Dancingsoul celebrates life
with dance, yoga, and ethics in educational and Jewish spiritual contexts . . . and uncovers what is unique about each individual within what is interconnected among us. . .
Workshops and residencies
All courses can be made into two-hour introductory workshops, one day or weekend events, and 8 – 10 week courses.
The Workshops and residencies are presented into two areas:
“Arts, Education & Ethics”
and
"Movement, Yoga & Spirituality”
Please discover both areas of interest below.
PDP credits available
Arts in the Classroom and District
For over 15 years, Jodi has designed courses for public school teachers, principals and superintendents on how practically to bring the arts of movement, music, poetry and visual art into traditional curricular subjects such as math, history and literature. She also supports this work with current research on the value of the arts, even in these times of state testing. This course has changed profoundly the shape of individual classrooms to entire school districts through the rigorous and enlivening integration of the arts and academics.
Arts in Character Education and Ethics
Ethical principles of social justice, non-violence, non-greed, conflict resolution, personal and communal commitment, are embraced by students of all ages through the vehicle of the arts, yoga and meditation. These basic principles, needed in contemporary schooling, more so now with alienation and violence so pervasive, are inherent in the creation of artistic projects and the philosophies of movement and meditation. Research has shown how important belonging, focus, happiness, and self-care are in the growth of a full being and prevention of violence. This course nurtures our future leaders as people of depth, wisdom and consciousness.
Emuna ve Omenut (Faith and Art)
Grounded in the philosophy that as we are created in the image of the Divine, we create images, through the medium of our body, which are divine. Emuna ve Omenut focuses on the ability of each individual to reach his/her divine self through movement, music, writing, and drawing. Using either the text of Jewish scriptures, or the texts of our own souls, we discover our own creator inside the Creator.
Classes include movement, text study, drawing, discussion, and lots of fun.
Manna for our Souls: Yoga, Meditation, and Judaism
Based on the cyclical calendar of Jewish holidays and events, and the underlying ethics of both Yoga and Judaism, this class works with your body and mind, to create the space inside necessary to receive the wisdom of Torah. Specific classes in Jewish and Yogic ethics are taught in an embodied way, as well as understanding the Jewish holidays through the medium of our bodies.
An example: Sukkot is a holiday where we build a temporary, fragile structure to connect to our own immortality and to nature’s abundance. Our own bodies are temporary, fragile structures that also can bring abundance and new fruits. We can invite the ushpizin of our ancestors into our body-sukkas to create a connection to the Divine. For instance, Abraham and Sarah, representing hesed, can come into our bodies by doing the postures, movements, and meditations with complete care and unconditional love.
Dancingsoul
This class offers the absolute freedom of dancing from our souls. Movement, improvisation, and personal or global story makes up the class that is freeing, invigorating, warming, and emotionally evocative. We can dance out our fears, and sway in our dreams. We can still our minds, and free our souls.