Arousing the Soul through Movement … an Inspirited Aging session with Kerry-Ann Stanton

Posted by on Jul 14, 2017 “An aged (wo)man is but a paltry thing, A tattered coat upon a stick, unless Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing For every tatter in its mortal dress … “ From: W. B. Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium” What a delicious provocation to respond to in session!  InSpirited Aging is a weekly practice of movement, writing, simple art making and conversation for people over 60. Aging can...
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In honour of Marian Barnes, pioneer funeral celebrant

Posted by on Apr 24, 2017 In honour of Marian Barnes (8/4/1929 – 8/4/2017) who paved the way for my work as an independent funeral celebrant. Marian Barnes pioneered the celebrant funeral alternative in New Zealand starting in 1979. She actively led funerals services that were ‘honest and relevant’ to communities in mourning and was encouraging of others to do the same. Her book Down to Earth: The Changing...
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InSpirited Aging by ‘Inspirita’ Kerry-Ann Stanton

Posted by on Apr 24, 2017 I would like to share with you a new programme I have developed that started on 21 April, specifically designed for Over 60’s. InSpirited Aging is a weekly practice of movement, writing, simple art making and conversation; an Open Floor approach led by me, ‘Inspirita’ Kerry-Ann Stanton.  Open Floor is best described as a modern blend of conscious movement, mindfulness and artistry. Each...
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‘Curating my world’ – A Piece for Autumn by Kerry-Ann Stanton

Posted by on Feb 9, 2017 I worked hard to write something before last summer. And all I managed was, in my words; ‘A loose assemblage of self-indulgent drivel that would not reveal coherence to me’. So, I couldn’t and didn’t submit any writing for publishing. However, as life is wont to do, especially encouraged by lots of rest, things have settled somewhat and I have been able to have a laugh at the ferocity and...
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Creative wildness – a project and a way of life … Kerry-Ann Stanton

Posted by on May 18, 2016 In my Open Floor dance training I am being encouraged and challenged to ‘embrace wildness’ in my dance practice. I have been questioning how I might do this when feeling so exhausted? How do wild when all I can conceive of is crawling under a duvet, snuggling in with lots of soft pillows and dancing on the inside. Actually this would be a pretty ‘wild’ response from me given I will...
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Dance, Rampant Anxiety and Feeling Vulnerable – Kerry-Ann Stanton

Posted by on Nov 22, 2015 Writing these articles is a life lesson all on its own! As I ruminate, cogitate, prevaricate, let the general themes of pre-occupation float through me, they sometimes resolve and disappear from desire to write about! Other times I find myself reticent to share at the level the contemplations require. Although I do know some of you, in reality I am writing for (or sharing my writing with) a...
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“A Place and Way to Peg Myself” – a pre-spring reflection on an earlier autumnal contemplation – Kerry-Ann Stanton

Posted by on Aug 23, 2015 Back in late summer, ready for the autumn article ‘All_Pegged_Out’, I wrote: “ … A contemplation of all things ‘pegs’ feels somewhat whimsical and indulgent. Yet it is an ordinary task that I take great pleasure from. With the weather so warm, light and breezy I have been washing all the ‘patchwork’ quilts. So lovely to see them flapping on the line, out of the sun, carefully...
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Wash the dishes, dry the dishes, turn the dishes over! Kerry-Ann Stanton Summer 2014

Posted by on Feb 28, 2015 Wash the dishes, dry the dishes, turn the dishes over! Kerry-Ann Stanton Summer 2014 (In couples facing, with hands joined) Wash the dishes (swing hands back and forth) Dry the dishes (swing hands back and forth) Turn the dishes over (Circle under each other’s arms.) Well Spring sprang forth after I last wrote; and brought its regular dose of lusty wild weather, rain...
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“All pegged out” A pre-autumn contemplation by Kerry-Ann Stanton

Posted by on Feb 28, 2015 I am currently ruminating on ‘pegs’; good old ordinary pegs that you hang clothes out on the line with or on the rack inside or use (as a friend of mine has done twice recently) to embellish temporary installation mandala. The last use generated the comment, “gosh you’ve got a thing about pegs haven’t you?” This in turn occasioned a flurry of conversation about how each of us used...
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Dance and ‘loose wires’

Posted by on Oct 26, 2014 Recently, about twenty minutes into our one hour Inspirita_Dance session, after a wobbly song, the PA went dead. No sound at all. It is a credit to the regular Inspirita_Dancers that they all kept dancing while a very temporary fix was put in place. Post-session investigation revealed a loose wire connection to the battery within the PA. Relief at a minor repair and amusement at the...
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Writing on Spring, for Spring, with spring?! Kerry-Ann Stanton 2014

Posted by on Aug 28, 2014 Spring comes after winter – yes, I know blindingly obvious AND it does have its own difficulties for me. When I looked through my writing files back to 2005 I noticed several things. First, spring is the time of year I am most likely not to write a piece for this newsletter; four out of the ten years I didn’t or couldn’t write. Second, my themes have all been connected to coming through...
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What is saving my life right now? An Early Winter Reflection by Kerry-Ann Stanton

Posted by on May 18, 2014 I tend to write these newsletter pieces based on what is currently ‘preoccupying’ me. I am reading “An Altar in the World”, by Barbara Brown Taylor and in her introduction she tells the story of being asked to “come tell us what is saving your life now”. She interpreted this as figuring out what her life depended on in that particular moment in time and space. I find this an...
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