The Dance

The Dance

20 years ago on mother ‘s day, Playing Mantis was born. It was from a simple desire to offer an alternative outside the dominance of plastic toys . Unknowingly, it was a prelude to a dance of handmade crafts, fair trade, and a community of educators, artists and families whose resources are people and the environment—a symbiotic relationship between sustainability and beauty.

The 20 year dance of leaps and slide. Sometimes the inspiration dims and a stumble felt like a fall

In 2007, the iPhone /Smartphones infected our culture as a new language and tool. Learning became passive and uninspired, information reduced to entertainment.

In 2010, the iPad was launched. Technology entrapped us , while Facebook and Instagram transformed into our social spaces.

Then, in 2020, TikTok exploded as the COVID-19 pandemic forced us into isolation. We held on to our devices as lifelines. We shut our doors, covered our faces, and spoke to Siri and Alexa. Artificial intelligence began replacing natural intelligence with confidence and conviction.

I thought it was time to take a bow.

Then the shift stirred..

Between 2024 and 2026, schools began banning phones in classrooms. Books and handwriting started finding their way back into schools. People became increasingly aware of microplastics from our shores to our skin.

We became climbers, hikers, and stargazers. We seek the sun to heal, and the stars to string us. We were the constellation to the sky. We became knitters, felters, weavers, carvers and potters. We, and our hands with nature, mending the HUMAN in us.

Thank you for dancing with us .

The journey is the MISSION.

Here’s to the next 20 years.