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There are five pillars of movement practice that I think translate quite neatly into improv practice.
They are:
Stillness Joint Articulation Coordination Improvisation Voice
Over the next few weeks I’m going to look at each one in turn.
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Before we move, we have to learn how to be still.
Can you stand and be still? Beside a stage or even on a stage?
There is often a surfeit of nervous energy when we perform and that’s something we have to learn to master and channel productively.
Because without stillness we aren’t able to put our focus where it belongs, on our scene partner. Without stillness we’re too in our heads, too nervous, too centred on ourselves.
All the best performers have a quality of stillness.
It puts me in mind of the table tennis metaphor. That a ball needs to bounce on both sides of the net to be valid. In the same way, we don’t want to just volley lines of dialogue back and forth between us. They need to land. They need to have impact. This is what stillness grants us in practice.
And even more importantly, stillness is diagnostic.
How am I feeling today? Where do I feel stiff or blocked or restricted?
I like the thought model that we wake up a brand new person every morning - our bodies feel different, our minds are full of new information. Stillness gives us a moment to reconnect with ourselves, to work out who we are today.
And that moment can make all the difference as we step on stage.
<aside> 💡 Hey, my name’s Chris Mead. I write an article about improv almost every week. You can get the latest in your inbox by subscribing to my newsletter. Or check out the archive.
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