Post #445066 by palapala on Sun, Apr 5, 2009 8:45 PM

What: An ArtPlay Circle Party

Who: Barbara (Palapala) and Robert (Lopaka)

Where: at Poi Dog Paradise in Kenmore

When: May 16th, 2009 starting at 6pm

Why: Because it’s going to be fun.

Potluck Theme: “Foods of your ancestry” - RSVP for hints and/or suggestions

What’s an ArtPlay Circle Party, you might ask?

The ArtPlay Circle party at
Poi Dog Paradise

We invite you to join us for an evening of shared creativity of all kinds here at our home in Kenmore. We have created a safe, non-judgmental place to make a stand against the media induced artistic coma. Come share your talents and creativity with others as we did hundreds of years ago long before the mind numbing advent of mass media televised crap.

The format of this event is kind of a combination of show and tell and talent show. It’s without judgment and with oodles of encouragement instead. The whole idea was to give people a forum to share what they love, whether it’s something of a creative nature that they do or something that frees their spirit and makes them feel good. We've had everything from music, poetry, kendo, belly dancing, ear-candling, oil painting, candle making, quilting, magic, storytelling, massage, cooking (this is a great favorite), family history, war stories, wood carving and whittling, favorite children’s stories read from books, all kinds of music from all over. If you love it, do it. You will get nothing but positive feedback and appreciation for your efforts and sharing.

Each person gets a turn as we travel around the circle. We’d like to try and keep it to around 5 to 10 minutes per person. It’s also OK if you just wish to observe until you feel comfortable enough to share. A light hearted attitude is encouraged; but serious stuff that has meaning for you is good too. The only exceptions are NO politics, and nothing more risqué than a "soft R" rating (stay away from explicit sex). Religious and philosophical issues may be discussed, but no proselytizing. This is usually an adult event, and we have other events where we encourage children to come and take part. There's a difference between the ArtPlay Circle and a performance with an audience. We are a community of creative, artistic people and this is a safe, comfortable, and encouraging place to share. We have kind of an unofficial rule, if you do it for a living; you don’t have to do it here (unless you really want to). Also, we strictly enforce the non-judgmental rule; this keeps it a safe space.

Originally, we had gatherings called “Bardic Circles” when we lived in Monroe but we are renaming this event for the sake of a better, wider understanding and a more diverse participation.

In times long past “Bardic Circles” started out as a English / Irish thing - but we felt that there was too much at stake here to limit it that way. We discovered that Barbara truly loved preparing food for groups of people, and that we both really loved giving parties. We also wanted a different way to socialize, with emphasis on encouraging people’s creativity and interaction. Then we remembered our stints at the renaissance faires in California. In Elizabethan times, it was not uncommon for guests at a party to be asked to join in with the entertainment, be it music, and dance, storytelling, song or whatever; in fact it was expected. We combined those ideas with our love of music and came up with a format to follow.

We start at around 6:00pm for drinks and apps ( pupus ). We ask people to bring items for a potluck, sometimes themed; and Barbara makes a main course. We like to have an idea of what people are bringing to create a balanced potluck, but it’s ok to be impulsive too. We consider the potluck an integral part of the ArtPlay Circle – especially for our creative foodie and cooking friends. The main meal is around 8:00pm; then it’s downstairs to the Poi Dog Paradise. Barbara starts everything with a short description of the event and what it’s for and how we'll proceed; then we ask around who wants to start. We then proceed around the room, sometimes more of a random walk than a circle, until everybody who wants to has had a turn. Somewhere in the middle we break for dessert and/or coffee; and yes alcoholic beverages (Tiki drinks) will be provided.

If you’re not able or don’t want to head home that night we have a guest space available.

Feel free to bring friends that you think would appreciate and participate also –just let us know. RSVP’s are important in this so we know how much food and drink to provide.

For the sake of our chemically sensitive friends, please avoid any strong smelling or artificially scented cosmetics or other products.

If you have any questions you can contact us by all of the standard methods.

[email protected] [email protected]

425-286-6568, 425-239-8346, 425-418-5162

[ Edited by: palapala 2009-04-05 20:45 ]