Classes
Awakening the Creative Spirit – Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Expressive Arts
with Betsey Beckman, MM & Christine Valters Paintner, PhD
November 7-12, 2010
Are you a spiritual director, counselor, pastor, chaplain (or in another soul care ministry) seeking ways to bring in the arts for healing, discovery, and transformation?
Join us in the beautiful Pacific Northwest for five days of exploration and application with a community of kindred spirits.
Apply & register by August 1, 2010 for a $50 discount!
Click here for more information and to apply!
SpiritPlay Classes
As mentioned on my “About” page, in the past decade I have whole-heartedly embraced the practice of InterPlay, and have woven it into much of my work, play, and ministry. InterPlay is a philosophy and practice of improvisational art forms that fosters the discovery of the holy in the individual and communal body. With the InterPlay, anyone who is willing can dance, sing, rest in stillness, tell stories and create wonder in the moment. The practices were developed by Cynthia Winton-Henry and Phil Porter, artists and theologians in the Bay Area.
SpiritPlay is a festive blend of InterPlay and ministry and has become a staple of Seattle’s InterPlay offerings. Now in our tenth year – we have developed a wonderful community of faith and foolishness. In our monthly class, we explore how the spontaneity of InterPlay interfaces with the tradition of Christianity. We find ourselves diving into the lectionary, exploring sacred stories, dancing through the cycle of seasons, loosening our tongues, singing our souls and improvising in prayer. Together, we practice opening the doors to an embodied church!
Second Tuesdays of the Month 9:30 – 11:45 a.m.
October 12, 2010 – May 11, 2011
To enroll, please contact me at betsey@thedancingword.com
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The following are a list of my offerings this past spring. Look for a fall update coming soon!
Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, March 19-21, 2010
I offer workshops each year at the Religious Education Congress, as well as join numerous other dancers in ofering liturgical dance throughout the conference. All are welcome! This year, my workshops are entitled:
Mourning into Dancing: The story of Lazarus is a powerful proclamation of Christ’s invitation to abundant life. Come release the wrappings that hold us in death and break open this transformative scriptural story through the arts of drama and dance. Come forth!
The Dance of Faith: Our faith is mediated by stories of abundant life. Come celebrate our shared stories through the art of dance – explore dances of longing, as Isaiah calls us to come to the water. Explore dances of prayer, discovering God in the “still small voice.” Explore dances of resurrection as we are called to meet Jesus in the garden of Easter. Dance your faith!
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Spritual Directors International Conference, April 8-12, 2010
My colleague, Christine Paintner and I will be offering a workshop for Spiritual Directors and other soul care providers at the SDI conference in San Francisco. (See information about our newly published book: Awakening the Creative Spirit.) You can register for the conference at the SDI website. I will also be supporting movement throughout the conference celebrations and rituals. Our workshop is described here:
Awakening the Creative Spirit – Expressive Arts and Spiritual Direction: The expressive arts honor the multiple ways of knowing available to us and engage different art modalities to grow in awareness of the sacred dimension of experience. Together we will explore simple, yet profound, ways of experience art-making, writing, voice, and movement as practical tools that can be integrated in spiritual direction.
