The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

When spects start to play, they’re often nervous. They’re worried that others will judge them and don’t want to look stupid. You can help spects overcome their fears through ramping.

The ramping process is similar to the one parents use to help their children learn to ride a bike. To begin, the parent’s hand holds the bicycle seat to provide a sense of safety and security. As the child becomes more confident, the stabilizing hand has a progressively lighter touch, until the child is eventually riding without the need for any assistance at all.

When you’re ramping spects, start off simple. Create clear opportunities for spects to do easy things. When they do, reward them with strokes. Justify whatever they do as right. As spects grow in confidence, increase the challenge of what you expect them to do. When spects are playing with full confidence, ramping is no longer necessary. You can play with them as you would any other collaborator.