Tag: Healing Arts

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, register by clicking the RSVP button above or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org.

You will receive the Zoom information no later than the morning of your program.

with Judith Sachs

The Breath of Life
Photo © Jacques-Jean Tiziou

The Breath of Life

We are breathing from moment we are born—our steady inhale and exhale is a “given.” But as we age or if we are stressed or ill, our breathing may suffer. This program will provide not just respite, but tools and skills to enhance and improve our breathing throughout our lives.

The Breath of Life is an introduction to techniques based on traditional Chinese Qigong and Indian Pranayama methods. Qi means “life force” and /gong means “work.” Prana means “life force” and /yama means “directed.” The BREATH is the foundation of all movement. The goal is to match the strength and ability of your internal and external body.

Judith Sachs, a 20-year practitioner of qigong (from the Chinese tai chi tradition) and a 30-year practitioner of pranayama (from the Indian yogic tradition), gives us options from movement to stillness to improve the structure, volume and duration of the breath.

The class begins with a rudimentary physiological explanation of lung function as well as a picture of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which regulate the stress response. We work with the breath to change “fight or flight” to “feed and breed” – with emphasis on the exhalation. The movement of a simple standing qigong set contrasts with the quiet of a seated pranayama. These two forms give us insight into how to use not just the “in” and “out” but the pauses in between breaths.

Most students feel release and relaxation after just one session. From there, they are able to build their own practice at home.

Suggested Donation: $10

About Judith Sachs

Judith Sachs is a certified Dance for Parkinsons® teacher who runs a program called ANYONE CAN DANCE® in Philadelphia. She has an extensive background in martial arts and started this class to get people aware of the potential of the breath – very important at a time when we are all concerned about staying well. You can read more about her at www.anyonecandance.org.

This program series is being offered virtually through Zoom. If you missed the first session, please email carla@smithcenter.org

with Jodi Kanter

“[D]rama as therapy sets a stage in which truths are revealed, deeper levels of communication and understanding are attained, and the personal reverberates toward the universal.”

– Renée Emunah, Drama Therapist

 

Psychiatrists and social workers have been using drama for therapeutic purposes for at least the last 100 years. Today, the principal objectives of dramatherapy are the strengthening of observational and relational skills, greater access to emotional expression (and emotional containment), and the expansion of the many roles we play in everyday life. We’ll explore a range of tools and methods including role methods, psychodrama, sociodrama and forum theater. We’ll also dip into other expressive therapies including movement, writing, music, and visual arts. 

 

Healing Through Drama will be offered as a 4-part workshop series, with each week building on the next. Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the group and dramatherapy tools and practices.

Healing Through Drama is a 4-part program series hosted on Fridays from 10:30am-12:00pm ET, beginning on September 17th (no session on October 8th).

Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the program. By registering above, you will be registered for all four sessions. Please let us know in advance if you will not be able to attend all four sessions.

Program Sessions: 

  • Friday, September 17th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, September 24th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 1st, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 15th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/series

About Jodi Kanter

Jodi Kanter

Jodi has been involved in theater since she was ten years old. She grew up acting and studying performance in American theater’s “Second City,” Chicago Illinois.  She is currently a professor of theatre in the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, where she has been on faculty for nearly fifteen years. Her academic work in theater includes her book, Performing Loss: Strengthening Communities Through Theatre and Writing (2007). Jodi’s focus on performance as a tool for individual and social healing and change has led her to create workshops, events and productions in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and prisons. Most recently, she co-created a four-month diversity and inclusion program for members of DC’s fourteen Neighborhood Village associations using the methodology of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Jodi holds a PhD. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in dramatherapy at Lesley University.

This program series is being offered virtually through Zoom. If you missed the first session, please email carla@smithcenter.org

with Jodi Kanter

“[D]rama as therapy sets a stage in which truths are revealed, deeper levels of communication and understanding are attained, and the personal reverberates toward the universal.”

– Renée Emunah, Drama Therapist

 

Psychiatrists and social workers have been using drama for therapeutic purposes for at least the last 100 years. Today, the principal objectives of dramatherapy are the strengthening of observational and relational skills, greater access to emotional expression (and emotional containment), and the expansion of the many roles we play in everyday life. We’ll explore a range of tools and methods including role methods, psychodrama, sociodrama and forum theater. We’ll also dip into other expressive therapies including movement, writing, music, and visual arts. 

 

Healing Through Drama will be offered as a 4-part workshop series, with each week building on the next. Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the group and dramatherapy tools and practices.

Healing Through Drama is a 4-part program series hosted on Fridays from 10:30am-12:00pm ET, beginning on September 17th (no session on October 8th).

Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the program. By registering above, you will be registered for all four sessions. Please let us know in advance if you will not be able to attend all four sessions.

Program Sessions: 

  • Friday, September 17th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, September 24th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 1st, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 15th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/series

About Jodi Kanter

Jodi Kanter

Jodi has been involved in theater since she was ten years old. She grew up acting and studying performance in American theater’s “Second City,” Chicago Illinois.  She is currently a professor of theatre in the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, where she has been on faculty for nearly fifteen years. Her academic work in theater includes her book, Performing Loss: Strengthening Communities Through Theatre and Writing (2007). Jodi’s focus on performance as a tool for individual and social healing and change has led her to create workshops, events and productions in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and prisons. Most recently, she co-created a four-month diversity and inclusion program for members of DC’s fourteen Neighborhood Village associations using the methodology of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Jodi holds a PhD. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in dramatherapy at Lesley University.

This program series is being offered virtually through Zoom. If you missed the first session, please email carla@smithcenter.org

with Jodi Kanter

“[D]rama as therapy sets a stage in which truths are revealed, deeper levels of communication and understanding are attained, and the personal reverberates toward the universal.”

– Renée Emunah, Drama Therapist

 

Psychiatrists and social workers have been using drama for therapeutic purposes for at least the last 100 years. Today, the principal objectives of dramatherapy are the strengthening of observational and relational skills, greater access to emotional expression (and emotional containment), and the expansion of the many roles we play in everyday life. We’ll explore a range of tools and methods including role methods, psychodrama, sociodrama and forum theater. We’ll also dip into other expressive therapies including movement, writing, music, and visual arts. 

 

Healing Through Drama will be offered as a 4-part workshop series, with each week building on the next. Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the group and dramatherapy tools and practices.

Healing Through Drama is a 4-part program series hosted on Fridays from 10:30am-12:00pm ET, beginning on September 17th (no session on October 8th).

Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the program. By registering above, you will be registered for all four sessions. Please let us know in advance if you will not be able to attend all four sessions.

Program Sessions: 

  • Friday, September 17th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, September 24th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 1st, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 15th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/series

About Jodi Kanter

Jodi Kanter

Jodi has been involved in theater since she was ten years old. She grew up acting and studying performance in American theater’s “Second City,” Chicago Illinois.  She is currently a professor of theatre in the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, where she has been on faculty for nearly fifteen years. Her academic work in theater includes her book, Performing Loss: Strengthening Communities Through Theatre and Writing (2007). Jodi’s focus on performance as a tool for individual and social healing and change has led her to create workshops, events and productions in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and prisons. Most recently, she co-created a four-month diversity and inclusion program for members of DC’s fourteen Neighborhood Village associations using the methodology of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Jodi holds a PhD. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in dramatherapy at Lesley University.

This program series is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Jodi Kanter

“[D]rama as therapy sets a stage in which truths are revealed, deeper levels of communication and understanding are attained, and the personal reverberates toward the universal.”

– Renée Emunah, Drama Therapist

 

Psychiatrists and social workers have been using drama for therapeutic purposes for at least the last 100 years. Today, the principal objectives of dramatherapy are the strengthening of observational and relational skills, greater access to emotional expression (and emotional containment), and the expansion of the many roles we play in everyday life. We’ll explore a range of tools and methods including role methods, psychodrama, sociodrama and forum theater. We’ll also dip into other expressive therapies including movement, writing, music, and visual arts. 

 

Healing Through Drama will be offered as a 4-part workshop series, with each week building on the next. Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the group and dramatherapy tools and practices.

Healing Through Drama is a 4-part program series hosted on Fridays from 10:30am-12:00pm ET, beginning on September 17th (no session on October 8th).

Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to get the most out of the program. By registering above, you will be registered for all four sessions. Please let us know in advance if you will not be able to attend all four sessions.

Program Sessions: 

  • Friday, September 17th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, September 24th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 1st, 10:30am-12:00pm ET
  • Friday, October 15th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/series

About Jodi Kanter

Jodi Kanter

Jodi has been involved in theater since she was ten years old. She grew up acting and studying performance in American theater’s “Second City,” Chicago Illinois.  She is currently a professor of theatre in the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, where she has been on faculty for nearly fifteen years. Her academic work in theater includes her book, Performing Loss: Strengthening Communities Through Theatre and Writing (2007). Jodi’s focus on performance as a tool for individual and social healing and change has led her to create workshops, events and productions in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and prisons. Most recently, she co-created a four-month diversity and inclusion program for members of DC’s fourteen Neighborhood Village associations using the methodology of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Jodi holds a PhD. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in dramatherapy at Lesley University.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Jodi Kanter

PC: https://spolingamesonline.org/

“Improvising is openness to contact with the environment and each other and willingness to play.”

— Viola Spolin

 

Take a break from your Monday and get in touch with your sense of play through theater games. Very different from “improv” shows designed for entertainment, these simple, structured improvisation sessions will lead us through building environments, creating characters, making images, moving and inventing new languages using nothing but our bodies and our virtually shared space.

The foundation of this workshop will be the theater games and explorations of Viola Spolin, author of the classic Improvisation for the Theatre. These games focus on a wide range of core acting skills including nonverbal communication, concentration, listening, observation, character, relationship, and sensory awareness.

Actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner attested that the principles behind Spolin’s games “have formed the basis of all the work I’ve done.” Elsewhere, another writer described them as “structures designed to almost fool spontaneity into being.” Spolin’s work is taught all over the world to children and adults, professional actors, educators, and community members.

We will apply these skills to storytelling and our individual healing journeys. No previous theater experience required.

Theater Games Workshop will be hosted on the 1st & 3rd Mondays from 2:30-3:45pm ET. 

Upcoming Dates:

  • September 13 & 27
  • October 4 & 18
  • November 1 & 15
  • December 6 & 20

Suggested Donation: $10

About Jodi Kanter

Jodi Kanter

Jodi has been involved in theater since she was ten years old. She grew up acting and studying performance in American theater’s “Second City,” Chicago Illinois.  She is currently a professor of theatre in the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, where she has been on faculty for nearly fifteen years. Her academic work in theater includes her book, Performing Loss: Strengthening Communities Through Theatre and Writing (2007). Jodi’s focus on performance as a tool for individual and social healing and change has led her to create workshops, events and productions in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and prisons. Most recently, she co-created a four-month diversity and inclusion program for members of DC’s fourteen Neighborhood Village associations using the methodology of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Jodi holds a PhD. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in dramatherapy at Lesley University.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Jodi Kanter

PC: https://spolingamesonline.org/

“Improvising is openness to contact with the environment and each other and willingness to play.”

— Viola Spolin

 

Take a break from your Monday and get in touch with your sense of play through theater games. Very different from “improv” shows designed for entertainment, these simple, structured improvisation sessions will lead us through building environments, creating characters, making images, moving and inventing new languages using nothing but our bodies and our virtually shared space.

The foundation of this workshop will be the theater games and explorations of Viola Spolin, author of the classic Improvisation for the Theatre. These games focus on a wide range of core acting skills including nonverbal communication, concentration, listening, observation, character, relationship, and sensory awareness.

Actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner attested that the principles behind Spolin’s games “have formed the basis of all the work I’ve done.” Elsewhere, another writer described them as “structures designed to almost fool spontaneity into being.” Spolin’s work is taught all over the world to children and adults, professional actors, educators, and community members.

We will apply these skills to storytelling and our individual healing journeys. No previous theater experience required.

Theater Games Workshop will be hosted on the 1st & 3rd Mondays from 2:30-3:45pm ET. 

Upcoming Dates:

  • September 13 & 27
  • October 4 & 18
  • November 1 & 15
  • December 6 & 20

Suggested Donation: $10

About Jodi Kanter

Jodi Kanter

Jodi has been involved in theater since she was ten years old. She grew up acting and studying performance in American theater’s “Second City,” Chicago Illinois.  She is currently a professor of theatre in the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, where she has been on faculty for nearly fifteen years. Her academic work in theater includes her book, Performing Loss: Strengthening Communities Through Theatre and Writing (2007). Jodi’s focus on performance as a tool for individual and social healing and change has led her to create workshops, events and productions in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and prisons. Most recently, she co-created a four-month diversity and inclusion program for members of DC’s fourteen Neighborhood Village associations using the methodology of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Jodi holds a PhD. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in dramatherapy at Lesley University.

Please email Carla at carla@smithcenter.org for further information about the program.

with Jodi Kanter

Come explore a new Smith Center one-on-one offering where drama and a therapeutic approach to healing come together.

 

Drama therapy is the art of the possible. It can help us to rewrite old scripts for interacting with the people around us. It can allow us to take less developed parts of ourselves and transform them into robust roles in our own life-dramas. And it can provide concrete ways of imagining—and rehearsing—the future we want to make happen for ourselves.

 

In your initial session with Jodi, you will explore the roles you already play comfortably and identify those you’d most like to develop.

If after our initial session you would like to continue, sessions 2, 3, and 4 will consist of exercises that allow you to better understand and embody these less familiar parts of yourself.

 

Additionally, Jodi is available to offer a second set of four sessions, focused on working with more specific content from your own life story.

About Jodi Kanter

Jodi has been involved in theater since she was ten years old. She grew up acting and studying performance in American theater’s “Second City,” Chicago Illinois.  She is currently a professor of theatre in the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, where she has been on faculty for nearly fifteen years. Her academic work in theater includes her book, Performing Loss: Strengthening Communities Through Theatre and Writing (2007). Jodi’s focus on performance as a tool for individual and social healing and change has led her to create workshops, events and productions in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and prisons. Most recently, she co-created a four-month diversity and inclusion program for members of DC’s fourteen Neighborhood Village associations using the methodology of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Jodi holds a PhD. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in dramatherapy at Lesley University. 

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, register by clicking the RSVP button above or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org.

You will receive the Zoom information no later than the morning of your program.

with Martina Sestakova

Music-Inspired Abstract Art

Relaxation through Art and Music

Enjoy a relaxing workshop of listening to music and painting with art educator Martina Sestakova. Let’s pause to the music by Mozart, Louis Armstrong, Edith Piaf, and others and use their musical creations for our own intuitive visual explorations. May music’s healing aspects be interpreted as colors, shapes, and energy? Join in and see! You will appreciate the exciting interaction of tunes and watercolors in abstract compositions.

 

No experience is needed: just your curious self!

 

Supplies:

  • 5-8 sheets of watercolor paper (cut to 6″ x 6″)
  • 2-2 sheets of watercolor paper (9″ x 12”)
  • 1 cup for water
  • 1 watercolor paints (trays or tubes)
  • 1 brush (or a variety)
  • 1 pencil
  • paper for notes

Suggested Donation: $10

About Martina Sestakova

Martina Sestakova

Martina Sestakova (owner at RADOST) engages in textile design, painting, and art education. Martina creates scarves that invoke stories of life experiences. Her scarves have been featured on Voice of America and at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (DC). In her paintings on yupo, she communicates words through colors and shapes. Her artworks have been shown at the Adah Rose Gallery (MD) and Latela Curatorial (DC) and other art institutions. As an art educator, Martina offers workshops and brings creativity to the public and communities with limited access to the arts. Martina Sestakova resides in Kensington, MD.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Lisa Greaves and Stephanie Young

Fertility Lotus

The journey from the decision to start a family to holding your little one/s in your arms is not always straightforward and could take much longer than anticipated. This healing circle is meant to provide support, fellowship, and knowledge exchange while you are traversing this road in whatever form it may take.

What is a Healing Circle?

Healing Circles bring together small numbers of people impacted by a condition or circumstance to share experiences and harvest collective wisdom. Healing Circles is a peer-led process by which people support each other through deep listening and shared learning. When working at its best, this collaborative conversation model leads to authentic and deep connectivity and can create wisdom and healing for participants.

Fertility Journey Healing Circle will be hosted Monthly on the 2nd Monday from 6:30-7:30pm.
Upcoming Dates:
  • September 13
  • October 11
  • November 8
  • December 13

About Lisa Greaves

Lisa Greaves

I am a lifelong Washington, D.C., resident who works as the Division Director of Educational Meetings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). I am a long-term survivor of aggressive breast cancer (diagnosed at 31), and I’m passionate about supporting the patient experience where and how I can. I am excited to help facilitate the Fertility Journal Healing Circle as a unique opportunity to participate in a community of trust, sharing, and listening with open hearts.

About Stephanie Young

Stephanie Young

I live in Washington D.C. with my husband, children, and pitbull rescue. I am a clinical social worker and have worked in a variety of settings, including international community health organizations, urban hospitals, and schools. I have a passion for supporting individuals and families as they negotiate all manner of life transitions, and I look forward to joining with others through the fertility healing circle experience.