How do our personal histories live and move in our bodies?

“Moving Our Stories” is a series of movement-based workshops for Philadelphians (new and native) from all walks of life. We’ll interact with fellow participants using movement, writing, drawing, observation, and discussion to encounter ways in which we can explore our own stories, share with them each other, and create new stories together.

Each session will include participant-driven activities that encourage individual and collective explorations. Each participant brings with them their unique personal history and embodied knowledge, no previous dance experience necessary!

Potentially, we can create a moving collage that documents our brief interaction (maybe we can video record it, write about it, even perform together if the participants so choose), and this can contribute to a larger archive of embodied Philadelphia histories.

Julie B. Johnson is a dance artist and doctoral candidate working in intersections of creative practice, community interaction, and social justice. She teaches dance classes, presents choreographic work, and develops and implements artistic programming and residencies locally and internationally. Julie immensely enjoys collaborating with various artists, cultural and social organizations, and educational institutions to explore how dance can address their communities’ unique interests, needs, and goals. Julie is a collaborating artist and former co-artistic director of Evolve Dance Inc., a nonprofit dance organization with bases in New York and Arizona; an editor of The Dancer-Citizen, an online peer-reviewed open access scholarly journal exploring the work of socially engaged dance artists; and a member of the organizing committee for Dancing for Justice Philadelphia. Julie earned a B.A. degree in dance with a concentration in pedagogy from Marymount Manhattan College, and an M.S. in nonprofit management from Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy. Julie is currently pursuing a PhD in dance at Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University.

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