Dear potential collaborator,

Below, you’ll find a list of what I need when working on choreographic/movement-making projects. Peruse if you’re interested in working with me. If these things are aligned, I’d love to hear from you about what you are up to and chat about if it is aligned.

all love!

justina

 What I Make

 What I Need in Choreographic/Movement-Making Projects

Director/Guide. I serve as a Consultant, Coach, or Artistic Director on projects, guiding other dancer-choreographers in collaboratively creating work using the Raw Movement Framework.If no choreographer-dancers are on the project, I bring in dancer(s) to collaboratively create an overall movement vision for the project with project creators, using the Raw Movement Framework. I direct dancer-choreographers in their movement making by encouraging understanding and alignment with the Raw Movement Framework. I am open to coaching non-dancers in movement creation.

Needs- & Feelings-First. The way that I work centers my own needs/feelings and the needs/feelings of those I am working with. It is never about just getting things done, but about caring for each other and deeply connecting to self, other, world. I will never work myself into overwhelm, distress, or nervous system dysregulation for any project. I communicate consistently and openly about my needs while we work together to ensure that I fulfill my commitments while also staying within my window of tolerance. I express my feelings openly and consistently, including nervousness, discomfort, fear, stress, needs, no’s, disagreements, discomfort. 

Creative Collaboration. I only work on projects when I can generate or share in the generation of the vision of the movement, which often intersects with other aspects of the artistic vision. I generally do not do standard “work-for-hire” projects where I am simply making movements for a completely pre-determined movement vision. I value collaboration rather than simple execution of tasks.

Family-Community Relationships. I only work on projects where we are intentionally creating emotional safety, deep connection, home, family, community. I do informal, community vibes. This means that I mostly work on projects where I have already previously established trusting, familial relationships with those I am working with. Alternatively, I will also work on new projects that have extended trust-building, connection-creating time built into the creation process.  I generally work on community-oriented, familial-vibes projects rather than impersonal, needs-blind projects. On projects I work on, everyone knows each other and we build connection with one another. 

Time. I do not do hustle, grind, and time-sensitive projects. I don’t work on deadlines unless they are spacious. I work on one task and when I am done with that task I start the next task, rather than creating a schedule to fit myself into. The way I work is with low demands, informal, low-stakes, go-at-our-own-pace, do-our-own-thing, flexible, spacious. I only do projects with spaciousness in developing the vision, rehearsing, and performing – which means projects that occur over several months (for example, twelve months) are a great fit and time can be taken to move to the next production step only after the first step has been slowly completed. It takes time to conceptualize, direct, choreograph, and create in a way that is meaningful and reaches the artistic, spiritual and emotional depths that I am committed to. To develop community, especially when folks have not met prior to the project, time is needed to enable trust and connection to be developed. Time is needed to truly embed ourselves in the sacredness of what we are doing together. We are not simply acting or making movements, but we are journeying into our deepest selves. This needs time.

Money. I only work on projects that compensate me and any dancer-choreographers at professional rates. I do not compromise on this.

Process-Oriented Movement-making & Direction. I do not specialize in or prioritize quickly-taught 5-6-7-8 choreography, meaning a choreographic process that emphasizes rigorous, detailed, and swift learning of steps to specific counts of music. I, instead, focus on exploring how we gradually create a space of deep connection among all present through raw movement. The exploration is meant to be organic, free-ing, and process-oriented, sometimes resulting in set choreography and other times resulting in structured improvisations, or, most often, a mix of the two.

Other Needs. Please reach out if you’d like a sense of my other needs and boundaries – for example, a mold-free, smoke-free work environment, air conditioning, dietary needs, private rest space, provided or reimbursed personal transportation, etc.

who i love to collaborate with

Folks who are embedded in their own somatic and movement practices who are creating self-awareness and nervous system safety for themselves. 

Folks whose culture prioritizes 100% honest conversations about feelings, needs, and concerns; structures for addressing harm, and check-ins about capacity, stress, needs, and accommodations.

Folks who are already creating spaces of deep connection to our rawest selves, to our ancestors, or collective history, to our communities, to each other, to nature.

Folks deconstructing the impact of systems of oppression and conditioning on their ability to deeply connect to themselves, to our ancestors, to our collective history, to our communities, to each other, to nature.

Folks who are building loving and trusting communities, homes, families.

I would love to collaborate with others who would like to work with me on not only creating art, movement, film but the conditions under which we can practice loving and caring for one another in a way that will lead to our rawest expression.

Learn more about The Raw Movement Framework, the basis for my movement work and consultation.

is beauty meets grounded liberation.