and act like a goofball. It’s a lot harder to stand in front of people and be serious. But the music sounded, and I danced like no one was watching. And the other students followed along, copying my every move. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and a pretty good workout at that!
Lisa, What’s Your Point?
I think the reason I enjoyed these two activities so much is that they pushed me out of my comfort zone. They made me be brave. They made me see that I can be brave. They reminded me of something I have always believed in theory but haven’t always put into practice: that we are all pretty awesome and unique, and that we shouldn’t be afraid to be ourselves. We should never be afraid to be silly or nerdy or stupid or mushy or honest. We should always be ourselves. I know that’s mushy, but what did I just say?!
Here It Comes: The Double-Dog Dare
I officially invite you (read: double-dog dare you) to take an improv class at either of the schools in St. Louis. It’s a lot of fun, and the people are the best you’ll ever find. You’ll get to experience areas outside your comfort zone with the full support and empathy of the instructors and the other students. You’ll laugh your butt off and learn to trust and be trusted. You’ll meet people who make you think what I thought after my first improv class: “I barely know you people, but, strangely, I feel like we should hug when we see each other.”
For information on classes, schedules, and costs, visit The Improv Shop and The Improv Trick online or email me at lisarimmert at gmail dot com. Please also read this very important information.
