Butt centered character

Hey! Gues who’s still procrastinating on her conversaion essay? And who is also not doing the dishes from the Share Shabbat? The same girl who hasn’t cleaned up the mess from painting a new canvas yesterday. Me! I’m also not filing my important tax documents, shredding junk mail, cleaning out my fridge, or doing laundry. Instead I’m trying to figure out who all I did or didn’t meet last night and why Jewish Fringe quit posting (and if Jewish Fringe was there last night.)

When I was taking improv at Annoyance, we would get assignments to create characters who’s movement was centered somewhere different than our own. Knee centered movement. Foreheard centered. Belly centered. Well, one of my neighbors (neighborhood, not building) has a butt centered movement that I couldn’t have come up with on stage.

It is as if there were helium balloon tied to his underwear. No, that wouldn’t do it. Giant helium balloons–maybe weather balloons–that are attached to his butt with fishhooks. Not big fishhooks, little ones. They would cause an annoying amount of pain, but nothing too terrible. Enough that if he stuck his backside out and up a little more, a little more, a little more–the pain might be aleviated. But not so much pain that he wants to collapse, just keeps his butt out and up a little.

Thanks Mick, for giving me this insight.

One day after work, I saw a guy with knee centered movement. Again, nothing I could have come up with on stage and not something I’ve got a good description of yet. In part because I have seen my neighbor every day the last three days and keep ending up walking behind him. He noticed me two nights ago and said, “Ah you are my neighbor and I must respect you.” Today he said, “Thank you for greeting me.” I’m going to go out on a limb and say english as a second (or fourth) language. Then he always puts his hands together in front of his face and bows a little.