Raw Movement: Storytelling Through Natural Gesture & Improvisation

 

Class Description: Raw Movement connects communities by having participants embody and witness the common states, emotions, and conflicts that viscerally move us all. The core component of the Raw Movement class is unison repetition of “raw movement monologues,” short, dynamic, rhythmic, and beautiful phrases embodying and voicing stories about the raw states, emotions, and conflicts that we often hide. Raw Movement creates a culture of deep connection and communal liberation, and connects us with our power to move ourselves and others.  For a detailed class description: justinagrayman.com/movement-classes

 

What Participants Bring: a commitment to deep connection, community, and self-inquiry, a desire for nonjudgmental movement spaces, and a curiosity about authentically embodying our most moving states. 

 

The Dates: Saturday mornings 2/15, 2/22, 2/29 10:30am-1pm  & 3/14 10:30am - 2pm (last session includes a hangout after we close).

*I ask that participants are able to attend all sessions. 

 

The Location: Downtown Manhattan.

 

Level: Advanced-Beginner+ (some dance experience)

 

Cost: Free

 

Potential Audition Opportunity: I may be selecting 1-2 dancers for the May launch event for the Raw Movement class from within this workshop series. The workshop is 100% a class series and not an audition; only attend if you are interested in the class series by itself. If I do select dancer/s from the workshop, the performance dates are 5/29 &5/30 at 8pm. Rehearsals primarily will occur weekly on Thursday morning/afternoons in April & May with additional dress/tech during week before performance. Stipend will be offered (amount TBD).

 

About The Facilitator: Justina Kamiel Grayman, PhD is an artist who builds communities that are deeply connected, powerful, and mobilized to take transformational action - and a psychology PhD who studies how to do so. With a BA in Psychology from Stanford University and a PhD in Psychology and Social Intervention from New York University, Justina’s studies have always centered on understanding how we communicate with others in ways that build power, connects, and mobilizes. In line with these tenets, Justina’s early efforts at doing this included founding a magazine-creation program for middle schoolers and creating an four-year long action-research project where she collaborated with community organizers to reflect on their event invitation strategies.

 

Realizing art and movement are communication tools to build power, connect, and mobilize, her original artworks are efforts to mobilize people. Justina’s dance films Woman Versus (2016) and Black Man in America (2018), both of which were recognized by American Dance Festival’s Movies by Movers, explored the mobilization of women and Black men, respectively. Justina began dancing in college and her professional dance experience includes being a company member in STREB Extreme Action Company (2014-16) and dancing with Kristin Sudeikis Dance (2015-present). 

 

Justina is currently leading two movement-based programs, a series of celebrations of Black men and a movement class, Raw Movement, that connects people through their moving stories. 

Justina is a 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Choreography & Gregory Millard Fellow, and is an Artist in Residence at University Settlement Performance Project (2019-20). 

 

For videos and photos of Justina’s work: justinagrayman.com or instagram.com/justinagrayman.danceandfilm 

E-mail me at justina@justinagrayman.com if you are available for all dates/times and would like to participate or obtain more information.