GLITCH was an immersive master-class residency in “culturally responsive educational artistic practice” that fused dance technique, composition labs, and community dialogue to teach dancers “to be artists.” Originally staged in NYC (Feb 2024), it toured as a collegiate residency, where I lead workshops on movement, gender identity, and improvisation rooted in participants lived experiences. Dancers weren’t simply taught steps—they interrogated why each gesture mattered, channeling personal and political stakes into every phrase.
Using specific action-word prompts— “rise,” “fracture,” “pulse,” “ground”—I invited each dancer to translate the verb into movement that honored their cultural identities and histories. Through somatic warm-ups (attuning to breath and body memory), repertory exploration (drawing on participants’ cultural vocabularies), and peer-led composition labs, ensembles crafted unique sequences that addressed collective trauma and resilience. Community dialogues, framed by culturally responsive pedagogy, wove in discussions on dance as activism and socio-political agency, ensuring each motion was both intentional and transformative.
Using specific action-word prompts— “rise,” “fracture,” “pulse,” “ground”—I invited each dancer to translate the verb into movement that honored their cultural identities and histories. Through somatic warm-ups (attuning to breath and body memory), repertory exploration (drawing on participants’ cultural vocabularies), and peer-led composition labs, ensembles crafted unique sequences that addressed collective trauma and resilience. Community dialogues, framed by culturally responsive pedagogy, wove in discussions on dance as activism and socio-political agency, ensuring each motion was both intentional and transformative.
History
GLITCH’s first iteration is a form of transformative-assembly through my queer-communal-longing of inclusivity through the performance project structure. Choreographed-sections as constant work on oneself is intermingle with compositional-improvisation to portray building a positive community. Each section holds a community-building-improvisational-score, like dancer to audience member eye contact. All choreographed sections are created from one dance phrase recreated through action-words only, giving the participant freedom of execution. A wave-motif/eye-contact signifies when/if a dancer chooses to interact with another – potential of interaction becomes the game of chance. For example, a section is done together with constant eye contact if waved at, if not waved a at dancer must repeat wave, alone. This was executed on two separate groups of free-lance artists based in NYC in 2022.
The next research iteration responded to how movement practices as healing have become a privilege, and my impact on the community is to shift that privilege to accessibility for all. To grow as a community, we must recognize that we are not our wounds to avoid projecting trauma on others. We must empower ourselves as a form of resistance to re-imagine and re-shape a stronger community, together. I built a guided meditative movement workshop from the performance project that is accessible for those who do not wish to participate in a performance to deepen their expanding awareness, self-healing, and community practices. I have taught this workshop throughout NYC at LGBTQIA+ community centers, lap dance clubs, and gyms in 2023.
The third iteration of research has combined this into an intensive that I take to collegiate dance programs that encourages all artistic disciplines/programs to participate. This began in 2024 and educates students and educators on culturally responsive educational practice for the self and communal artistic practices. This process has disrupted the stagnant/dysfunctional gaps in higher-ed programs by opening crucial constructive discussions within each department. This is the research iteration I will be existing in as a facilitator until 2025. I will also be continuing my non-profit work that outreaches the mediation movement workshop, alongside free dance training and tax/business resources to the underserved queer nightlife performance community of Brooklyn, NY.
The next research iteration responded to how movement practices as healing have become a privilege, and my impact on the community is to shift that privilege to accessibility for all. To grow as a community, we must recognize that we are not our wounds to avoid projecting trauma on others. We must empower ourselves as a form of resistance to re-imagine and re-shape a stronger community, together. I built a guided meditative movement workshop from the performance project that is accessible for those who do not wish to participate in a performance to deepen their expanding awareness, self-healing, and community practices. I have taught this workshop throughout NYC at LGBTQIA+ community centers, lap dance clubs, and gyms in 2023.
The third iteration of research has combined this into an intensive that I take to collegiate dance programs that encourages all artistic disciplines/programs to participate. This began in 2024 and educates students and educators on culturally responsive educational practice for the self and communal artistic practices. This process has disrupted the stagnant/dysfunctional gaps in higher-ed programs by opening crucial constructive discussions within each department. This is the research iteration I will be existing in as a facilitator until 2025. I will also be continuing my non-profit work that outreaches the mediation movement workshop, alongside free dance training and tax/business resources to the underserved queer nightlife performance community of Brooklyn, NY.
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