About this Region

The InterPlay Seattle Region is a playful, creative, spirit-filled community of 60 people who have participated in either the InterPlay Life Practice Program or the Leadership Training Program. We also warmly welcome everyone who participates in Friday morning class or other classes or events in the greater Seattle area as part of our community.

The programming in the region is strong, and continuing to grow with numerous classes offered by amazing, multi-talented/skilled InterPlay leaders in this region. We also regularly host special events and trainings led by InterPlay co-founders, Phil Porter and Cynthia Winton-Henry, or other guest InterPlay leaders from other regions.

InterPlay Seattle Regional Board

For the last 4 years a self-organized InterPlay leadership board has worked to tend to the infrastructure of InterPlay in this region. Following Krista Harris’ leave of absence after 15 years of generous, groundbreaking work to seed InterPlay in this region, it was felt that there needed to be a time of tending to the ‘wisdom of the regional body,’ to determine next steps of growth and nurture. Betsey Beckman, Harriet Platts, and Laurie Rudel, served as the initial tenders of this infrastructure following Krista’s departure. They were soon joined by Sharie Bowman, Marianne Paull, Alina Rossano, and later, Carol Scott-Kassner, and Julia McKay. In the last 2 years, Sharie Bowman has emerged as the regional administrator, and official ‘Face’ of InterPlay in this region. She has been joined by Diana Trotter and Julia McKay in leading two Life Practice Program cycles in the last year and a half.

Why does the board exist? Our MISSION is to sustain our community of local players and widen the circle of people who practice InterPlay.

What is the team building? Our VISION is to nurture InterPlay as a life practice which serves individuals and community by providing transformative resources to be shared within the Puget Sound Region.

The board welcomes hearing from you, and if you have interest in organizational development and tending, we would surely welcome connection with you about project work in the future.

History

InterPlay, the playful, creative process founded by Phil Porter and Cynthia Winton-Henry, appeared in Seattle in the fall of 1993. At that time, Krista Gemmell Harris, a dance artist-teacher and new InterPlay enthusiast, began teaching and sharing InterPlay’s forms and body wisdom practices.

In 1994, Ingrid Hurlen, creative dance specialist and performer, joined Krista in creating and building an ongoing InterPlay community in Seattle. This InterPlay leading-performing partnership continued for nine years and helped firmly plant InterPlay in the damp soil of Seattle. In the mid-90’s, artist-pastor, Laurie Rudel, and performing artist, Leah Mann, began incorporating InterPlay forms into their art-spirit-community lives.

From 1997 to 2005, Laurie led SpiritPlay, a monthly group for pastors and spiritual leaders that combined InterPlay forms with scripture and proclamation. In 2001, Betsey Beckman began offering another monthly SpiritPlay experience that combines her liturgical dance and storytelling expertise with InterPlay forms. This group continues to meet. For years, Laurie Rudel has been instrumental in creating and leading bodyspirit celebrations in Seattle. Deanna Murray, a UCC minister and an InterPlay Seattle Leadership Program graduate, introduced InterPlay to the Eastside and to the WomanSpirit Center in Issaquah.

Numerous other InterPlay leaders have offered a wide assortment of workshops, classes, bodyspirit celebrations and InterPlay jams since InterPlay took root in Seattle.

One of the oldest, longstanding traditions is the Friday Morning Play Group that has been meeting since 1995. This is a welcoming place where new and experienced InterPlayers gather on a weekly drop-in basis to play, listen to the body’s wisdom, and connect with community.

The initial pioneering leaders of InterPlay Seattle have also been meeting monthly since 1995.

From 2001-2003, Still Point Center for Spirituality hosted numerous InterPlay workshops, classes, and bodyspirit celebrations facilitated by Krista and Ingrid.

While performing has not been the primary emphasis of InterPlay in Seattle, performing is definitely a part of our ongoing history. From 1994-2007, there have been over 28 performances! Many of these were informal concerts co-produced by Krista and Ingrid. Thanks to Ingrid, in 2000 Seattle also hosted The Unbelievable Beauty of Being Human, a national InterPlay concert series, featuring Phil Porter, Cynthia Winton-Henry, and WINGIT!, their performance company. See a list of current performing groups.

Krista Gemmell Harris helped establish the Away Leadership Program and the Regional Leadership Program (now called the Life Practice Program) where people living outside the Bay area could have an in depth experience with InterPlay. To date, Seattle has offered the InterPlay Life Practice Program four times and the Leadership Training twice. Krista Harris facilitated these programs with co-leadership from Ingrid Hurlen or Laurie Rudel. Thirty-four leaders have graduated from InterPlay Seattle’s Life Practice Program.

During 2002 and 2003 Harriet Platts, helped lead the InterPlay Seattle community through a discernment process that began releasing Krista and Ingrid from their primary positions of leadership. A new job necessitated Ingrid’s dramatically reducing her time involvement with InterPlay. Krista retired from being the volunteer InterPlay Seattle administrator in June of 2006 and has incrementally released her leading responsibilities.

BodySpirit Celebrations

01/05/96, lost your star? an InterPlay celebration of Epiphany, led by Laurie Rudel and Krista Gemmell Harris’ Phinney Neighborhood Center

02/26/99, Playing By Heart, a BodySpirit Celebration of Life! Love! Laughter! Led by Laurie Rudel and the BodySpirit InterPlay Collective, Queen Anne Christian Church

03/26/99, Scents of Spring, a BodySpirit Celebration, Laurie Rudel & SpiritPlay, QACC

10/16/99, Falling to Earth, a BodySpirit Celebration of changing seasons, Laurie Rudel and the BodySpirit InterPlay Collective, QACC

12/04/99, Pregnant Light, a BodySpirit Celebration to honor waiting hopes and dreams, Laurie Rudel and the BodySpirit InterPlay Collective, QACC

12/28/99, Dancing the Labyrinth into the New Millennium, Joanne Bryant, Betsey Beckman and Laurie Rudel, Creative Dance Center

05/25/00, A BodySpirit Celebration in the Christian Tradition, Led by Laurie Rudel and SpiritPlay members, QACC

10/06/00, The Season of Descent, led by Krista Gemmell Harris & Ingrid Hurlen, University Unitarian Church

11/30/00, An Advent Celebration of Waiting, Laurie Rudel and SpiritPlay, QACC

01/06/01, Starstruck! A BodySpirit Celebration of Epiphany, Krista & Ingrid, Still Point

02/15/01, HeartPlay, a BodySpirit Celebration of Life! Love! Laughter! Led by Krista Gemmell Harris & Ingrid Hurlen, Still Point Center for Spirituality

02/26/01, Stirring of the Earth, Mayda Taney, Northshore United Church of Christ, Woodinville

03/02/01, A Lenten BodySpirit Celebration, Laurie Rudel & SpiritPLay, QACC

03/20&21/01, Spring Forth! A BodySpirit Celebration of Rebirth, Krista & Ingrid, Still Point Center for Spirituality

04/22/01, EarthPlay: a BodySpirit Celebration Honoring the Earth, led by Krista & Ingrid, Still Point Center for Spirituality

09/23/01, Falling to Earth, The Season of Descent, Krista & Ingrid, Still Point

12/01/01, Who’s Waiting? A BodySpirit Celebration with Deanna Murray, Eastgate Congregational UCC, Bellevue

03/02/02, Crossing the Threshold into Lent, Laurie Rudel & SpiritPlay, QACC

05/19/02, Pentecost BodySpirit Celebration, Laurie, Betsey, and SpiritPlay classes, QACC

10/06/02, BodySpirit Celebration led by Phil Porter and Cynthia Winton-Henry, originators of InterPlay, Pilgrim’s Congregational Church

InterPlay Performances in Seattle

10/22/94, MotherDance, Krista Gemmell Harris & Ingrid Hurlen with music by Eric Chappelle, UUC

02/10/95, Heart Dances, Krista & Ingrid with poetry by Ann Dunlap and music by Eric Chappelle, UUC

05/07/95, MotherDance, Krista and Ingrid Hurlen, University Unitarian Church

10/13/95, The Goddess and the Preacher’s Kid, Krista and Ingrid, UUC

03/08/96, YES AND KNOW, Wise Bodies at Play; Krista, Ingrid, Laurie Rudel, Leah Mann; UUC

04/12,13/96, WingIt! Performances, Phil Porter, Cynthia Winton-Henry and WingIt!, CDC

05/10/96, TALES OF THE BELLY, A solo performance by Krista Gemmell Harris, UUC

11/09/96, On the Brink, The Mother-Artist Balancing Act, Krista and Ingrid, UUC

01/31-02/01/97, Gifts of Africa, Performance, Workshop and Dance Jam; Masankho Banda, Creative Dance Center; produced by Krista Gemmell Harris

03/02/97, Playing with Desire, workshop & performance, Discernment Group, Freehold Theater

3/21/97, Grace & Disgrace, Krista, Ingrid and Leah Mann, UUC

05/10/97, MOTHERDANCE, an InterPlay workshop and performance, Krista & Ingrid with music by Eric Chappelle, UUC

06/27/97, God Talk, Two Friends Dancing, Speaking, Singing, and Playing In Relationship to the Divine, Krista Gemmell Harris and Katherine Gantz Morse, UUC

03/22/98, InterPlay Sharing, Friday Morning Play Group, Creative Dance Center

03/05/00, InterPlay Sharing, Friday Morning Play Group, Creative Dance Center

03/24,25/00, nothing to lose, Krista and Mary Grace Lentz, Creative Dance Center

05/5-7/00, The Unbelievable Beauty of Being Human, Phil Porter, Cynthia Winton-Henry, WingIt! & the Seattle InterPlay Community, Broadway Performance Hall; produced by Ingrid Hurlen

06/10,11/00, Making Choices, Freefall – Krista, Ingrid & Mary Grace Lentz; On the Boards Studio Theater

02/10,11/01, Holding On and Letting Go, Freefall – Krista, Ingrid & Mary Grace, CDC

11/10/01, Keeping It Together While Falling Apart, performance and dance party; Freefall – K, I & MG, CDC

11/09/02, InterPlay Benefit Performance

03/14/03, Mystics with Issues, Discernment Group with music by Eric Chappelle, Ela Lamblin, and Charlie Bommarito, Lela Studio

09/29/07, 14 Year InterPlay Seattle Anniversary – Workshop & Performance, faciliated by Ingrid Hurlen, Leah Mann, Betsey Beckman and Laurie Rudel with music by Ela Lamblin and Charlie Bommarity; QACC