Dance and Movement for Community
I make space for community building through expression, play, and dance.
Dance Offerings
Does the idea of dancing around other people bring up feelings of terror for you? Or maybe a little nervousness of either standing out or feeling totally invisible?
That’s how a lot of participants have shown up initially at my dance offerings. And yet, over time, through the welcome and inclusive culture of the spaces I hold, most participants not only find comfort and community support, but also come to find expressive movement cathartic and integral to their individual wellbeing.
I hold two kinds of dance/movement spaces that both share the principles of inclusivity, consent, and authentic expression.
“A remarkable tenderness, sweetness, and culture of care characterize my engagement over the last year with JP’s contact improvisation and Ground Swell offerings. JP is inordinately sensitive to the needs of individuals within a group as well the energy of a collective at large.
-Christopher, Missoula
Contact Improvisation
Let’s get real. Are your touch needs being met? Do you even know what your touch needs are? For me, contact improv is all about getting my touch needs met, ones I didn’t even know I had before I started doing “contact.” From playfulness, to athleticism, to tender slow touch, contact offers an experience to be non-sexually physically close with others.
And…it’s not a free for all. I teach classes that anchor us in shared concepts. We talk about and practice consent regularly. We use guidelines to support an inclusive space that we hope people can feel safe in. And as a newcomer, you will be oriented and welcomed with consensual open arms :)
For current offerings please read below.
“It is clear how JP’s background in trauma-informed facilitation and somatic facilitation deeply informs their work in teaching CI. I arrived feeling nervous and jittery, and left feeling warm, grounded, and open. I owe that to the culture JP is able to create as a facilitator.”
-Madison, Seattle
Contact Improv Events
Weekly contact improvisation class in Missoula, Montana
Drop-in jams Mondays 6:30-8:30pmLocation: Private Studio in the Lower Rattlesnake
Cost: Sliding Scale $15-$25 or pay what you can
No class on February 19th!
Missoula: Feb 24th
Finding Balance while Off-Balance: An Intermediate Contact Improv Workshop
Ground Swell Free-Form Dance
When I moved back to Missoula in 2021, I quickly realized I needed to create a community-oriented space to move to booty-shaking music regularly without focusing on what other people might be interpreting from how I move and without navigating drunk people and beer spills.
And though I may have birthed this to help meet my own needs, it’s clearly resonated! Every other week, 40-50 people come together to dance and express playfulness, sensuality, grief, whatever they are experiencing. Showing up exactly as you are is what this is all about.
The night starts with an opening circle, a demonstration of consent, and a brief meditation. The musical arc starts and ends grounded and swells in energy throughout. Newcomers are welcomed and oriented to the space.
First and Third Wednesday nights 7:30-9:45pm Westside Theater $15-25 Sliding Scale
“Groundswell has been a space of opening for me. I have discovered parts of myself that were once hidden and hungry, but now feel so alive in me. Through intuitive movement and consent based touch and connection, I have loosened held traumas and have made friendships. I am so grateful.”
-Sose, Missoula
stay connected
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