Sign Language - 3-16-09

At the matinee yesterday we had a Japanese tour group with a translator. The show started kinda slow as I waited for my opening remarks to be translated. Then I remembered an old trick I'd used years ago in France. I talked to the audience and the translator translated what I said. "I know you don't speak English, but you don't have to miss out on any of the fun, because I will signal you."

"When I wiggle my left hand like this, it means I've said someting funny. So, when I wiggle my hand like this, please laugh. When I spread my fingers like this, I want to hear ooh's and ahh's, when I put three fingers up to my ear, applaud."

I demostrated and right on cue the crowd laughed, applauded, oohed and ahhed ay my command. I felt like a conductor and the Japanese audienece was my orchestra. Just for my own amusement, every once in a while I'd give a signal for a laugh even when I hadn't said something funny, and they responded.

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