Choreography No.1
Have you ever heard of the sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia?
When the creators first sold the show to FX, the ratings and budget were low. But it’s now 17 seasons old and has over 170 episodes to its name. It’s officially the longest running American live action sitcom now.
And it’s format is still pretty much the same:
Take 4 narcissistic and sociopathic “friends” who like to argue, scheme, and carry out elaborate exploits without changing their inherent flaws
Add a narcissistic, sociopathic and rich conman father
Drop in a few variables.
Stir it all into a dive bar in Philadelphia
Make it taste as dark as possible.
Rise.
Repeat.
After 17 seasons and 170+ episodes, you’d think there’d be nothing left to say…. But you’d be wrong. I mean that’s what I was thinking when watching the latest episode “Thought Leadership: a Corporate Conversation.”
The episode explains how a water jug eventually causes the gang to dump 500 gallons of baby oil and 200 Paddy’s Pub t-shirts in the Schuylkill River.
It’s also how we get this scene:
And that’s the beauty and secret to It’s Always Sunny’s longevity—the formula is the same but the variables produce an infinite number of ways to get comedic gold!
Choreography No.2
I thought about that later this weekend while at ballet class. To warm up, our choreographer wanted to help us get into a true dancer’s mindset. So we did movement activities: walking in circles, walking in a grid—just seeing what happens when you bump into others across the length and width of the floor.
“We’re trying to understand the space in new ways,” she said.
Ah ha! I thought. That’s what is happening in It’s Always Sunny. That’s what’s happening in a good artistic piece. That’s also what’s happening when I present a strategic brief to a client.
We’re all trying to find new ways to re-engage, explore, interpret, and interact with mundane elements.
It’s Always Sunny is finding new ways to go darker with the same characters and location
The ballet choreographer is finding new ways to move across a floor
And I’m trying to help a client think of all their variables in a different configuration!
It’s just all about how you approach the space and how you decide to move with all the elements in it!Because when you do, you open an opportunity for transformation of yourself and others! To help you all create a new way to behave, believe, and be!
What do you think?
The end. For now.
