I will not tap my feet.
Though the rhythms and melodies you play
Conger up kicking off shoes and
Dancing barefoot in the grass,
I will not tap my feet.

Though my heart beats faster at the
Melodic buildup — as horn and keys
Latch together in the repetition of a theme,
Calling my heart and toes to a
Dance of thrill and amazement –
But no, I will not tap my feet.

I will not tap my feet, nor
Nod my head; though everything
In me is crying out for some kind of movement
To occur!
No, I will not tap my feet.

I will not tap my feet
When the guitar and sax drop out
To let bass and drums chase percussively
After each other in a playful, astoundingly
Structureless cadenza, filled with
Impulsive demands.
Even then, I will not tap my feet.

I will not tap my feet.
Though the pianist has spontaneously
Created a bit of magical funk
That was never previously inserted
In this “standard” of jazz stalwarts.
No, I will not tap my feet.

What’s this!
Did my head just nod a bit?
Unbidden, I can barely restrain myself
From rising straight to the dance floor,
For now, the whole ensemble is returning
To the original theme by some inaudible
Twist of jive and thrive.

Oh yes, I cannot just tap my feet:
I must move my head and spine and arms entwine,
Must move my torso, and more so
My feet.

In InterPlay we say that if we are to have health and well-being we cannot possibly hold everything alone. We propose that we all need help and also that we may actually feel lifted up or gain some relief by sharing our troubles and concerns with others. We call this practice On Behalf Of.

Today, I ask you to hold me and what is resting on my heart right now. I also invite you to share your cares and concerns with me via the comment section of this blog.  We are in this together and I guarantee you will feel better knowing someone is holding it all with you.

card from the Interplay Inspiration Deck w/ purple coneflowers

Meet On Behalf Of and listen to her story:

when you call On Behalf Of there is always time for a cup of tea and a bit of conversation. she will make time to stop and listen. if you are at her house she will offer you special paper and a beautiful amethyst fountain pen to write down everything that is troubling or upsetting you. She places all the papers in a dragonfly jar on her kitchen windowsill. every week she opens the window on a bright sunny day and sends the concerns off to the light. she sees everyone who has shared their pain with her bathed in warmth and love. On Behalf Of knows that health and well-being come more easily when one opens up and shares with a friend.

Don’t be afraid to share with me or someone else who cares about you.

Oh, and be on the lookout for dragonflies!!

I saw a man standing — glassy-eyed
And upward looking — at the side of the path.
There were a few things he said that I cannot
Be at all sure what they were.
But these came through clear and bold:

“I am OK.
It is your choice to believe me or not.
I do not wish to control what you think or
What you do with what I tell you.

May divine blessings go with you whether
You bless or curse me.

My belief is that this is what I can offer you.“

~ by Stan Stewart
Copyright © 2011 by muz4now, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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OK, so older (not old) kitties (not dogs , for sure) can really learn new tricks.  Yes?  But I must admit that it it isn’t so easy or so fun.  Or maybe it will be soon. At the moment, it’s just a little nerve-racking.  But we are all here together, and that always feels so good.  But Anita is showing off a little and I love her for it.  Marci is so patient, and Stan is so wise.  And I’m learning to add a blog.

Spring arrived on schedule: March 20-something
At such-and-such a time.

In my head and my heart it’s still Winter,
For the morning has dawned with a third
Day of snow since the Spring arrived.

Mother Nature knows irony too well.
And she does it with gusto.
Who ever said this womanly
Personification would ever give in
To our way of thinking?

I clasp two handfuls of the freezing,
Damp ground covering,
Mush the heaven-sent white wonder
Into a satisfying ball of fun
And see if I can make it reach a nearby
Tree.

Ah, success.

The little boy in me is gleefully ready
For the day: Winter or Spring,
It no longer matters.

~ by Stan Stewart
Copyright © 2011 by Music for the Moment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Click on any of the links in this poem and use the coupon code chimes to get one of my MP3′s for free.

Our Monday night InterPlay/improv dance class does a movement meditation on the theme of “easy focus” to a loop I created in the moment before becoming the videographer.  Enjoy.

…And here, we do a favorite InterPlay improv form called postcards on Easy Focus. The round cards we’re holding up are from The InterPlay Inspiration Deck (created by Anita Bondi who also teaches the Monday night class).

You can see another version of this Easy Focus evening in the improv studio on the InterPlay Virtual Friday Blog.

Playful blessings…

Anita and I will be heading to Oakland, California tomorrow, to join with other InterPlay leaders in a day of play, reunion, and celebration on Saturday.  I enjoy playing with other people who like to play.  I’m really looking forward to some (Inter)Play.

I consider improvisation to be a highest form of art.  Having heard the mantra “just improv” from other artists too many times, I’ve been continually more and more committed to improvised music and dance and storytelling over the past decade.

Back in 1999, I became “certified” (if not certifiable) in InterPlay, an active, creative way to unlock the wisdom of the body.  Under the mentorship of Phil Porter and Cynthia Winton-Henry, I moved from a clunky techno-geek to being a slightly less clunky techno-geek — which was a huge change. Above all, I learned that I really do have a body and that it really does inform me about almost everything about me. This was — and still is — a miracle.  No matter how “spiritual” I may be (or believe myself to be), I will always be a body in this life.  The other thing that I learned is that improvised art (dance, storytelling, singing, instrumental music) is an incredibly cathartic and artful experience.  Both of these learning have stayed with me 100% over the years.

What I imagined I’d be telling you about in this post is my passion for improv.  Now that I’m here typing this, I find that words are insufficient for what I want to get across.  So let me try this scattershot approach:

The Exformation round card from the InterPlay Inspiration Deck

• improv art informs my whole self (InterPlay is also about integration of body/mind/spirit)
• when I practice my improv artforms I am more grounded and vulnerable
• improvisation is an exformation (this is what InterPlay calls moving information out of the body) — I (and I would say all humans) need exformation to stay healthy and conscious
• improvising connects with now — how Zen can ya get?

So sing a little song, tell a little story, dance a little dance in the name of now.  It’ll be good for your body, mind and soul.

Bless you.  Bless me.