House of Games: Pass the Gesture (name game)

[acrouch]

Continuing the series of discussion threads that each cover a game or exercise or format as thoroughly as possible. Known origins, how it's played, variations, alternate names, tips on teaching it, what its value is, etc.

Asaf makes a case for:

Pass the Gesture (name game)

Pass the Gesture for me is when everyone has a gesture associated with their name and then you pass the energy by doing someone's name and gesture. They immediately do their name and gesture followed by someone else's name and gesture. I have people focus on the rhythm of the game, otherwise they focus too much on the memory aspect of the game. Eventually, you drop the names and just do the gesture, and then the gestures usually get more exaggerated and ridiculous.

I have been doing this exercise a lot because when I teach the drop in classes I continually get new people and it is a high energy way to learn peoples' names.

It is something I used to do in NYC Theatersports.

[acrouch]

I learned this as Names with Gestures. Or Names with Adjectives, which is what we start with.

Everyone (in a circle) says their name and an adjective that starts with the same letter ("Academic Andy!"). We then pass those around the circle, saying our own and then someone else's "Academic Andy, Archival Asaf"), then they say theirs and someone else's ("Archival Asaf, Jolly Jastroch"), etc.

Once the group has mastered that, we add gestures that match the adjective.

Or you can introduce the adjective and gesture from the beginning.

I encourage people to just ask good-naturedly if they can't remember someone's name or adjective or gesture during the game.

[acrouch]

Pass the Gesture for me is when everyone has a gesture associated with their name and then you pass the energy by doing someone's name and gesture. They immediately do their name and gesture followed by someone else's name and gesture. I have people focus on the rhythm of the game, otherwise they focus too much on the memory aspect of the game. Eventually, you drop the names and just do the gesture, and then the gestures usually get more exaggerated and ridiculous.

This is similar to what Susan Messing calls the Circle of Doom.
I've never actually seen anyone doomed by doing this, though.

Is there anything that distinguishes the Susan Messing version?

[acrouch]

Eventually, you drop the names and just do the gesture, and then the gestures usually get more exaggerated and ridiculous.

You can also (after dropping names) tone down the gestures to see how minimal you can make them and still pass them around successfully.