The Context

We have learned so much through our analyses of systems of conditioning and disconnection (e.g., racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, capitalism, ableism, neurotypicalism, etc.). We have learned that many spaces we have experienced were not designed to meet our needs, especially our need for deep connection. Because of our experiences within these spaces, we have known very well what it is like to hide ourselves. Deeply knowing our past experiences and our current collective experiences, we have used it all as an opportunity to no longer hide our selves. We have been choosing to create spaces of deep connection, where we can be our rawest selves. 

 

 

Raw Movement brings people together to experiment with co-creating spaces of deep connection, home, and family through collective (movement) practice.   

 The Raw Movement Framework In a Nutshell

All activities are guided by the Raw Movement Framework. This is an approach to exploring how we co-create spaces of deep connection.  At the heart of The Raw Movement Framework is experimentation with individual and collective (movement) practices that give access to deep connection to our rawest selves, our personal history, our personal ancestry, our bodies’ needs, each other, communities, nature, universe, and future we are creating – our whole physical world.

The Raw Movement Framework emphasizes the collective practice of raw movement as one vehicle to this deep connection. Raw movements are artistic movements that naturally ground, move, and deeply connect us as humans. We ground our study of raw movement by studying and practicing ancestral, historical, and contemporary raw movement within our lineages – essentially studying and creating our own movement practices of deep connection.

Note: Importantly, the Raw Movement Framework is an approach to inquiring about how we co-create spaces of deep connection. It offers questions and tools rather than answers – and therefore invites sharing and exploration among all interested in co-creating spaces of deep connection.

 

 Diving into The Raw Movement Framework

Grounded in Psychological, Energetic, and Medicinal Approaches to Co-creating Spaces of Deep Connection

The Raw Movement Framework is grounded in psychologial, energetic, and medicinal approaches to 1) uncovering what may be in the way of creating spaces of deep connection and 2) experimenting with co-creating a space of deep connection. The Framework is specifically for responding to personal and collective experiences of disconnection, grief, loss,  death, suffering, conflict, tension, unknown, and transiton.The Framework incorporates understandings of group psychology, community psychology, group norms, social settings, interpersonal interactions, and relationship building to lead groups in collaboratively inquiring about what is in the way of developing a space of home, family, emotional safety, deep connection. Understanding the role of systems of conditioning and disconnection (capitalism, racism, heterosexism, etc.) and how that may show up in the group (power dynamics, harm, conflict) and our own patterns of connection and disconnection is a critical part of the Raw Movement process.

Our Practice of Deep Connection

The Body. At the heart of The Raw Movement Framework is exploring deeply connecting to our bodies, emphasizing , one, our bodies’ needs that have us feel safe, and, two, our truest self-expression.  

Each Other. The Framework next emphasizes deeply connecting to each other, by experimenting with creating home, family.  

Collective History, Ancestors, People, Nature, Collective Future. Finally, the Framework emphasizes deeply connecting to our personal history, personal ancestry, communities, physical world, and the collective future we are creating. 

how we practice: collective (movement) practice

Collective Movement Practice. The Raw Movement Framework offers a series of questions that guide us in inquiring about and sharing individual and collective movement practices that might engender deep connection. By movement practice, I mean moving physical energy, which can be done through all movement, art and design disciplines. Guided by these questions and using our unique knowledge, skills, and experiences, we practice leading each other in experimenting with individual and collective (movement) practices that engender deep connection. We emphasize the ancestral/historical/cultural study of collective (movement) practice (e.g., medicinal movement, art, and design) in order to design spaces of deep connection.

how we practice: raw movement as a main collective practice of deep connection

Collective Practice of Raw Movement. We focus on the collective practice of raw movement as a main vehicle towards deep connection. Raw movements are artistic movements that naturally ground, move, and deeply connect us as humans, emphasizing those raw emotions, states, conflicts, and movements that move us all. Through historical/ancestral/cultural study of, improvisation of, creation of, and unison performance of raw movement rituals, we connect to our bodies, each other, personal history, personal ancestors, nature, and the future we are creating. Raw Movement study happens primarily through creation of Raw Movement Monologues, short, dynamic, rhythmic, and beautiful phrases embodying and celebrating raw states, emotions, conflicts, and movements that move us all. We emphasize Raw Movement Monologues embodying current raw collective feelings and experiences of grief, loss, death, suffering, conflict, transition, or hidden tension. In-depth study of, practice of, and composition of raw movement is supported by key resources, a beautiful dictionary of and an online library of raw, human gestures. Systematic study of U.S.-based body language and gesture are the heart of Raw Movement.The rituals and monologues we create are always grounded in our current feelings, our collective feelings, and experiment with creating a space of deep connection amongst all present in a space.

what we co-create: spaces of deep connection

Throughout the process of deeply connecting to our bodies’ needs, we note elements of our space – namely, individual and collective (movement) practices – that must be collaboratively created or changed. In response to our personal and collective experiences of grief, loss, death, suffering, unknown, and transition, we collaboratively create beautiful, playful, recreational, and celebratory spaces of deep connection. We choreograph each element of the space (including objects, games, and movement rituals) to experiment with moving/choreographing bodily energy, bodily form, and interactions between bodies in ways that create the conditions necessary for deep connection to be possible. Essentially, we choreograph our entire space to experiment with  creating the conditions necessary for deep connection to be possible. 

We debrief with each other as we co-create spaces of deep connection in our daily spaces and in new spaces we lead. We apply what we are learning to building a campus where we experiment with co-creating spaces of deep connection, where our needs are met.

Details on Our Research Questions: Building The Raw Movement Framework

The following reflects the Raw Movement Framework’s overarching research question and sub-questions. All activities, including the collective, school, and work with partner groups is about exploring and experimentally/experientially researching the answers to these questions. 

 

Overall Research Question: How do we co-create spaces of deep connection, home, family, emotional safety through collective (movement) practice? By collective (movement) practice, we mean the collective practice of moving physical energy using movement, art, and design to create the energetic conditions necessary for deep connection to be possible.

 

Sub-Questions: 

    • How do we define and measure each element of a space that impacts the space’s capacity for deep connection, home, family, emotional safety, to be possible, especially elements that are invisible?
    • How do we define and measure the energetic conditions necessary for deep connection, home, family, emotional safety to be possible? For example, we might think of the energetic conditions as energetic reset, energy flow, energetic balance, energetic vortexes, vibration, frequency, life force energy, breath, oxygen, mitochondrial energy and function, cellular energy and function, etc.?
    • How do we understand and measure the energetic conditions of existing physical spaces and the elements that comprise them?
    • How do we create the energetic conditions necessary for deep connection, home, family, emotional safety to be possible? How do we select space elements that create the energetic conditions necessary for deep connection to be possible? How do we design and build space elements that create the energetic conditions necessary for deep connection to be possible?
    • How do we create the structural conditions necessary for deep connection to be possible? By structural conditions, we mean the form, structure, or meaning of the space element (meaning of words, furniture arrangement, etc.)
    • What is the ancestral lineage and collective history of these collective (movement) practices we are studying? What commonalities do we find among the collective (movement) practices we study?
      • Origins & History. What peoples, artifacts, stories, and histories are associated with these collective (movement) practices? What exact collective (movement) practices were used? In their culture, how did they create deep connection to this physical world, home, family, community? How did they move energy? When, how and why (social/political/economic/etc. reasons) did they develop these systems of practice? How were they used? What did they know? Who were my individual/personal ancestors associated with these practices? What lineage do I trace? What stories within my lineage do I document? What collective history surrounds these stories? What artifacts are associated with these practices? Who is to be credited for these practices?
      • Transformations. How did these practices and knowings change over time? Why (social, political, economic, etc. reasons) did these change? What did they transform into? Why did they transform? Where does my family history intersect with sociopolitical circumstances of these (religious/spiritual/medicinal) practices?

  • Motivation & Context Behind The Raw Movement Framework Questions

    • Translation. Essentially, we ask: where did we come from? Who were our ancestors? What really happened in our collective and ancestral lineage? In our collective history and ancestral lineage, what practices were used as a source of strength, creation, connection? What were their energetic knowings, gifts and powers? When, how, and why did that change? What lies were we fed about the body, the world, our deep connection, that disrupts our individual and collective power?
    • Grounding in Space-Time-Context. We engage in these questions to place ourselves in space and time: Why am I doing what I am doing and what does it mean for my lineage, descendants, legacy, humanity? How is it beyond me? In service of something greater? How is my work and how am I grounded in my own familial experience, my ancestry, and my collective history?
    • Grounding in Individual Purpose & Power. What are my deeply connected powers and gifts? What was I born knowing because of my deep connection? Who am I really? Who did I come here to be, exactly? What work am I continuing, responding to, or deeply connected to? How am I responding to, being deeply connected to, in service of, or behind others who’ve come before me – and those who will come after me?

 

Fields and disciplines (not exhaustive) that The Raw Movement Framework spans: 

 

  • Fields/Areas
    • Communication (Words)/Verbal Movement
    • Body/Movement
    • Object Design: Movement Emphasis
    • Interior Design: Movement Emphasis (color, light, sound, texture, pattern, material, movement pattern/mechanics, rhythms, touch,words, heat, plants, flowersfurniture, bedding, walls, stairs, arches, vibration, appliances, natural elements)
    • Building Design: Movement Emphasis
    • Community/Village Design: Movement Emphasis
    • City Design
  • Disciplines
    • Western Sciences: psychology, applied psychics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism,  mechanical engineering, arts/design and engineering, arts/design and technology
    • Design/Justice-Oriented Design/Arts: design for spatial justice, design for/with communities (architecture, interior design, industrial design), theater/production design (scene design, set design, art direction, etc.), entertainment, educational media/theater/entertainment
    • Energy Sciences & Medicine: energy medicine, energy healing, traditional spirituality, shamanism, African spirituality, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, naturopathic/integrative/functional medicine, herbalism, culinary arts, neuroscience, biochemistry, genetic medicine, medical engineering
    • Cultural/Cross-Cultural Studies: anthropology, medical/religious anthropology, cultural studies, dance studies, religious studies, religious history, history of medicine, black studies, queer studies, feminist studies, womanist studies

Applied Outcomes

 

  • We use our research to offer/create practical tools and resources (building blocks, taxonomies, databases) that others can easily use to experiment with co-creating spaces of deep connection, home, family, emotional safety through collective (movement) practice. We break what we’ve learned down into small, bite-sized lessons within the Raw Movement Framework and place these lessons into beautiful artistic experiences. We also use what we’ve learned to experiment with creating movement, art, and design to transform or create new physical spaces of deep connection. . 

 

 

Raw Movement is not “spiritual” if spiritual means disconnected. Raw Movement is not ascendant, rigid, transcendent, homogenizing, conforming, dogmatic, conflict-avoidant, pathologizing, therapy, hierarchical, superficially positive, or about fixing, healing, or transforming our selves. Raw Movement is raw, earthly, primal, grounded, needs-centered, welcoming of disagreement, communal, heterogeneous, experimental, artistic, creative, and about power and creation. 

 

A Note On Raw Movement Vibes

Dear friend,

I thought I’d tell you about the vibe we’re creating with Raw Movement. In our experiences, we will be building community, while we practice what we practice. I am inspired by the idea of associations where we are showing up to share in investigation and share our own learnings and practices (think Girl Scouts, unless you hate Girl Scouts). It is meant to be a space where we all can show up informally (no-big-deal-just-show-up attitude) with the commitment to practicing deeply connecting to ourselves and each other, always with a spirit of play. As always, the group(s) will be small. Family & home vibes, always. My desire is to create space for deep connection, for seeing, witnessing, celebrating, accepting, and loving one another (and all of our emotions) obviously and authentically.

A Note on Safety, Comfort & Individual Power/Choice. Our sessions proceed slowly and flexibly. Everything is optional and is meant to support us in meeting our needs, so there is no right or wrong way to do anything. Along with that, there is no need to get it right or do what everyone else is doing during our group. I will applaud saying no, stopping with discomfort, and modifying participation. We are not here to push through discomfort, but to care for ourselves in whatever way we need. We are here to ask ourselves what we need to feel safest in our bodies and with each other and investigate what it looks like to create safety for ourselves. Throughout sessions, I (or the current facilitator) check in with the group about our feelings of safety/connection and invite us to care for ourselves individually and to bring up unmet needs or concerns that we can investigate meeting through individual and collective practice. The 100% purpose of our gatherings is to explore how we meet our needs and create space for our needs to be met. 

A Last Note on Bonnets & Cursing & Repping Our Culture & Being Queer & Neurodivergent & Silent When We Feel Like It & Just-Rolled-Out-Of-Bed & Currently-Conditioning-My-Hair & Making “Mistakes” & Tripping Over Our Feet & Not “Getting The Step” & Not Having The Right Words & Being Trembly & Not Really “Being A Dancer” & Not Really Being a Leader & Being Loved No Matter What. The title of this note is extra, but alas I am extra. This is space for us to practice being ourselves and I mean the ourselves without the performance, without having to know anything or be anybody or get the steps right or be interesting, palatable, knowledgeable, or put together. This is space, if we choose, to be our truth-telling, emotional, extra, silly, nervous, clumsy, just-messed-up selves. This is space to practice being our raw selves. And I am so grateful for the space you are giving me to practice being my raw, tripping-over-my-words-and-feet, can’t-do-a-double-pirouette, (okay, can’t do a consistent double pirouette), needs-one-full-hour-to-learn-the-dance-combo self. We are perfect as we are. In this space, we will practice creating a space that aligns to us, where we are celebrated and loved, for our rawest selves – bonnets, clumsiness, nervousness, and “mistakes” included. 

– Justina

 

For movement and somatics lovers interested in co-creating spaces of deep connection, click below to learn more about Raw Movement labs and gatherings.

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