Body Language

Not only what we say, but how we say it and what we are doing when we say it say a lot. Does that make sense? What I am trying to say (actually, write) is body language and facial expressions are used a lot in communication.
Going back to the silent movie film clips we watched, we could understand the humor through what the people were doing. Even Mickey Mouse as Steamboat Willie used facial expressions. Even the whistles on the steamboat in Steamboat Willie had facial expressions. This is all part of body language.
When Buster Keaton falls through the hole in the roof and the woman in the bathtub yells at him to get out, we understand the emotion and expression even though no one is talking. This was before sound...even before color.
Body Language is also called Non-verbal communication and comedians, to give one professional example, need to master it. The little things we do are called cues (or visual cues) that let others know what we are thinking, expressing, trying to communicate, even if we ourselves are unaware of what we might be doing. Sometimes we exaggerate to make something seem funny. We cue a friend or audience to let them know they should laugh.
What I would like to know this time is...what visual cues, non-verbal communication, facial expressions, or body language do you use to express or say more (than just with words)? Is there any body language that is specific to your culture? What examples did you see in the clips we watched - or - what examples have you seen in other shows or movies? Just a few things I was wondering.

Pie in the Face

For those of you who watched the comedy clips, most liked the 3 Stooges Pie Fight. The 3 Stooges are famous for being dumb, but obviously their humor still makes modern audiences laugh.
The "Pie-in-the-face" gag was featured in film as early as 1914. The Keystone Cops (who were clumsy policemen chasing a burglar) featured it regularly. The comedy duo Laurel and Hardy had a giant pie fight in their movie "The Battle of the Century." It is rumored that over 4000 pies were used.
Other comedians, like Charlie Chaplin, have used the pie fight, and even cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny use the gag. But "pieing" hasn't been used just for laughs. Pieing has also been used to make political statements, and if it is done to someone who doesn't like it, it can be considered assault! So remember, if you are going to throw a pie at someone, make sure they have a good sense of humor, or you could get in trouble.
J told us that sometimes people are hit with a pie in the face on their birthday. I was wondering, though, what other pranks (funny tricks you do to people) are popular with you and your friends? Have you ever done the pie-in-the-face to trick someone? What do you do to have a laugh or make other people laugh?

Humor

Not all humor translates from one culture to another. Early humor was meant to be understood by a lot of people, and this was done by using "physical" humor. In the earliest movies, sound could not be used, so comedians had to use their body to do funny things.
Comedians like Charlie Chaplin are famous around the world because no language is needed to understand what he is doing. Most of the time, he is just acting silly, but he was very good at doing this.
Cartoons often imitated violent, or "slapstick," humor. Like the movies, early cartoons were silent (just with music in the background) and a physical type of comedy worked well.
Slapstick humor was used often by the 3 Stooges. They would resort to very basic forms of comedy, like the "pie-in-the-face" routine. Often, they looked like living cartoon characters themselves.
Television had sound when it first began, so it could use language as comedy. Some television stars still resorted to using physical and slapstick humor, however. Lucille Ball is an example of someone who still used physical humor, although she had the convenience of sound.
But I want to know what you think is funny. What type of humor or comedians do you like and why? What are your favorite funny movies or TV shows and why? What do you think makes something or someone funny? I want to know your opinions.

Visit to the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge

Here are a few pictures from our visit to the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.












When it stopped raining, it turned out to be a good day. We saw some animals; if you look closely at the first photo, you will see a deer. The refuge is a beautiful place and I recommend visiting it sometime if you have the chance. Have a good summer!

I Wish I Had a Camera

Jeff Sanders visited the Conversation Group this last Wednesday (I hope I have that name right). He talked to us about Shakespeare, specifically, how we should listen to the rhythm of the words before trying to decipher the meaning. It helps to think of The Bard's (a.k.a. Shakespeare's) work as being like poetry, or even like a song. It helps to know the tune, even if it is complicated (like jazz).
We recited the first few lines of Romeo and Juliet:

"Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean."

Repeating these lines helped us learn that rhythm, and where the rhythm changed on the word "break," helped establish the meaning of the entire play.
When acting these lines, the actors must treat this language as it is happening, whether it is thought or dialog. To help us understand how actors interact, we did a few exercises. The first exercise had us arranged in a large circle. One person pointed at another person and had to wait for a spoken permission of "yes" before taking that person's position in the circle. Then everybody in the circle just had to do it with their eyes, no pointing.
The last exercise was the funnest. Every time someone in the circle was pointed at, they had to imitate an elephant, a rabbit, roadkill, or Elvis. With the help of the two people to the side, they had to create a trunk and ears of the elephant, the hopping body and ears of the rabbit, the corpse and vultures of roadkill, or the King himself (Elvis Presley) with two screaming fans.
I bought new batteries for the camera, but forgot to take pictures of the circle of actors in performance.
Let me know about your opinions...any opinions...concerning acting, Shakespeare, plays...literally anything about the "performing arts."

Poetry and the Conversation Group

I would like to try something new with the Conversation Group. I would like anyone coming to the Group on Wednesday, May 14th to bring a poem written in their native language. I would like to hear the poem read in the original language and then an English translation of the poem (also to be read).

It doesn't matter if you do the translating, or if a book has versions in both languages. It can be a poem you have written yourself. I would also like the whole group to discuss a poem after it has been read.

If this works well, I would also like to do the same thing on May 28th to give other people a chance to share something. What do you think? Can you think of poems to bring? Does this sound interesting or just boring? Feel free to be honest.

I will volunteer to start things off by reading something when we attempt this.

Cross-Cultural Communication

Michael Reid spoke at the Writers' Center on April 30th. He brought up many interesting points regarding culture. When he asked the audience what their ideas of culture were, various answers were given. Heritage, Socialization, and even Music were different parts of culture that came to people's minds.

Mr. Reid began by explaining that everybody has different levels of needs. Level 1 is basic needs like eating and sleeping. Level 2 is safety and security, like having a house. Level 3 is to find love and friendship. Level 4 is to know that love and friendship will continue (known as status and esteem). Finally, we have self-actualization that allows for the creation of art.

In Mr. Reid's own definition, culture is the quest of people to meet the needs within the bounds of their physical environments. Water, for example, would have a different importance to an island nation than it would to a desert nation.

One idea that was reinforced was that of "willingness." How willing are people to communicate with one another? We all have to be willing to communicate to learn, agree, and understand other cultures. Each individual is different, however, and this can lead to challenges when facing other people. But it is important to try. So important that it can mean (in the most extreme conditions) survival.

So, if we respect other cultures, people, and individuals, we can actually learn a lot about ourselves. We have to put forth an effort and keep at it in order to succeed in communication. I thought Michael Reid's topic was excellent and enjoyed the discussion. But what about you? Can you tell the blog about a time when you succeeded in cross-cultural communication? How about a time you failed? What do you think would make communication easier? I welcome your ideas and thoughts about culture and communication.