Shared Joy Is A Double Joy
I hate to admit this, but the longer I teach improv, the more I see the benefit it has in people’s lives. Maybe I’ve drunk too much of the improv Kool-Aid over the years, but improv is a pretty amazing artform, and lately I’ve been struck with how improv can bring people together in a way that very few other things can.
Just in case you haven’t noticed, the world is a pretty polarizing place lately. It's hard not to think that you are right about the way that you view the world, and that everyone who doesn't think the same way you do is wrong. Being on social media and constantly being bombarded with news is overwhelming and exhausting, and I usually struggle with finding a way to take a break from it.
But for me, one thing that has worked to give me a break from the world has been teaching improv, and hopefully that has been true for my students as well.
Where else can 14 adults get together into the same room for two hours, all with varying political views, and have fun and laugh together? Today, this is an accomplishment, and something I have taken for granted until a couple of years ago.
I try to remind myself that I don’t just teach improv — I teach joy and love and connection. And those classes where I really remember this always turn out to be the best ones for me and my students. It’s not always easy to put away our differences and our worries and feelings about the world and instead focus on just having fun with each other, but it’s worth it.
Recently, Tara DeFrancisco, who is an amazing improviser and teacher in Ohio, said on Facebook that “Joy is a fucking human right.” She said it’s ok for us to have fun, and speaking on behalf of myself and all of humanity, I think that’s something we can all agree on.
But we can only really find joy when we are able to cooperate with others without judgement. Everyone has to leave their agendas at the door for it to work. And when it does, it's magical. For a very brief time, we are not divided, we are one.
It reminds me of that saying, "Shared joy is a double joy." I hope you can experience some of that joy in your next improv class. Let me know how it goes.