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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. This week …
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Fighting Monkey founder Jozef Fruček speaks persuasively about how movement is communication. It’s a feedback loop between your body and the environment - and the better you know yourself, the better you can communicate with the world around you and therefore the easier you can move confidently through life. Indeed he often describes his techniques as a life-sustaining practice - a holistic way to explore life challenges, human adaptability, coordination, and decision-making under unpredictable conditions.
And to me that feels like improvisation too.
For Jozef, continuing to move your body with ease is akin to finding your true voice, to speaking without artifice and radiating authenticity. For me, learning to be yourself on stage, is an essential step along the road to becoming the best version of yourself as an improviser.
I know a lot of people turn to improvisation for the very reason that they want to hide themselves away, play big characters far from their own personalities and stay behind a protective mask or shield of caricature. Finding your true voice doesn’t mean not playing characters - it just means that as a performer you are not doing an impression of another improviser’s play style.
Just as movement practitioners are in tune with their bodies, truly great improvisers play in a way that enhances their individual style. They’re not trying to be the next Amy Poehler - they’re succeeding in being the current best them.
Finding your voice means knowing your creative worth, glorying in the things you find effortless, and not stressing about the things you find challenging. It’s about knowing you deserve to be on stage and then serving the ensemble and the show.
As always with improv, it’s about being present in the moment and asking the question - what can I do right now to make the show better? And doing all that without ego or worry.
It might take decades of work, dedication and craft. It might show up only inconsistently in your play at first but, for me, it’s worth the investment - to speak with your true voice as an artist is a honourable goal.
<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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