Community for Spiritual Living: Improv for the Spirit

Tom Goddard — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:04:20 -0400

Start: 09/06/2008 - 4:00pm

End: 09/06/2008 - 8:00pm

Timezone: US/Eastern

Spontaneity. Humor. Flow. Surrendering to the moment. This is how community member Michelle James describes this month's CSL experience. Get ready for an active, high-energy workshop using improv and movement to set our creative spirit on fire. We've been trained, traumatized, and socialized out of the natural spontaneity of our spirit. This highly interactive session will renew your sense of trust and openness through laughter, awareness, letting go of perfectionism, and quieting the inner critic.
Michelle has performed imrov theater for 11 years, and is founder of the Center for Creative Emergence and the Capitol Creativity Network. She is a pioneer in the field, using improv and movement for business and personal transformation.

An Improvised Life

Tom Goddard — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 10:21:36 -0500

What does it mean to "improvise"? What is the essence of "spontaneity"?

Heck, should we even value improvisation? Some might argue that living a well-planned life is a good thing. How can you plan well yet commit to spontaneity?

Well, first, what is it? My dictionary says that improvisation is "a creation spoken or written or composed extemporaneously (without prior preparation)."

First of all, I feel like arguing with that definition. I certainly like the use of "creation" -- my every encounter with improvisation tells me that it is an act of creation. It is the parenthetical part of the definition with which I differ: "no preparation".

No preparation? Are you kidding? When Parker and Coleman met in a dark bar in Chicago and made magic, can we say there was no preparation? When Jonathan Winters walked through a room full of junk, picked up an odd item, and made us laugh, was there truly no preparation? When a Zen teacher and student engage in dharma combat and, thereby, reach a new understanding of the Ultimate, is there no preparation?

Improvisation

Community for Spiritual Living: Improv for the Spirit

An Improvised Life