Yes! and…
The last few years have been a little intense for me, and when I finally de-compressed after completing my master’s degree, I found I was longing for a return to some fun in my life. It had been far too long since I had been feeling playfully spirited or had a good belly laugh.
On a late summer afternoon, I joined Wendy Nixon Stothert at “Resonate for the River”. This drop-in choral circle involved us first learning the songs, and then singing them to honour the Puntledge River, a complete choral experience in an hour and a half! For someone who loves to sing and struggles to find the time to commit to a choir, it was the perfect way to satisfy my longing.
I didn’t know any of the trio of songs, and Wendy taught them to us, a few lines at a time, until we could sing them through. An hour later, I left feeling that all was well in the world… at least for a few moments. I relaxed into the comforting flush of endorphins generated by the act of coming together to sing, unrehearsed, with a group of strangers.
Wendy has been organizing Pop-Up Choir events throughout the Comox Valley. One day, one hour… now that’s a commitment I can make! These groups are open to all ages and levels of experience. This week I attended “Resonation”, a drop-in, open singing circle that Wendy leads at the Little Red Church in Comox. These drop-in sessions will continue until December 11 on Wednesdays, 12-1pm ($20 or pwyc, email: choralvalley@gmail.com for details). Wendy’s playful encouragement through a more challenging melody rang through my ears for the rest of the day, “Dare to suck!”
Improvise your way to connection, playfulness and fun! Improv as an art form is a centuries old tradition. Originally developed to support the performing arts, both in acting and music, it is now a stand alone form.
Improv provides a safe and fun framework to develop our emotional, social and creative intelligences. Improv develops our ability to connect and interact with others, and increases harmony and co-operation between people. Our tolerance for ambiguity expands, and we spontaneously generate new ideas, taking the risk of letting go of our assumptions and expectations.
We experience tapping into our intuition as we trust and rely on the support of others. Participation can facilitate self-awareness and self-expression.
Improv insists on your full attention and presence to the current moment, the core of mindfulness. During improv, the part of the brain associated with self-critical judgment becomes less active, and the parts associated with language and creativity light up, which increases divergent thinking and collaboration (Wade, n.d.).
Perhaps counter-intuitively, improv reduces social anxiety, by increasing our ability to tolerate uncertainty, which then encourages people to proceed in the face of social anxiety. The lower your confidence or the higher your stress, the more dramatic the improvements! Improv increases brain coherence, which is helpful in the treatment of trauma, because it enhances your ability to connect with others (Wade, n.d.).
Bill Pozzobon, with Vancouver Theatre Sports for over 20 years, moved to the Comox Valley two years ago, and started offering improv classes. His first workshop ‘Improv for Everyone’ quickly led to ‘Skits Happen’, an ensemble performance.
“One of the core tenets of improv is saying yes! to an idea,” Bill describes. “For people to encounter a room enthusiastically agreeing with them, even for a moment, and trusting that we will figure it out…that consistency of yes! is missing from many people’s lives.” Bill leads drop-in community classes, offered at the Little Red Church on Wednesday evenings, 7-8:30pm (pwyc, email: billpozz@gmail.com for details).
Aladesuyi and Nguyen (2022) outline the five essential rules of improv:
1. Say: Yes, and… we often say no because we fear uncertainty. Yes, and… allows us to create something new from what is offered, by adding to it, as opposed to negating it with no… or but…
2. Embrace your mistakes – find some humour in it and move on
3. Don’t shy away – embrace your vulnerability, be who you are, practice radical self acceptance, and know that your voice matters
4. Be in the moment – bring your full attention and awareness to what is happening right here, right now
5. Make time to play – create and embrace opportunities for games, laughter, connection, being silly, playful and mischievous
While these rules may be referring specifically to improv, I think they provide an excellent framework to carry through your day. The positive impact of improv can be a life affirming; building confidence, flexibility and resilience, while being accepted for the individual that you are. Saying “Yes, and…” can change your life. Connection, laughter and friendship are the ‘natural by-products’ (Drinko, 2023).
Improvisation references if you’d like to know more:
Jackson, W. (n.d.). About improv. Covert Theatre. https://www.coverttheatre.com/about-improv
Drinko, C. (2023). 7 research backed benefits of improv comedy. Psychology Today.
Aladesuyi, O. & Nguyen, A. (2022). The rules of improv. NPR Life Kit.
So happy you enjoyed the pop-up choir and Resonation experiences :-). Great to have you singing with us!