By 
I think life is all about stepping out of your comfort zone and do things that scare and challenge you every single day. How are you going to live otherwise if you don’t take risks and shy away from unfamiliar situations and new people?
Eight weeks ago, I walked into my first improv class. Like most people, I was absolutely terrified of introducing myself to a bunch of complete strangers.
I took this class as a means to improve my day-to-day interactions with people and become more comfortable in my skin. As a not very social person like me who freaks out when someone stares at me in the supermarket, these classes have been a very helpful outlet to break out of my shell and improve my overall interactions.
My biggest takeaway from these classes is to learn to live in the moment and not overthink what I’m going to say. I find this to be the most valuable lesson. I’m always overthinking everything, which hinders my interactions and being myself.
A very important Improv point: don’t say you don’t know something. This means even if you don’t have the remotest idea of what you’re talking about, don’t make it obvious, which is is pretty much what LA is about in a way.
This also brought to mind that scene in Clueless where Cher is in debate class giving her speech about the Haitians and the refugees with the confused look on the teacher’s face. It’s all about confidence and the way you carry yourself.
I have to give special thanks to our amazing teacher Keith, founder of Improv LA. My hat goes off to him. He’s super knowledgeable and approachable. With over 10 years of Improv experience under his belt, Keith always encouraged us to step out of our comfort zone by creating a supportive and non-judgmental environment. He dove into our performances and always gave positive feedback to each of us, as well as tips on how we could improve our interactions on stage. In-between scenes, we would go back to the comfort of our seats and Keith would go over the rules of improv.
However, this mini break was for a very short time because we had to go back up on stage less than ten minutes later.
As it happens, we started out as twenty people and were reduced to only nine by the end of the eight-week classes. People either flaked out or found improv to be a frightening experience and never came back. The teacher appraised our courage for being brave and for making it until the end.
The most challenging class was the first one. Not only did we have to introduce ourselves, dance in the silliest ways as a way to be more at ease, but by the end of the class, each of us had to go up on stage individually. Keith would throw random words at us and we’d have to create a monologue off the word based on a random personal experience or our knowledge of the word. I genuinely thought he was amusing himself at the expense of our distressed faces.
Surprisingly, only one of the twenty people that showed up was an actor. It was a very genuine showbiz free scene. By the end of the classes, there was a great sense of camaraderie between us. We will see each other in Spring of next year for level #2. I can’t wait for it and I’m eagerly looking forward to it.
Whatever it is the field you work in, you need to take up Improv at least once in your lifetime. I promise you’ll see the benefits in the long run and will form amazing friendships. The price was $300. It’s not exactly cheap, but it was fairly priced considering the vast amount of Improv studios around LA, where the price was much higher. You really get amazing classes where the teacher truly knows the craft from inside out. Improv is the best investment you can make in yourself. If you DO sign up, stick to the classes and don’t flake!
Here is the link to the official website.
Keith Saltojanes’ official website
IMPROV LA 1607 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Have you ever taken improv classes?
