Modes of Embodiment: An Expressive Toolkit for Chronically Ill + Disabled Bodies

We dream of a reality where the chronically ill and disabled are given the communal space to honor the trauma in the bodyminds they own, and are given a set of tools to discover their bodies as a nuanced, abundant place for exploration, strength, and creative expression.

From journaling, to group discussion, to personalized movement exercises, this intimately-sized, 4-part workshop series aims to equip marginalized bodyminds with initial tools to transform their energy and movement into spaces of creative relief and artistic expression. Driven by the notions of intersectional disability aesthetics, this workshop series is particularly interested in allowing participants to uncover new movement in the context of their unique impairments, personal narratives, and cultural identities.

Participants are encouraged to attend each session to build on their explorations week by week. The days in-between sessions are intentionally there for participants to have time to process and recover from the previous session. This workshop series is specifically designed for those who have not worked (much or at all) with movement/ dance before and want to create an artistic practice that is intuitive, safe, and enjoyable for them. We emphasize the intersectional POC illness experience and welcome those who are unsure about their disability status.

Workshop sessions and facilitators:

Class 1: Creating The Space - Feeling and Expressing with the Bodymind (October 6) with Yo-Yo Lin + Pelenakeke Brown
Class 2: Making The Practice - Creating and Reflecting on Movement Practices (October 13) with Yo-Yo Lin + Lara Marcin
Class 3: Sharing The Practice - Relating Your Practice with People Around You (October 20) with Yo-Yo Lin + Lara Marcin
Class 4: Living The Practice - Embodiment with Our Interconnected Communities (Studies Project on November 10) with Yo-Yo Lin

This event is part of Movement Research's Move to Heal/Action to Heal programming. Learn more here.