I had Brighton freestyles

Dave spent the rest of the day with his mouth open, rapping

I went to Brighton the other day. I love it when that happens. What’s more, I spent the afternoon there, freestyling with Dave Waller. Yeah. We were kicking rhymes over old school instrumental joints for a big chunk of time.

How much fun was it? A stupid amount. Actually, a stupid fresh amount.

Brighton’s a bit of a pain to get to, but I’m always up for a trip out there, and when my excuse was: to see Dave, see Dave’s new place, and hang out and make up raps, well, that actually seems like a whole great number of excuses.

We started out with a coffee and then warmed up with just straight-up freestyles over top of some hot instrumentals. It’s been a long time since I’ve just freestyled, for fun, with a friend. I was reminded how fun it is to listen to music and improvise on a beat.

Once we got into it a little bit we then tried some new freestyle games – different ways of structuring some rapping. Some of these things we’ll probably try – in some capacity or another – at next weeks Excursions.

Next Excursions. It’s next week.

If you don’t know Excursions it is, as always, an incredible opportunity for people to get together and hear a sweet six-piece live band and some amazing emcees kicking powerful freestyle rhymes overtop. It’s all ably held together by keyboard wizard/musicmaster Rob Grundel and emcee/host Dave Waller. Oh, it’s also on a boat. That boat is certainly where I will be on Tuesday, ready to jump in on any occasion.

As for our Brighton session, well, I’m not sure if it was the sea air, the framed taxonomy of rap names poster on the wall, the chance to throw down some records on a turntable and scratch ’em up, catching up with Dave after so long, the presence of osteopaths and massage therapists in the house, or anything else in particular but we had a good session rocking those rhymes.

My train back from Brighton took over two hours (it usually takes less than an hour). But even that slow commuter frustration couldn’t slow my head nod.

By Liesbeth Smit|2017-09-14T08:43:44+00:00November 23 2012|

“Ryan is a natural at teaching and you get the feeling he puts his heart and soul into helping others. I look forward to doing more workshops with Ryan.”

Shauna, Tunbridge Wells

“Working with you was an absolute blast! I’ll take your writing advice with me wherever I go.”

Marton, Budapest

“As a coach Ryan’s ability to zone in and identify the main agenda for each sessions was amazing. His coaching helped me reflect, make decisions and make positive changes in my business.”

Tracy, Dublin

“Ryan is an incredible teacher. He took a straggling group of beginners and turned us into a viable company of improvisational actors who regularly perform together – in front of actual, paying, repeat customers.”

Carrie, Brussels

“Thank you so much for passing your writing knowledge onto me. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun too.”

Larissa, Amsterdam,

“Ryan is the most enthusiastic, positive workshop leader I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I’ve been to several of his workshops and after each session I came away with a sense of achievement and feeling that I had learnt something new.”

Chris, London

“I LOVED the fucking GREAT and positive energies in the workshop. They so got me going. Perhaps the highest moment during this festival was laughing in the workshop (to the dances… :)).”

Ben, Tel Aviv

“Plenty of energy, enthusiasm, good clear guidance on how to make the scene ‘deliver results’ without killing the improviser… Ryan’s enthusiasm for improv is infectious.”

James, Brighton

“Ryan’s improv workshop is incredibly fun but also ruthlessly effective. Participants are taught to drop their inhibitions, let their imagination flow and and embrace the positive attitude at the heart of improv. They are also treated to Ryan’s personal blend of enthusiasm, wit and generosity.”

Jeremy, Brussels

“I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. I learned how beautiful authenticity is, with such little moments as sharing your breakfast. Being in the moment is so amazing to see and to feel.”

Laura, Amsterdam

“I’ve learned so much from you and thank you for giving me that nudge to get out of my comfort zone.”

Imaan, Amsterdam

“Ryan is an extremely qualified, talented, and professional teacher and coach. I’d recommend Ryan’s services to anyone!”

Derek, Amsterdam,

“Your Taking It Easy session helped me relax more into the truth of a scene and let it grow more organically instead of pushing too hard to make it funny or dramatic. I loved that you were really clear about what you wanted us to get and how the exercises played into the scene work we did later. I really got a lot from one short session.”

Andrew, Brighton

“I really admire your energy, creativity and knowledge and I’ve learned a lot from your training sessions.”

Natasha, Amsterdam,

“Ryan’s coaching sessions really improved my public speaking skills and made my presentations much more interesting for my audience.”

Furio S., Berlin

“I especially enjoyed the clarity in all of what you were doing – I always understood what it was that you were teaching. I never felt lost. That was really awesome.”

Martin, Tampere

“Because of you my fear of speaking or presenting in front of an audience has lessened a great deal.”

Samora, Amsterdam

“Ryan is a great teacher, very serious (and very funny!) gives great coaching during scenes! I had a great time studying with him!!”

Alon, Tel Aviv

“The skills I learned from those two weekends, which were two of the most enjoyable weekends I’ve ever had, have been an invaluable tool I use to this day in my daily life, both at work and in personal interactions.”

Andy, Brussels

“Ryan really made the most out of the workshop. No time-wasting. He gets to the point quickly, in a clear and effective way.”

Pedro, Lisbon

“Very inspiring and useful workshop. Picked me up from where I’m at and helped me develop strategies to improve developing scenes and my performance skills.”

Anonymous, Switzerland

“Ryan seemed to know just what to do to get the best from everyone. I would jump at the opportunity to do another workshop led by him.”

Calum, Brighton

“I’ve benefitted immensely from this journey which I would recommend to anyone looking to learn more about themselves in a fun, immersive way.”

Simon, Amsterdam

“I loved loved loved your workshop. I liked the way it was structured and meaningful. Time flew unnoticed. I liked the shortness of the exercises, the surprise and fun, and the fact that you gave me so much to explore. I now can be in an empty prison cell or in a desert island and never feel alone or bored anymore. Now I can expand my world.”

Elsa, Lisbon

“Thank you for your positive spirit, energy and creativity. Your public speaking sessions really helped me feel more comfortable standing in front of a group of people.”

Serena, Amsterdam

“Absolutely brilliant! Exceptional work!”

Anonymous, Impro Hotel

I had Brighton freestyles

How was working with Ryan?

Contact Ryan Millar

I had Brighton freestyles

Related Posts

Milly Can Rap rides again

EU Battled for YOUR Vote

Nobody’s Perfect – Ryman Illar

Inside the Rappers Studio

How was working with Ryan?

Contact Ryan Millar