Explore the Indian aesthetic theory of Navrasa (9 emotions) to create compelling scenes, unique characters and decisive actions in improv.

Kaivalya Plays presents

Improv & Navrasa (9 Emotions)

A two-hour workshop for improvisers and actors to explore and apply the Indian performing arts theory of Navrasa (9 emotions) for characterization, movement and sculpting of improv scenes.

Suitable for improvisers and actors with any level of prior experience.

About The Workshop

As improvisers we often find ourselves reaching for the same familiar set of emotions to the situation or relationship. It can be difficult to consciously remember to try out different facets of a personality right before we enter a scene. It isn’t that we are unfamiliar with emotions like wonder or awe, but we might even be too self-conscious to reach for it in a performance, and we end up playing slightly heightened versions of ourselves.

Derived from India’s Natya Shastra (the Indian theatre treatise) the Navarasa uses 9 emotions or, more accurately, expressions as a base to build performances that incorporate posture, breath, stance, movement and sound to create dramatic and impactful stories.

In the Navarasa, Nava means "Nine" and Rasa is often translated as "mood", "emotion", "expression" or "sentiment". The Navarasa, in the scriptures refer to the nine expressions that humans often show. These are love (shringaara), laughter (haasya), kind-heartedness or compassion (karuna), anger (roudra), courage (veera), fear (bhayaanaka), disgust (bheebhatsya), wonder or surprise (adbhutha) and peace or tranquility (shaantha).

After this workshop, you will be able to:

• Effectively introduce expressions like wonder to become an “athlete of the emotions”
• Endow silent moments with meaning
• Feel confident about reaching for a higher or lower scale of emotion in performance
• Have more options to turn to explore relationships with other performers in scenes
• Create more dramatic and impactful scenes with less words
• 
  

Duration: 2 hours

Requirements: The class is open to anyone. The facilitator will ask you to stand and move for several exercises but these exercises will be adapted for anyone with different needs. Dress comfortably and keep a bottle of water within reach.

Price: INR 1500/- for the session, maximum 16 participants.

About Your Facilitator

Varoon P. Anand is Delhi’s most experienced Improv trainer and performer. Beginning his career under the guidance of Danielle Miles, of Fortetheatre UK, he co-founded Improv8 at Panama’s renowned Theatre Guild of Ancón in 2008. In Delhi, Varoon began teaching Improv in 2012 through Kaivalya Plays, the theatre company he founded, and in 2014 formed CueLess Improv, the capital’s most prolific team of short-form improv performers. Varoon trained in Laban Movement with Gilles Chuyen in 2013. Varoon continued training in improv with teachers including Saif Ali, of Batlahouse theatre, learning and collaborating from 2015-16. In 2018, in collaboration with the Goethe Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan and medical practitioners, Varoon created Unravel, an improv show about mental health. Along with being the Artistic Director of Kaivalya Plays, CueLess Improv, and El Clavileño (India’s only Spanish language theatre group). As of 2020, Varoon has trained more than 200 performers in spontaneous improvisation, facilitated workshops for over 500 people in improvisation for mental wellnesss and collaborated with institutions like Embassy of Spain, Embassy of Argentina, Embassy of Ecuador, Indian Habitat Centre, Little Theatre Group (LTG), Oddbird Theatre & Foundation amongst others. He continues to explore new ways to present and teach the techniques of improv, along with his other specialties.

About The Organizer

Kaivalya Plays is an Indian performing arts and production company known for their work in spontaneous improvisation, adaptation of foreign language texts and innovative theatrical experiences. With multilingual shows and performances in their calendar every month, they also offer a slew of training opportunities in improvisation, acting and arts management for individual professionals, schools, institutions and corporates. Learn more about their work on their website or follow the latest updates on Instagram.