I could talk about…

by Susan M. Featro

I could talk about being nervous, scared, not wanting to go back to school this year:  knowing that I’d be leaving my comfortable small groups of English language learners in the middle school and elementary schools and would be in a new teaching position.

I could talk about how the idea of introducing high school students to InterPlay made me doubt myself.

I could talk about how I knew deep inside that they needed InterPlay and that they would love it!

I could talk about how InterPlay has made the first month of school go quite smoothly.  I could talk about how the students’ parents said over & over again at Open House how much their children enjoyed my class.

My assignment for this year:  7 classes of high school German.  Not what I really wanted to be teaching…  InterPlay to the rescue!

Starting my school year with InterPlay felt like a risk to me, but it felt like something I needed to do.  I know I needed it.  Beginning “Day One” with a list of rules and a course syllabus had no appeal for me (or for the students.)  Instead, we moved and shared stories and had fun.

“How does this relate to German?” my well-meaning mom asked.  “That’s what the school assigned you to do.”

*Oh, I can talk about that…!*

InterPlay is all about communication!  Communication with words, communication without words, communication that transcends words.  I believe that in order to be able to communicate in a foreign language, you need to be able to express yourself in your native language.  You need to be able to express yourself, period.

I believe that in order to understand others who are different from us, we need to understand ourselves first.  InterPlay takes us to that place, as we free ourselves to move, to speak, to sing, to own our dances and stories and songs.

I want my students to speak out confidently, to take risks in using language.  I want them to understand that there are multitudes of creative ways to communicate.  I want them to see that communication is powerful.  I want them to value listening, witnessing.  I want them to feel empowered by the whole repertoire of choices that enable us to connect and share ourselves with others.   I want these young adults to understand that there are times to lead and times to follow.

Above all, I want them to play, to have fun.  When I think back to the stress that I felt as a high school student who was disappointed in anything less than a 100% and would not allow myself to smile unless the word “valedictorian” was next to my name, I don’t want these young adults to repeat that path.  I want my students to enjoy coming to school…at least to my class.  I want them to be excited by learning.  I want learning to be a playful process of discovery.  I want these high school students to be surprised and enlivened, and I want them to affirm and celebrate themselves and their playmates/classmates.

I could talk about how I know that my students and I will be doing InterPlay throughout the whole school year!

Bursting at the Seams

by Susan M. Featro

I returned from my 2 weeks at Next Gen with a very full suitcase (as in “Uh-oh, I hope the zipper doesn’t break…Please don’t let this be “overweight” at the check-in counter…Does that ‘sit on it’ trick really work?”)  I wanted to bring ALL of northern California back to my family and friends!

Along with a suitcase loaded with memories and gifts, I came home full of body wisdom and energy, bearing gifts of playfulness, freedom, creativity, and grace that I couldn’t wait to share with those whom I love.  I was “on fire” from two weeks of intense play.  Along with other playful spirits from around the world, I had walked, stopped, ran, hung, swung, shaped, thrusted, created art, cried, danced on behalf of intentions close to my heart, played in people-sized boxes(!), moved my body in familiar and novel ways, listened to my inner authority, raised my “flaps,” told stories that had never been told before, enjoyed deep conversations and deep belly laughs, surprised myself, and come into contact (in all meanings of that word) with amazing and inspiring people.

Just as my suitcase was bursting with treasures for myself and to share with those dear to me, I was bursting at the seams with appreciation for all of the ways that InterPlay has enriched my life.  Two days after my plane landed at the Philadelphia International Airport, I had the opportunity to reconnect with my home InterPlay group at Wellspring Holistic Center in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania under the leadership of Anita Bondi and Stan Stewart.  I decided, on the spot, that the best way to begin (after the warm-up, of course), was with a Big Body Story (a form that I had previously found to be scary.) 

There was so much more to my story than I even realized, and I discovered that I have many more Big Body Stories inside of me.  And I knew:  I really want to share these with the world!  I really want to share InterPlay with the world! I want others to have the life-changing experiences of moving and being moved, claiming their art, claiming their stories and their lives, singing truths, breaking free from limiting identities, dancing through pain and joy, noticing and loving what comes up, trusting, playing with complete abandon, engaging in spontaneity, being affirmed, and being present in each moment.

I am excited about the opportunities before me:  to lead, to follow, to create grace in the world.  I feel empowered, and I feel supported by the entire InterPlay community.  I am alive and stand strong with a connected mind, heart, and spirit as I dance my dance, sing my songs, and tell my stories in the company of others.  I hope to come in contact with YOUR bodyspirit (virtually and/or in person.)  As you take a deep breath and let it out with a sigh, please know that I am doing the same.