When Comedy Meets Choreography in Storytelling
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I\\u2019m preparing for my 5th-level Black Belt test. As part of the test, we have to create and perform a series of movements - with or without weapons - to show the Grandmaster and test board that we\\u2019re capable at this level.\\xa0
Oh, and it has to be 100% unique and created from scratch.
So this is high-stakes stuff. I know I need to come up with something that I\\u2019ve never done before. Ideas start coming to me and I dismiss them one by one, like train cars passing by.
Then, it hits me! I\\u2019m a storyteller and an Improv performer. Even though this is a Martial Arts test, I need to tell a story that\\u2019s never been told before.
Now, this is already an unusual approach since most martial artists aren\\u2019t thinking about going to the mat to tell a story. Yet in my case, it needs to happen because this is how I think and who I am.
I come up with a fantastic narrative. I\\u2019m in Tokyo enjoying my tea when I go over to the window. Suddenly, intruder after intruder comes through it and attacks me! I started doing all types of maneuvers, using household items around me as weapons to disarm and dispose of the invaders.
In the end, it\\u2019s just me sipping on my glass of tea with all this carnage on the floor around me. And while I can\\u2019t prove it, I swear I see a little moisture in the Grandmaster\\u2019s eyes\\u2026 and he normally doesn\\u2019t show his emotions.
And that\\u2019s the power of a great story. You know you\\u2019ve done good when your audience can feel what you (or the characters in your story) feel.
And that brings me to my special guest today, Sarah Jenkins, who is a master at bringing comedic stories to life without saying a word. In this episode of the Storytelling School Podcast, you\\u2019ll learn how she does it through choreography and imagery and get answers to questions like:
What makes comedic short-form storytelling so special? Why does harder not equate to being better in story form? How can you know why an organic joke (not written on the page) lands for an audience or not? And what kind of mistake should you avoid that a lot of storytellers and speakers make?
What you will learn in this episode:
- What it means to be \\u201cin service of the joke\\u201d in comedic storytelling
- Why the steps you take as you tell your story don\\u2019t matter
- What has to be in your story to make it memorable and effective
Who is Sarah?
Sarah Marie Jenkins is a California native residing in NYC. She has been dance captain and associate choreographer for numerous shows, as well as the choreographer for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix, Mr. Mayor on NBC, and Girls 5 Eva on Peacock.\\xa0
Recently, she starred as Peter Pan in the first ever remounting of Jerome Robbins Broadway at the MUNY, as well as in the Cathy Rigby version of the show (as her successor). Before that, Sarah was seen as Jennyanydots in the revival of CATS on Broadway. She has also been on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Law & Order: SVU, and performed on the Today Show and Bonnie Hunt Show.\\xa0
Her national tours and musical work include Legally Blonde, Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby, Guys & Dolls, Swing!, Can-Can, Honeymoon in Vegas, and The Nutty Professor (directed by Jerry Lewis). When she\\u2019s not working on the stage or screen, Sarah has a successful photography business specializing in headshots for actors of all ages.\\xa0
Links and Resources:
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