Discovering the Power of Improv
Two years ago, I took my first surf class, and I immediately fell in love. From the very first wave, I knew that even more than dancing, surfing would be my next improvisation teacher. Last March, I made the decision to travel to a small town in Peru to really learn to surf without compromising my work time.
While on Unleash Surf, a remote-work and surf experience in Peru, I met Natalie Small from Groundswell. In the very male-dominated world of surfing, this organization aims to get more women and girls comfortable in the water. I had the opportunity to participate with other women in a global event connecting surfing to mental health called Fluro Friday, and each of us shared what surfing and the oceans provide us.
Being in the moment, emptying my head, feeling the stress disappear, shutting down the voices in my head, self-confidence, and joy – I found the answers strikingly similar to what improvisation brings to people. Although many outdoor activities impact people in these ways, Natalie believes that surfing has characteristics that heighten these experiences.
Surfing and the Art of Improv
In surfing, you cannot control the environment. And even if you’re in the right spot at the right time and understand how big the ocean is and what the rhythms of the wave sets are on a given day, every individual wave has its own unpredictable characteristics that you need to adjust to in order to be able to catch it. This is a beautiful example of what Mary Overlie calls “listening to the news of a difference” in her Six Viewpoints concept for dancers and actors. Studying subtle differences in things that look the same at first sight makes us more sensitive and open to new possibilities and helps our creative and artistic mind grow.
The moment you start to paddle for a wave, you have to let everything go. You don’t have time to think about what you know. You can only feel in the now-moment and allow what has sunk deep into your body to lead your next moves. Then comes the moment when you catch the wave or the wave catches you. Through the board, you create the closest contact possible between you and the wave. You feel it, and in a way, listen to it.
And you notice that this stillness needs to happen in the midst of the chaos and energy of hard paddling. As you simultaneously check your direction, determine where the wave is coming from, where it might break, and what pace you need to paddle to be in exactly the right spot, you’re also checking to ensure you’re a safe distance from other surfers or hazardous rocks, and perhaps all the while ignoring the snot that could be running out of your nose. And then if you’ve calculated everything just right, you GO. You decide. Precisely and quick, but not in a hurry. And you pop up. And then you enjoy the ride. You get to play, respond to the wave, or maybe tumble and fall.
As an improvisation theater ensemble, we are the waves on stage. We trust each other’s movements, even when the others’ offers are awkward or wild or slow. We leave enough space for each player for who they are and how they play. And we pop up in each moment of the story we build together. And this is how a good improvisation performance feels. We don’t force pieces together but rather, we try to ride the story that is already there.
Unleashing Your Potential through Improv
Improvisation is not just about having fun on stage – it can also unlock your true potential as a musical theater performer. As a classically trained musician, I used to be deeply afraid of improvisation. It wasn’t until I left the confines of my university training and started working in the real world that I started to embrace this powerful skill.
One of the biggest benefits of improvisation is its ability to develop your aural skills. In the beginning, I just moved my fingers without any clear idea of what sound would come out. But the more I did it, the more I started to glimpse what the incredible flutist Hubert Laws spoke about – the ability to hear a tune and just play it. I began to hear changes in harmony and understand those changes. As a result, the connection between my ears and fingers became stronger and stronger. I was able to hear a note and play it.
This improved aural skills also allowed me to memorize music more easily. Remembering how a tune sounds is much easier than remembering the individual notes. And imagine being able to just play that melody you hear in your head – it’s a powerful tool for any musician.
Improvisation also boosts your confidence during performances. Making mistakes while performing is almost inevitable, especially when you’re still developing your skills. But with improvisation, there are no real mistakes. Yes, sometimes things sound a bit funky or weird, but very often, you can work your way through those moments and make them sound intentional. After having spent a fair amount of time improvising, I started getting better and better at solving problems quickly and covering my mistakes on stage.
Embracing the Improv Mindset
I could go on and on about the benefits of improvisation, but the biggest one is that it gives you a sense of musical freedom and unleashes your creativity. I had a young student who struggled to string phrases together in a coherent way. We worked on it for a solid year, and then I decided to have a fun lesson with her and do some improvisation. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and out of nowhere, she started creating beautiful, connected phrases with a singing tone. There was a hidden musician in this student that all the lines and blobs on a piece of paper just couldn’t unleash.
Improvisation helps you develop your musicianship skills, become a more confident and adaptable player, and unleash your musical and creative voice. When you improvise with others, it also improves your ability to collaborate and listen. And on top of all of that, it can be so much fun.
If you’re a musical theater performer, I truly believe you should all be improvising. It’s a skill that can transform your stage presence, your ability to connect with your audience, and your overall artistic expression. So, what are you waiting for? Unleash your improv potential and let your creativity soar!
