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Saturday August 3rd & Sunday August 4th
St Louis Weekend In-Person Offering for White & White-Passing Folks
3 Modules | 2 Days | Drop In & Out | Come for All 3
What might be possible in our racial justice work if we had a hundred embodied strategies at our fingertips, ready to surprise each other with playfulness?
Using guided body-based lessons, participants will have the opportunity to tune into habits of mind, body, and socialized ideas of how to "be" and cultivate a myriad of options where they previously hadn’t perceived any.
Simple, accessible, movement experiments will be drawn from the Feldenkrais Method®, Theater of the Oppressed, and Strozzi / generative somatics practices. Within these, there will be both individual practice spaces as well as collective / small group practice spaces. Reflection, debrief, and discussion will follow movement practices.
Everything is a choice. Consent will be practiced at all times.
Pausing and observing is encouraged.
No movement / dance / embodiment /racial justice experience is necessary, only a willingness to try out a somatic (body-based) approach and engage in conversations about the supremacy cultures we are socialized into.
“Radical self-love summons us to be our most expansive selves, knowing that the more unflinchingly powerful we allow ourselves to be, the more unflinchingly powerful others feel capable of being. Our unapologetic embrace of our bodies gives others permission to unapologetically embrace theirs.”
― Sonya Renee Taylor, The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love
The anti-racism movement’s large-scale approach to change is to learn a foundation of definitions and terms, identify what is inequitable, and make critical policy and programmatic changes. But then people show up and we, as white folks, haven’t shifted HOW we as white folks show up - energetically, spiritually, within our white body’s nervous systems. Then we wonder why culture hasn’t shifted alongside the bylaws and vision statement updates. We can find ourselves frustrated at “messing up” again and again and not showing up how we dreamed we could.
Neural pathways will follow well worn patterns unless humans actively cultivate new trails in the brain. No person is “bad” for doing the same thing over and over again, even if there is a desire to change. It’s almost impossible to simply think our way to showing up differently.
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Let the body be a guide.
“Our bodies have a form of knowledge that is different from our cognitive brains. This knowledge is typically experienced as a felt sense of constriction or expansion, pain or ease, energy or numbness. Often this knowledge is stored in our bodies as wordless stories
about what is safe and what is dangerous.
The body is where we fear, hope and react; where we constrict and release; where we reflexively fight, flee or freeze. If we are to upend the status quo of white-body supremacy, we must begin with our bodies.”
- Resmaa Menakem, My Grandmother's Hands
You're Invited to Choose!
If you'd like to come to all three modules, amazing! We will give you a discounted packaged price as a thank you! (See below). If you can only come in the mornings for the 9am - 12noon slots, also wonderful! If you can only come on Saturday afternoon, fantastic! Any variation you can make work is great.
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Basically we are trying to make this as accessible for everyone to try out as possible. You do not need to come to the "first" one. Each module stands on it's own and they also connect to the others. Of course you will be able to go deeper in your practice the more modules you attend, but there aren't any prerequisite's -
it's drop-in style.
Location:
​MaTovu: 4200 Blaine Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110
Logistics:
Light snacks and water will be provided. Meals are all on your own.
For those who are coming for both Saturday modules there will be a 2 hour break between modules from 12noon to 2pm where you have options for what you can do with your time. Some ideas for that could be napping in the space, taking a walk in near by Tower Grove Park, going out to eat for lunch (there are lots of close options), eating a lunch you brought into the space, etc.
Is this course right for me?
This Course is open to anyone who identifies as white as well as anyone who identifies as multi-racial and/or as a white-passing person of color who is interested in exploring ways you've been socialized as white and are complicit in white supremacy despite your best efforts and multiple identities.
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This course is for people who are interested in exploring pathways for growth from a body-centered practice space rather than a head-centered space.
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Come, let’s get liberated together!
“What I’m after isn’t flexible bodies, but flexible brains. What I’m after is to restore each person to their human dignity.”
– Moshe Feldenkrais
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We have priced this offering by how many modules you choose to participate in. Please select the price based on the number of sessions you will be attending regardless of the days and times. In the registration form you will have the opportunity to share the time slot(s) you are planning to attend.
There is a price break of $20 for attending all three modules over both days. The full price is $264, but we are offering 3 modules for a discounted $244!
Scholarships:
Additionally, if the rates above still create a barrier to accessing this course, please apply for a full or partial scholarship through the Robin Radford Cross-Class Solidarity Scholarship Fund. Please click on this link for the scholarship application. If you have questions about the scholarship application process please email Kara at: info@seedandspiral.com
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Cancellations & Refund Policies:
Registration closes on Wed. July 31st at midnight Central Time.
If you cancel before Wed. July 17th at midnight CT, then you can receive a 50% refund.
No refunds will be issued after Wed. July 17th.
Course Facilitators
