By Someone Else
There’s an old Vietnamese saying that a family who sh*ts together, sticks together. Yes, it’s true. We have a Vietnamese troupe member who SWEARS on its cultural authenticity. He told us so in between slurping down a bowl of Pho and wolfing down a spring roll.
Okay, maybe his recollection of the adage is a little off. After all, he’s only kinda Vietnamese. He’s also part Nebraskan, too, which caused him some serious identity issues during his formative years.
But he was definitely on to something. And like good improv classmates, we’re gonna “yes, and” his seeming-lunacy. For the sake of not making our reading audience ill, we’ll move away from the literalness of his sentiment and just focus on the metaphor. What he probably meant is that double-blind studies consistently demonstrate a near-perfect correlation between familial structures that regularly employ positive group dynamics and their high degree of cohesiveness relative to the general populous. Um, what? More simply put, learn to encourage each other during the rough patches and you’ll have a team that will enjoy success together over the long haul.
It’s really pretty basic – just watch a kids’ soccer game and you’ll know what we’re talking about. See the team where the players are encouraging the goalie, even though he just let yet another one sail past him? Sure, everyone, especially the goalie, is disappointed. And the coach certainly will have some feedback for him. But they’re still encouraging him – giving him high fives. Mark our words – that’s a team that’s going to make it to the finals. Maybe not this season, maybe not the next. But they will make it. And it’s because they’re familiar with the time-honored Vietnamese proverb.
At Held2gether classes, we’re just like the little soccer team that could. We love our stellar moments – when everyone has an award-winning class. But when you hit a rough patch, we’ll always be there to support and encourage you. Yes, you read that correctly. Even if your scene totally sucked, we’ll clap for you. Why? Because we want you to live a delusional life – it’s a much happier place than reality.
Okay, not really. While we wish that everything could always go well, you will undoubtedly have scenes that totally flop. Trust me, I have scenes that totally flop on a regular basis. The scenes will be void of any humor and will have violated every rule of improv. In other circles, you’d be castigated for your insolence. But at Held2gether, we’ll still clap. Sure, you’ll get feedback that may be a little difficult to digest. You’ll get pointers on how to get it right in the future. Even though you know the feedback is given with lots of love, it’s a bit hard for you to hear. And as you prepare to sulk back to your seat, you’ll hear applause.
That’s us, and we’re clapping for you. Some of us are clapping because, like a cymbal playing monkey, it is an automatic reflex. Most of us, though, are clapping because we are proud that you had the courage to risk getting up on that stage. We’re clapping because we’re happy you’ve learned something and will improve from the feedback. Most of all, we’re clapping because we care about you and want to encourage you to get back on your horse. Yeah you!
And that’s why the Held2gether family sticks together – because we’ve learned to authentically encourage one another during the rough patches. So join the Held2gether family for a workshop or class and feel the love and encouragement.
Now, if you see a little Asian guy at Pho 97, Pho 98 or Pho 99, will you please tell him he’s late for rehearsal?
