The agency for Space Design

consultation, speaking, facilitation, and space design with families, groups, organizations, and institutions

co-designing beautiful (playful, recreational, and celebratory) spaces of deep connection and raw expression in response to collective suffering • grounded in ancient medicinal research • communal • interactive • arts • recreation • performance • ritual • experimental • entertainment • hospitality • celebration • play • medicinal education

For families, organizations, institutions, and groups, we offer consultations, speaking, and facilitation related to co-creating spaces of deep connection through collective (movement) practice. Consultation and facilitation are based in The Raw Movement Framework. See below for consultations and partnerships available for families, groups, organizations, and institutions. To inquire about speaking at your gathering, e-mail team@rawmovement.org. We collaborate with families, groups, and communities in the New York City area, in addition traveling to groups domestically/internationally. We carve out some of our work specifically for Black families and communities. 

We work towards large-scale nationwide programming bringing the public together to experiment with creating a space of deep connection, home, family, emotional safety (where our needs are met) –  where participants practice being their raw selves, including expressing feelings, telling the truth, and approaching conflict –  with programming serving communities that have been stressed, harmed, divided, misunderstood, or isolated and specific programming carved out for Black communities. Below is how you can work with us:

Consultation, Coaching, and Direction: Movement-Making. I/we serve as a Consultant, Coach, or Artistic Director on projects, guiding dancer-choreographers in collaboratively creating work using the Raw Movement Framework. If no choreographer-dancers are already on the project, I bring in dancer-choreographers to collaboratively create an overall movement vision for the project with project creators, using the Raw Movement Framework. (I can also work with non-dancers to coach you in creating movement). I encourage understanding and alignment with the Raw Movement Framework by asking questions. Dancer-choreographers collectively and independently create, as I provide direction and guidance. For details on movement-making and to inquire about working together, find out more info here.

Consultation, Coaching, and Direction: Ask Me Anything About Creating Spaces of Deep Connection. Ask me anything about creating your space of deep connection after I serve as a participant-observer in (or review program materials for) a space you are creating, developing, brainstorming, or leading. Chat with me informally about creating / co-creating spaces of deep connection, home, family, emotional safety, where individuals’ needs are met. Included within our conversation can be a discussion of organizing for/doing outreach for this space of deep connection, as well as your own purpose, mission, gifts, and talents. The Raw Movement Framework is drawn on to respond. For more information, fill out an interest form and then schedule your session here.

Consultation: Collaborative Reflection on The State of Deep Connection, Home, Family, Emotional Safety. Invite me/us to observe and participate in your space (optional) and lead a collaborative reflection on your organization, space, or group’s state of deep connection, home, family, emotional safety. Includes questionnaires, conversations with space participants, observations, and group conversation. We will come up with questions and tools to move forward in experimenting with deepening connection. We will also begin experimenting with how we might continue deepening connection in the space. We consider how the space can support participants in practicing being their raw selves, including expressing feelings, telling the truth, and approaching conflict. The Raw Movement Framework guides the reflection. Groups can continue to work with the agency via further consultation, one-time spaces, or space design groups. To find out more or to fill out an interest form, click here.

One-Time/Introductory Spaces. We design beautiful, playful, recreational, and celebratory medicinal spaces of deep connection and raw expression in response to collective experiences of grief, loss, death, suffering, conflict, transition, and unknown. We collaborate with families, groups, communities, and institutions who desire to experiment with co-creating a space of deep connection, home, family, emotional safety through collective movement practice. By collective movement practice, we mean the collective practice of moving physical energy in a space, using movement, art, and design. In a playful and celebratory one to multi day experience,  we use grounding, moving, and deeply connecting collective movement practice (e.g., medicinal performance, games, activities, and collective movement rituals), to explore and experiment with how we might gradually create space to collectively feel and express raw feelings/be our raw selves amidst their current collective experience. Through collective movement practice, we invite participants to experiment with co-creating/strengthening a space of deep connection, home, family, emotional safety , where participants practice being their raw selves, including expressing feelings, telling the truth, and approaching conflict. Spaces are personalized to the needs and desires of participants. One-time spaces can take many forms including workshops, shows, camps, parties, sleepovers, celebrations –  or additions to existing family, group, or community gatherings. Spaces can be described as community-building, interactive, performance, communal, arts, recreation, entertainment, experiential, ritual,show, workshops, spaces.Our spaces are both small-scale and large-scale, from large-scale entertainment, recreation, play, theater, and retreats to neighborhoods, homes, and residences. Our space design is grounded in ancestral/historical/cultural study of medicinal movement, art, and design in order to design spaces of deep connection.Through the spaces we host, we co-learn or educate participants on ancient medicinal practices for building spaces of deep connection in times of grief, loss, death, suffering, conflict, transition, and unknown.. These one-time spaces may serve as introductions to Space Design groups, which groups can partner with us to bring to them. Introductory spaces may happen among small or large groups, and large groups are sometimes recommended to be separated into smaller cohorts for part of the time. For more information about partnering to bring an introductory space to your family, school, organization, or community, e-mail team@raw movement.org. To partner with us, fill out an interest form here.

Space Design Groups. In response to groups’ experiences within the current collective experience (whether it be joy, play, love, anger, grief, loss, birth, death, union, conflict, suffering, transition), we work over time with families, groups, communities, and institutions who desire to experiment with co-creating a space of deep connection, home, family, emotional safety through collective movement practice. By collective movement practice, we mean the collective practice of moving physical energy in a space, using movement, art, and design.Through grounding, moving, and deeply connecting collective movement practice, we experiment with how we might gradually create/strengthen a space of deep connection, home, family, emotional safety, where participants practice being their raw selves, including expressing feelings, telling the truth, and approaching conflict. Using grounding, moving, and deeply connecting collective movement practice within a playful, celebratory, and informal space, we explore and experiment with how we might co-create space to collectively feel and express our raw feelings/be our raw selves amidst the current collective experience (whether it be of joy, play, love, anger, grief, loss, birth, death, union, conflict, suffering, transition). Groups begin the year by working with facilitators who guide you in experimenting with co-creating spaces of deep connection, home, family, emotional safety through collective (movement) practice. We explore fundamental questions and principles within the Raw Movement Framework, an approach to inquiring about how we co-create spaces of deep connection, home, family, emotional safety  where our needs are met. After their time with the facilitator, participants meet semi-independently to design/redesign their space using collective (movement) practices. This involves participants making and leading individual and collective movement practices and rituals. Facilitators check-in with groups as they design/redesign their space using collective movement. The specific content of groups are always shaped by the needs and desires of the participants. Groups may happen among small or large groups, and large groups are sometimes recommended to be separated into smaller cohorts for part of the time. For more information about partnering to create a space design group among your family, school, organization, or community and to find out about upcoming dates/availability, e-mail team@rawmovement.org or fill out an interest form here to partner with us.

The Collective for Space Design

original art/design work for space creation 

Working closely with me, these powerful artist-designer-builders are in regular community with one another. We engage in individual and collective artmaking/design in order to build a new physical space of deep connection (for us). We are dedicated to exploring and sharing knowledge, science, practice, and experimentation with co-creating spaces of deep connection through collective (movement) practice. The Collective along with our Collaborating/Guest Artists, creates space for artists, designers, scientists, and medicine workers’ research, experimentation, practice, and teaching of space design and building through collective (movement) practice. We serve as researcher-scientists who help to build The Raw Movement Framework, which offers questions and tools for co-creating spaces of deep connection, home, family, emotional safety through collective (movement) practice. By collective (movement) practice, we mean the practice of moving physical energy through a space using movement, art, and design. These artists and their work embody risk, challenge, rawness, and beauty, as well as deep connection, home, family, emotional safety. Here are some notes about my vision for the collective.

Framework Learning & Building. The collective explores the Raw Movement Framework in ongoing group and 1:1 exploration. The collective helps to build/advance the Framework within the movement discipline and into new arts and design disciplines (interior design, object design, etc.).  Together, by working on the Framework together, we build different disciplines’ simplified tools of building spaces of deep connection by resetting the energetic space.  We support each other as we build/lead our own spaces of deep connection. 

Approach to Artmaking/Design: Space Creation. Significantly, all of our art, movement, and design creation serves a purpose –  contributing to the creation of new spaces, the transformation of existing spaces, or the creation of space elements we will later use in our new physical space. New spaces we work toward may take the form of a city house, an educational campus, or communal housing/residence(s). Movement, art, and design literally design/create the future spaces of deep connection we are envisioning. We dance in these future designs we’ve built via ritual performances created for ourselves. This movementmaking, artmaking, and design – particularly creation of movement-dance rituals is a fundamental part of Raw Movement. We build our space bit by bit.

Documentation of Space Creation. Raw Movement focuses on co-designing spaces of deep connection and we document that process. We focus not on creating performances or “art for consumption” but rather co-creating our own culture, rituals, space for ourselves – and we document that process along the way. The emphasis is documenting the process over time and the emphasis is on creating beautiful art (dance rituals, space elements) in life and documenting that. We only discuss any culminating documentation or sharing of documentation once we’ve organically come to a completion point with the creation of a given space element. 

Documentation via Films. I envision documentation involving dance films. Dance films would be educational, artistic, and narrative. These captivating films are both personal and communal, speaking to universal human experience while also illuminating specific groups’ experiences – and dancers’ personal truths/stories. They will be eye-catching, beautiful, and profound. Dance film work echoes the movement practices/rituals we have organically made and might include collaboratively made work, individually-led work, solo work, and duet work. Collaborations are done when we desire with outside folks.Dance films  might end up being educational documentaries (artistically sharing principles/questions of The Raw Movement Framework or our research on the Framework’s questions) of the “social experiment” process of designing these spaces of deep connection. Dance films might document the process of working together to design these spaces and move towards the final vision. These might take the form of educational television or educational entertainment (e.g., a new type of educational makeover show).

Artistic Direction & Creative Collaboration. Broad artistic visions, concepts, and questions will be created/initiated by me (possibility for this to be rotating) and the artistic projects will often be led, created/designed, choreographed and produced by others, guided by the Raw Movement Framework and resources. My role will often be asking questions and making decisions and editing/curating based on the framework, building the framework and the collective artists’ understanding and alignment with it. 

Other Movement/Art/Design Inspired By Space Creation. Out of this process of creating our actual space, we also may decide to share/exhibit our process and space design through other artistic work. This may include live performances, dance photography, and community experiences that respond to our/our communities’ needs. 

Activities. Activities of this consistent collective also include: yearly residency/retreat to connect and initiate design work, followed by a regular yearly artmaking/design-making/rehearsal period. During the regular rehearsal period, there is a spirit of play and we have playtime with regular photo and video play days. Artmaking/design/rehearsal process for art is process oriented with a firm commitment towards specific missions.

Resources for Personal Artwork. Having financial resources set aside for personal artwork enables us to make art at the drop of a hat when are moved to (and that truly speaks to the current time without an extreme lag due to fundraising).

Collaborative Residencies in Space Design. In multi-month to multi-year residencies, we collaborate with educational, arts, and research organizations that are using arts, movement, and design to move physical energy and create spaces of deep connection. With these organizations, we collaborate to learn new disciplinary knowledge (e.g., applied physics, thermodynamics, mechanical engineering, interior design, architecture) related to creating spaces of deep connection through collective movement; we make art, design, and dance that applies our new disciplinary knowledge; we design/redesign spaces.

Education.We travel travel individually and collectively to learn new disciplinary knowledge (e.g., applied physics, thermodynamics, mechanical engineering, interior design, architecture) related to creating spaces of deep connection through collective movement. We collaborate with educational, research, and arts organizations/institutions/labs and individual artists/designers/scientists to further our multi-/trans-disciplinary knowledge related to creating spaces of deep connection through collective movement. We collaborate in ways that allow organizations/individuals to teach us or share their practice to add new disciplinary knowledge and associated resources/tools (interior design, object design, architecture) to The Raw Movement Framework. We may open these learning experiences to the public. 

Agency/Space Redesign: We are commissioned/hired by and paid well by actual spaces to guide space participants in resetting their space by being guided via The Raw Movement Framework. We consider developing asynchronous/DIY versions of our activities and resources for space redesign. We work with some of the same folks all year building relationships over time & travel to visit some of them. 

To learn more about who participates in our collective & school.