Vision & History

PERSONAL BEGINNINGS

The founding vision of Listening Unlimited derives from the fact that we as co-founders both faced experiences involving "creative listening" that changed the course of our lives. Listening Unlimited is our attempt to share what we have learned along the way.

CREATIVE LISTENING

Through these life experiences and our explorations with the company we co-founded, Sonomama Improvisation Dance Theater, we discovered that the ability to think improvisationally greatly enhances insight, creativity and confidence. Moreover, the fundamental skill required for effective improvisation is the mental practice we call "creative listening", the act of paying attention without fear to oneself, to others, and to the environment. For us, the power of creative listening is more than an idea. It is a practice requiring daily discipline and the courage to change.

TRANSFORMATION OF FEAR

In the early days of Sonomama, our creative potential seemed unlimited. Gradually, however, we found ourselves repeating the same patterns over and over in our improvisations. We had ceased to listen and had retreated into the safety of habitual thought and action, as is often true in the way we live our daily lives. Our fear of failure and the judgment of others had stymied our spontaneity and inventiveness. Eventually, we learned to work our way through these fears by staying attentive to what was actually unfolding at each moment. This practice released and revitalized our creativity.

LIFE IMPROVISATION

The importance and efficacy of listening now appeared everywhere we looked. We saw that individuals facing major life-transitions listen for direction; friends listen to one another; so do intimate partners. Successful leaders in all professions must become masters of this skill. Over time, our work became more than movement improvisation; it became life improvisation. And, our explorations into movement improvisation became our method for gaining experiential insight into larger life issues on all levels of consciousness - physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. Movement improvisation crystallized into our model for learning and teaching creative listening and applying it to all walks of life.

THE IMPROVISATIONAL MIND

Living beyond the boredom of the habitual and the fear of the unknown is what living improvisationally is all about. In the modern world, we must face the ever-increasing speed of change with agility in order to survive and thrive. Our goal in Listening Unlimited is to help you sharpen what we have called the "improvisational mind" - the mental discipline of listening to self, others, and the environment. When you adhere to your improvisational mind, you remain open to life, however it arrives. This mental attitude is your source of creativity. And creative listening, the discipline and practice of the improvisational mind, will be your take-away.