Atlanta Dreaming: InterPlay Atlanta's First Untensive

by Ruth Schowalter, Certified InterPlay Leader

InterPlay Atlanta Untensive 2015, Atlanta Dreaming. (photo by Ruth Schowalter)

The weekend from Friday, October 16th to Sunday, October 18th, 2015 was dreamy for those who participated in InterPlay Atlanta's first "untensive."  Led by Atlanta certified InterPlay leaders, Jennifer Denning, Christine Gautreaux, and Ruth Schowalter (me), we explored many aspects of dreams through movement, voice, storytelling, and stillness.

We explored the dreams we have at night, expanding them with music, dance and companionship. We played around with our life-long dreams from the time we were five through the present time. As we deepened in our play on the second day of our "untensive," one participant announced that she was "InterPlay Drunk." Others expressed a profound understanding of what occurs during an "untensive" or continuous "play" over one weekend. We have a saying in InterPlay: "To understand InterPlay, you have to do InterPlay."

We also examined goals or dreams we have for our future and embodied them through movement, taking incremental steps and leaps--and celebrating our achievements when we imagined we got "there." Oh we whooped and hollered and cheered. We leaped and jumped and clapped our hands. 

Incremental Steps and Leaps, Atlanta Dreaming 2015. (photo by Ruth Schowalter)

Part of playing around with our dreams included drawing and envisioning our dreams in lines and shapes. The drawings then inspired story telling and getting support for our dreams and then concluded with a "Walk. Stop. Run." with our drawings. 

Envisioning and Shaping our Dreams Through Drawing. Then Walk, Stop, Run. (photo by Ruth Schowalter)

After a Friday evening and an all day Saturday at the First Christian Church in Decatur, we moved Atlanta Dreaming to Little Five Points Community Center on Sunday. Meeting from 9:30 to 12:30, we built an altar with participants bringing items and images they wanted to honor considering their dreams.

Then we warmed up before conducting a "bodyspirit" hour, during which everyone had an opportunity to choose InterPlay forms to express whatever was on his/her mind or bodyspirit. We concluded our time together with some stillness and one hand dances (solo, pairs, whole group).

If you would like to see more about our Atlanta Dreaming 2015, here is a three-minute video:

Stay tuned for Atlanta's next "untensive." We will do this again and hope you will join us!