INTERPLAY ALCHEMY PLAYSHOP BEGINS!

INTERPLAY ALCHEMY PLAYSHOP. Introducing the InterPlay Alchemy playgroup at the conclusion of our second meeting on February 10th, 2015 minus one member who is traveling today. (photo by Ruth Schowalter, aka Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for Cynthia Winton-Henry and Phil Porter, the founders of InterPlay! Hallelujah for this amazing improvisational system of InterPlay that informs my LIFE.  And Hallelujah for the amazing people in the metro-Atlanta area that have come together to play in my first InterPlay offerings here in Decatur, Georgia!

How thrilling it is to walk through the doors at the Decatur First Christian Church and see my playshop on its modest signpost announcing InterPlay! Finding an available spacious sunny room in this church that embraces my city of Decatur from atop a grassy hill across the street from the post office is a dream come true for me. I can reach this civic-minded church by foot from my home within a 10-minute stroll. 

To make it even better, the church secretary, Sherry Davis, and the senior pastor, Rev. Dr. James L. Brewer-Calvert, are such warm, welcoming people and have greeted our InterPlay group with smiles and curiosity. We are so lucky!

And me? I am having a grand time with the 12 participants who so willingly signed on to meet with me for 8 consecutive Tuesdays for two hours to explore what I meant by the course title, "InterPlay Alchemy: The Creative Magic of the Embodied Soul."

To be honest, I am studying like a college student. I have been reading and rereading InterPlay history, techniques, and philosophies across InterPlay texts! Phil and Cynthia have done such a thorough job of writing their ideas down, and it helps to have it expressed in different ways in their varied offerings:

What the Body Wants 

The Wisdom of the Body: The InterPlay Philosophy and Technique

Dance: The Sacred Art: The Joy of Movement as a Spiritual Practice

Having it All: Body Mind, Heart & Spirit Together Again at Last

The Slightly Mad Rantings of a Body Intellectual Part One

Who wouldn't like to devour thoughts like these that are so inviting and accepting of the individual?: 

“Your dance grows from following your energy, your individual curiosity about experience, and your intentions. Your body has it owns agenda, its own vocabulary, and its own necessary communications.”

...”dance the way you dance.” 

“If you want more connection with mystery, intuition, and surprise, it is your wandering, dreaming soul that may know best how to arrive at its destination. Dance is perfectly suited to opening the door of conscious, symbolic connection...

...Plant your feet on a little spot of earth and imagine what you want to contribute on your spiritual path.”  

 --Cynthia Winton-Henry, Dance the Sacred Art

What a privilege it is to distill my gleanings from the InterPlay training I've received from such kind, patient, playful wise people. What an honor to experiment with that knowledge by leading others into play and discovery!

I am so excited. And very thankful!

That's Coffee with Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me today and share your ideas about InterPlay or play or dance!