Examples of Taira's Life/Art Process classes and workshops:

Crosscurrents, a 5-day workshop at the sea
Moving In And As Nature, a day-long workshop in nature
Creative Dance Lab, a weekly expressive arts class for children
Embodied Ecology with Ken Otter & Taira Restar, an online class
Mess Ups & Mistakes: Unpacking The Inner Critic, a day-long workshop

What to expect?

Classes and workshops include a movement warm up and movement/dance, visual art, and writing explorations based on a life theme. Examples of two themes are Who Am I Becoming? and Inner Critic. Through Taira's skillful guidance, participants delve into the theme through various movement and improvisational dance activities, through visual arts and poetic writing or journaling. Reflecting and dialogue with self, a partner or the group supports the discovery of insights and links them to daily life.

LIFE / ART PROCESS

The Life/Art Process is an integrative arts practice, which combines movement, dance, visual arts, writing, and reflection to access deeper health and well-being. It is based on the premise that creativity is intrinsic to all life.

Created in the 1960’s by Anna Halprin, the Life/Art Process was a ground-breaking approach based on working with peoples' own life experiences as the source for artistic expression. The Life/Art Process was further developed at the Tamalpa Institute, co-founded by Anna Halprin and Daria Halprin. Taira Restar is on core faculty at Tamalpa.

Through the Life/Art Process, also known as the Tamalpa Life/Art Process, we explore the relationship between the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels of our experience and expression. We delve into ourselves through multiple creative modalities:
movement,
improvisational dance,
poetic writing,
and visual arts, such as drawing, painting, and collage.
These multi-modal explorations cross-pollinate and strengthen one another.

We cultivate the ability to be aware of and to tap into what is. Whether it be the commonplace or the sublime, this approach invites us to experience what is as art. It invites us to be in the here-and-now.

Through reflection and dialogue, we make discoveries, gain insight, and acquire practical resources that enrich daily life.
The Life/Art Process invites us to live life as an art.

Those with and without previous dance or arts experience benefit.