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Review: InterPlay

admin — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:35:56 +0000

Location: 2323 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA
What it is: Gosh…InterPlay is one of those experiences that defies description. But I’ll try anyway, if you promise to do your best to imagine what I’m talking about! By definition, InterPlay is a community-based, improvisational arts practice. Gather a bunch of regular-ish people in a dance studio and invite them to play together…being as silly or serious, goofy or silent, as they care to be. Mix together some clearly led structures for storytelling, movement, and singing, and you get…InterPlay!

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).

Learn more about InterPlay

‘Stop It!’ Therapy

scott — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 05:47:55 +0000

What it is: At GrowthPop we think it’s important to try new things and have fun doing it. We found this video of a new therapy technique that we thought was fun…don’t try this at home, it’s for professionals only.

Growth Potential: Fix all your problems in 5 minutes? I’m in.

Pop Potential: Not so sure about Bob Newhart as a spokesperson if only he would stop it with the stuttering I might be able to look past the combover.

“Get Real” Potential: Bob cranks the “get real” potential-o-meter up to 11.

What I Got out of it: A revolutionary take on how to deal with my issues. Bob is truly a guru.

*Ahem* there actually appears to be a book inspired by this video…
Learn more about ‘Stop It!’ Therapy

Review: The Celestine Prophecy Movie

scott — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 04:53:39 +0000

What it is: A terrible movie based on a (I’ve heard) reasonably cool, impactful book.
Growth Potential: Did I mention that this movie was terrible? Oh, okay, well it’s terrible. Really. No, I’m not kidding, it’s possibly the worst film I’ve ever seen. Uh-huh, in my whole life. Yes, I’ve seen a lot of movies, yep. No, I think it might take the cake. For reals. It’s bad.
Pop Potential: Reviewer Rob Thomas of the Capital Times said it best, “If “The Da Vinci Code” were based on New Age theories similar to those in “What the Bleep Do We Know?” — and if it were terrible — the result would be “The Celestine Prophecy Movie.”
“Get Real” Potential: This film has everything! Bad acting, bad script, over-the-top wacko new-age mysticism, horrible soundtrack and cheesy special effects.
What I Got out of it: I generally love movies, no matter how bad. Going into this one, me and my GF had high hopes for a great, moving film. I spent the first 20 minutes laughing at the horrible acting and then had to turn it off about 1/4 of the way through. And then we sat and talked about how bad the movie was. That part was actually pretty fun.

Don’t Learn more about The Celestine Prophecy Movie

Review: The Secret

scott — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 22:16:10 +0000

What it is: The Secret is based on a concept called, “the law of attraction” and teaches its principles through interviews with various authors and experts in the fields of psychology, metaphysics, finance, and personal development. The Secret’s basic tenet is that by changing the way you think and focusing on what you really want, you can have anything. Thoughts become things.
Growth Potential: It’s hard to argue whether the law of attraction is “real” or not, but following the practices are easy and accessible and have enough of a hook to help people make lasting changes in the way they relate to their thoughts. At the very least, following the tenets of the secret will have you thinking positively and focusing on your dreams.
Pop Potential: The Secret is brilliant marketing. Who doesn’t want to be let in on a secret? On the pop-potential-volume-dial, The Secret goes up to 11. Oprah devoted two entire shows to The Secret, it’s the #1 downloaded audiobook on iTunes and it has been the #1 advice hardcover on the NYTimes bestseller list for 30 consecutive weeks (as of this posting).

“Get Real” Potential: (see video below)

What I Got out of it: Several months after seeing The Secret, I was in a bit of a slump. At some point I noticed how preoccupied I was with thoughts of what wasn’t working. I remembered the lessons of The Secret and for 1 week, I started each day thinking that things had already drastically changed, expressed gratitude for them being so great, and felt the emotion as if things had already changed. Circumstances did rapidly and drastically shift, and have basically stayed that way since. The Secret is an easy target, but I dig it for adding some sizzle to goal setting and positive thinking.

Learn more about The Secret