Our Community Agreements
We're so glad you'll be moving with us soon! Please take your time review and understand these community agreements before committing to upholding them in class.
These are always a work in progress. We fully invite suggestions and we as instructors do not look to go unquestioned.
Anything you'd like to add? Email us at info@criticalmassdancecompany.org!
These are always a work in progress. We fully invite suggestions and we as instructors do not look to go unquestioned.
- 🔑 Safe Sharing: Outside of our container, share learnings, not other participant's life stories. Share what you've learned, but don't advertise the identity of anybody in class. For more public shares of others' stories, get consent and honor their preferences for attribution or anonymity.
- 🗣️ Informed+Brave sharing space: Share as intimately or generally as you feel comfortable sharing. All types of engagement are welcome (speaking, chatting, listening, observing, processing, on/off camera, verbal, nonverbal, etc). One person speaks at a time (raise hand, send a chat message, or direct message a facilitator for anything urgent). Use "I" statements, speak from your own experience, and avoid generalizations. Refrain from giving unsolicited advice unless consented to by the intended recipient, honoring that consent can be revoked at any time.
- 🙆 Body Care: Take bio breaks as needed. Exert yourself in a way or at a pace that honors any injuries or body needs you may have. Center comfort, support, and ease in your body. Feel fully invited to communicate any needs you have from us as facilitators. Everything in class is an invitation, and we will celebrate your "yes!" as much as your "no thank you."
- 🤝🏼 Collective Care: Use gender-neutral terms for addressing the entire group (when applicable). It's ok to make mistakes as long as we own our mistakes, acknowledge impact, and repair as needed in a way that centers those harmed.
Anything you'd like to add? Email us at info@criticalmassdancecompany.org!
What is Dance from the Heart?
Critical Mass Dance Company (CMDC) awakens and activates the creative, intuitive power of the heart through dance & movement for healing, transformation and wellness in mind, body and spirit.
CMDC teaches a trauma-informed, community-based embodiment practice called Dance from the Heart:
- Dance From The Heart helps us to envision and embody our greatest visions for our lives and world using 7 simple steps
- As we embody these visions with movement, we help create the change we wish to see in the world
- Dance from the Heart supports collective care by cultivating mental health, building communities of wellness and envisioning systems that promote wellbeing on all levels
Our Vision
We envision a world where:
- Humanity is rooted in living & leading from the heart, creating change from the inside out
- All people have access to dance & other holistic embodiment practices that help them connect to their heart
- We embody an intersectional approach to unity and collaboration that celebrates the diverse human experience
- Heart-centered movement contributes to the well-being of humanity and our stewardship of the planet earth
Our Values
Dance is healing: Supporting holistic health and wellness on the physical, emotional, spiritual and mental levels with dance
Full creative expression of all people: Providing an environment that encourages all bodies to move and express freely
Respecting the inherent value in all: Appreciating that everyone has something important to contribute.
Creating community: Building strong, lasting relationships that lifts up the well-being of all
Transformation from within: Shifting our inner world (thoughts, feelings, etc) to make change in the external world
Heart-centered organizing: Embodying an organizing principle of heart-led leadership for inclusion, equity and collective action
Catalyzing social change: Raising consciousness to inspire peace and justice through healing movement
Full creative expression of all people: Providing an environment that encourages all bodies to move and express freely
Respecting the inherent value in all: Appreciating that everyone has something important to contribute.
Creating community: Building strong, lasting relationships that lifts up the well-being of all
Transformation from within: Shifting our inner world (thoughts, feelings, etc) to make change in the external world
Heart-centered organizing: Embodying an organizing principle of heart-led leadership for inclusion, equity and collective action
Catalyzing social change: Raising consciousness to inspire peace and justice through healing movement
Inclusion Statement
CMDC’s mission aims to support the healing, empowerment and the liberation of Black, Indigenous, and communities of color through the transformative act of dance and movement. We aspire to break free from our system’s inequities by uplifting all bodies expressions, abilities, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. We center the wellness of immigrants (documented and undocumented), self-identified girls & women, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We welcome the full participation of gender beyond the binary, sexuality as a galaxy and a collaborative creation of a healthy, diverse and inclusive community through dance.
CMDC is committed to providing accessible programs in Spanish and English to the most vulnerable communities in Los Angeles and beyond. We provide free and low-cost classes in multiple languages and work with other nonprofit organizations who uphold our values of equity and liberation and center the needs of marginalized communities. Through our partnerships, CMDC offers various programs at no/low cost to our participants to ensure accessibility.
CMDC is committed to providing accessible programs in Spanish and English to the most vulnerable communities in Los Angeles and beyond. We provide free and low-cost classes in multiple languages and work with other nonprofit organizations who uphold our values of equity and liberation and center the needs of marginalized communities. Through our partnerships, CMDC offers various programs at no/low cost to our participants to ensure accessibility.