Touch Peach, June 7th 2008 - the first Touch Peace event - video blog

[YOU]

It is a glorious Saturday morning in downtown San Francisco, when we arrive at the corner of Davis and Washington. The sun is shining, the trees are whispering in the wind, the birds are chirping. Our spot is a beautiful lawn surrounded by trees. Some shade, some sun. We will be happy of that at some point into the workshop.

People start arriving, people that I know and love, and people that I don't know. Like traveling gypsies we unroll our carpets and put out our spread of fliers, magnets and t-shirts.

At 11.15 I start with an intro of project and people, and an overview of the two hours ahead of us, useful infos and so on. Here I am introducing Amy Kingwill, she will be supporting us in all we need to focus, work together and perform. Thank you Amy!



I introduce two words/concepts that will be used for the entire morning: score and BEING WITH. We use the word score as it has been used by Anna and Lawrence Halprin, as ‘maps’ of intended actions. BEING WITH is our main score. The BEING WITH 'map' describes the action of making contact with another (either eye or physical contact) and maintain it, noticing what thoughts, movements or sensations we would like to follow instead of simply being present with the connection. I was introduced to this score during the Advanced Course of Landmark Education. It will be the score that we perform at the end of the workshop. You can see here some details of my explanation of what we mean by BEING WITH.


There is a sense of excitement in the air, the mixture of hesitation and adrenaline of a new beginning.

We start walking between each other looking for people that we don't already know, searching for things in common that we cannot see. The first step into the unknown, facilitated by Paul Loper, becomes a fun way to connect a little under the surface.




The slight shift in our "usual" way of relating in social situation creates a relaxed and playful atmosphere. People find joy in meeting new people and in sharing their newfound commonalities. Here you can see some of the "yes" moments that emerge.




I meet another cook, another dancer, another lover of ...
We feel closer after we finish our lasts discoveries, and ready to jump into the next step.

Diana Lara soothing voice leads us into the first score of BEING WITH.
We are again walking, finding a partner and being with them through eye contact. Immediately the group is silent. A striking contrast with the initial score.




During our first steps in being with something is already happening...
Random acts of kindness emerge from the immediate awareness that the task is challenging our definition of humanity.




A meditation in connection. I see your eyes, i think about tomorrow, i see your eyes, is she being loud enough? (the organizer's mind in action), i see myself in your eyes. A lively discussion follows. What did you do, think, wanted? What did each of our minds create to avoid the nakedness that comes from just being?




After the quietness of BEING WITH, we enter a new training score. We are now exploring our meaning making. Seeing naming, naming seeing. What comes first? Valentina Emeri introduces the pointing score with humor and gives us the first task. We are pointing to objects and naming them. Simple.



Folks at work!

Next she invites us to point and name objects with "wrong" names.
I am disoriented when i need to name objects in new ways. I start listening, and use all the suggestions in the air, it becomes easier.




After pointing to object we start pointing at people. Walk, look at somebody, stretch your pointing finger and name them "not like me".
Differentiation, I am here, you are there, and we are different.




Now we are pointing at others and saying "Like me". Immediately people smile more, look more in the eyes, look more at the camera, behind which Brooke Armstrong is constantly at work.



Last but not least, Valentina asks us to point at people and say "Me".




We are all touched, in different ways by the score. Here a group of us is discussing how we reacted to the different instructions, what was easy and natural and what felt more challenging.




After the flurry of pointing and sharing I welcome the quieteness of BEING WITH, eyes to eyes, longer than before, after the place I might start to ask myself questions. Maica Folch encourages us to find a new connection, and maintain it for a little bit longer than before.



We are starting to be more focused, I imagine more at ease with each other as well. Here in the sun people keep looking in each others eyes quietly, while Maica reminds us to keep breathing.



Other folks choose to be in the shade, and we hear Maica's invitation to what could make us, then and there at peace with ourselves and the world.



Again we find ourselves discussing what came up, every time so different for each of us. You can see here a touching moment


Now Beloved Campbell is taking us through the gate of touch. So far we have been just making eye contact. For the first time, with the "I'm here, I'm leaving" score we adventure into physical contact.



People have different opinion and boundaries around touch. Some are more comfortable then others, but the instructions of the score make the experience safe for everybody. People are so focused and present during the moments of connection. Again a celebration of diversity, we are all so different in the way we approach this task. Sometimes the connection is short, sometimes long. Also different folks create different places of connection, with and without adding eye contact.



The conversation afterward show how people have deepened their level of sharing. Look at this touching conversation between Erin Kelsey and Dominque Deyto.




After introducing touch we go back to the being with score, this time lead by Laura Maguire.



We have more options! We can make eye contact and we can touch through hands, shoulders and backs. Look at how this options unfold through the kaleidoscope of different minds and bodies, while Laura is keeping us focused on just BEING WITH.




Through the discussion that follows we are fine tuning what we know about ourselves, going into the most detailed details of what we find support us to be present with others and what distract us from the same task.



We have worked, at this point, in a very focused way for a while, so we take a short break and have a healthy and delicious snack, partially offered by Berkeley Farmers Market.

When we restart after the break, Simone Bloch walks us through a score borrowed from diversity training. She asks us to find a partner
look at him/her in the eyes (we are pro by now at this!) and then, unexpectedly to close our eyes and listen to her suggestions. She evokes 5 different memories, that we all have, even if all different from each others. A place of sanctuary, our favorite childhood game, the saddest moment of our life, our first love, the happiest moment of our life. Look at people taking in her suggestions of finding each memory and then recalling the smells, physical sensations, colors, tastes that come with it.


Again in the following conversation people deepen their connection, their ability to see themselves and maybe even start to notice how other people are just as complex as we are, each with our special memories of loves, sounds, smells and sadnesses. Through getting deeply in touch with ourselves we have different eyes to see others. And also we appear to others in a different way.



After the memory feast, Denzil Meyers walks us through the last BEING WITH score before the final performance. This time we can choose to connect with people however we want. Eye contact, physical contact in the 3 ways introduced before and also in any other way we wish.



Many of us choose to hug. Many combine physical and eye contact. We are all also preparing to maintain the BEING WITH for at least the 5 minutes that we decided to maintain during the final performance. We are experimenting with choices and with endurance!



And more awareness of our preferences arise in the discussion that follows.



NOW, we are ready, or as ready as we will be. Peggy Hackney masterfully shows the group how we will perform BEING WITH in the space that we have chosen for our performance. All the Touch Peace facilitators and coaches help in providing a direct example while she gives the verbal explanation of our final score.