About the Class
Price: $60
When: Saturday 12:00 p.m.
Graduation Show: None
Prerequisite: None.
Please Note: All classes are 18 and over. Once payment is made, there are no refunds, exchanges or cancellations.
Spotlight: Almost all cast members of "Saturday Night Live," "Wild N Out," "30Rock," "The Office," and many other shows have had improv training ... and YOU should too!!! Cipha Sounds is no stranger to comedy. With a foundation in improv comedy, he built a successful comedy career. He performs standup comedy at clubs around the city, including the legendary Comedy Cellar, and hosts “Take it Personal – The Hip Hop Improv Show." Take it Personal has featured many celebrity guests, including Questlove, DJ Premier, The Wu-Tang Clan, Zoe Kravitz, Donald Glover, and 2Chainz. This one-day workshop is perfect for those from all levels of improv looking to learn and fine tune ways to make quick choices, mixed with automatic movement for successful improv scenes. You’ll also learn the power behind YES AND when you don't necessarily know what the references are in the scene. A lot of people know they are “FUNNY”, but they don’t know what to do with it. Improv is the cornerstone of performing comedy and gaining stage presence, but it also helps people get better at public speaking, auditions, confidence building, social gatherings and becoming an expert in any subject.
About the Instructor
Cipha Sounds got his start carrying crates and opening for Funkmaster Flex at legendary New York nightspots, the Tunnel and the Palladium. Eventually his talent for song selection and infectious personality brought him to Hot 97 (New York’s #1 Hip Hop station), where he moved up the ranks—from Flex’s intern, to running his own show “Cipha Saturdays,” and finally to hosting the coveted morning spot. During his 17 years at Hot 97, and as a host for Eminem’s Shade 45 on SiriusXM, he helped launch the careers of Rihanna, Rick Ross, 50 Cent, and Sean Paul. His keen ear also led him to work as an A&R executive for Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella and Pharrell Williams’ Star Trak record labels. Jay-Z, Rihanna, J.Lo, Mariah Carey, Lil Kim, and Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def) are just a few artists he’s worked with as a live DJ.
Whether on the radio, as a VJ for MTV, or as a live DJ, Cipha always maintained a sharp sense of humor on the mic. He first emerged on the comedy scene as the official DJ for Chappelle’s Show and has worked with the eponymous host ever since. Despite persistent encouragement from Dave to pursue comedy, it wasn’t until well after the iconic series ended—when Cipha attended his first improv show—that he was fully inspired towards a career in comedy.
He came up studying improv at the original UCB while practicing stand-up throughout NY. He created the critically acclaimed UCB show Take It Personal – The Hip Hop Improv Show, which featured guests like Questlove, Zoe Kravitz, Donald Glover, 2 Chainz, and Fat Joe. He went from being a regular DJ at SNL afterparties to opening for Michael Che on international tours, appearing in his Netflix special and in That Damn Michael Che for Max. Ciph is known for hosting the TruTV series Laff Mobb Laff Tracks and more recently garnered critical acclaim as the host of A&E’s Hip Hop Treasures alongside producer LL Cool J. His earlier on-screen work includes a small role in Spike Lee’s 25th Hour and Wild-N-Out, which he served on as a consulting producer.
When not traveling the world to do stand-up with Chappelle, Che, Michelle Wolf, Mo Amer, Ronny Chieng, and others, you can catch him at New York’s Comedy Cellar or headlining celebrated clubs around the country. You can listen to him Monday through Friday on New York’s 94.7 The Block and on the beloved Hip Hop podcast Juan EP Is Life (with Hot 97 and ESPN’s Peter Rosenberg). In 2023, Cipha became a key player on Bert Kreischer’s long-running Fully Loaded Festival Tour. He also performed at SXSW, New York Comedy Festival, and Just For Laughs.