A few weeks ago I taught a Luche Libre wrestling mask making workshop at a small music festival in the mountains. Among other things, the music festival highlighted “on the rise” bands that were competing to play at a larger local festival, FloydFest. My workshop partner Cory and I thought having a workshop on wrestling mask making would fit right in to the competition theme, but we had no idea how much people would get into it!
We had a great time watching men, women, and children create personas for themselves. The best part of the workshop was not my spiel on mask making, but watching each and every participant become a little braver, a little bolder, and suddenly have a little more pizazz once they had their mask completed.
One of the most celebrated Lucha Libre wrestlers, El Hijo del Santo put it beautifully, “When I put on the mask, I am transformed. The mask gives me strength. The mask gives me fame. The mask is magical. When I remove the mask, I’m a normal hu
man, who can walk right by you and not even get a ‘hello’.” Many times we walk through our days underestimating and undervaluing ourselves, but if we view ourselves through a different lens we can actually see what we possess.
We all have IT bubbling underneath; the trick is how do we access it? The power is in the persona. A character we create that doesn’t have to take responsibility, or be held accountable. It is something we can try on and then take off if it doesn’t fit, but if it does fit, we can keep it. Exploring a persona allows us to explore ourselves in a safe way. We can leave it at the door, and don’t have to take it personally if someone insults the character we create.
After FloydFandango Cory texted me with the idea to do a workshop in Roanoke, so I texted my friend Ami, who’s an improv artist, and knows all about accessing what underneath. Want help to discover what is bubbling underneath your outer crust? Join us for a Mini-Monday session, The Power Behind the Mask. You know you want to see what your creamy core is made of. We’re going to help you figure it out. For more information or to register visit: vavavoom.info
