2011 Spirit & Place Festival to Celebrate The Body"

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What do tattoos, funeral practices, folk dance, and healthy eating have in common? They are among dozens of topics that will be explored from Nov. 4-13, 2011, when the annual Spirit & Place Festival celebrates "The Body."

Now in its 16th year, the Spirit and Place Festival is a collaborative community project managed by The Polis Center, a unit of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

From choreography to cadavers and calories to culture, 2011 Spirit and Place Festival programs will reveal the body itself as art, explore how body image expresses identity, examine the relationship between body and soul, delve into health issues, and more. Participants will hear national and local speakers talk about aging, birth, burial rituals, disabilities, dance, food security, healthcare, imaging technologies, physical fitness, the built environment, and yoga, to name just a few.

Among the dozens of presenters are TV personality Sara Snow, Dance Theater of Harlem Ensemble, author Dan Wakefield, tattoo historian Lyle Tuttle, and others. In all, more than 45 programs and 100-plus presenters will explore "The Body" through dance and theatrical performances, hands-on workshops, exhibitions of art and photography, panel discussions and lectures, plus all-ages events that are full of delight and discovery.

The festival closes with the 16th Annual Public Conversation at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011, at Congregation Beth El-Zedeck. The event features iconic basketball player and yogi Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, bestselling author Anita Diamant (The Red Tent), and critically-acclaimed poet and lifelong undertaker Thomas Lynch. Their spontaneous conversation will be moderated by Rev. Kevin Armstrong, senior pastor at North United Methodist Church.

Get additional information and join the conversation online (spiritandplace.org), on Facebook (Spirit & Place), Twitter (@spiritandplace), or by calling 317-274-2455.