Growth Potential: Maybe I should just paraphrase what my friend told me the other day. This friend, let’s call him Igor, has been attending the Tuesday night class with me for a year. As we were sitting around my chiminea one night, he said: “Finally, I can tell how much of a difference InterPlay has made in my life. It’s crept up on me. I’m much more comfortable with uncertainty. When things at work go differently than I’d like, I don’t get so bent out of shape. Also, I think I’m dating this woman now because of InterPlay. I’m much more comfortable in my body than I used to be, and I’m more willing to take risks, like not freaking out when I asked her out.”

Pop Potential: In some ways, InterPlay doesn’t look much different than a lot of other New Agey improv/movement workshops in the Bay Area. However, founders Cynthia and Phil have taken great care to articulate BOTH the improvisational structures AND the underlying philosophies of InterPlay, in a way that mainstream audiences can appreciate. They know how to ease regular people into finding freedom of expression in a sneaky, incremental way. For example, participants don’t do a solo improv dance right away; instead, they do a simple 30-second hand dance. Or…participants learn to improv stories by talking about anything for only 30-seconds. ANYone can talk for 30-seconds! If my friend Igor, who is a tech Geek in his late-20s, can do this…anyone can!

“Get Real” Potential: Although it’s hard for me to admit, there are some people who just don’t want to play in public. And they feel free enough in their bodies without having to go to a silly class. My friend “Stacy” is one of these people. She just feels too self-conscious being that silly in public, and would much rather connect one-on-one over a glass of tea than move and tell stories in a group of people. So for Stacy, InterPlay is quite literally NOT her cup of tea!

What I Got out of it: OMG, I’ve gotten SO MUCH out of InterPlay, I can’t even begin to summarize it all (can you tell that this is my most biased entry on this website?). The Tuesday night InterPlay group is a huge gift in my life, kind of like church is for some people. For an hour-and-a-half I can move and play and connect with others and throw all self-consciousness out the window. But I can do it in a way that feels safe, not like the dance jams around town where there are often questionable boundaries that border on the sexual or the uncomfortably ecstatic. And this is only the tip of the iceberg of the gifts I’ve gotten from InterPlay…but if I tried to explain more, you’d just think I’m a nut. Come try it first (Tuesday nights from 6-7:30 most weeks are where you will find me).

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