I AM A... DANCER ∴ STORYTELLER ∴ MUSIC MAKER ∴ MUFFIN ENTHUSIAST ∴ NOVICE SEED SAVER ∴ WITNESS ∴ LOVING GUIDE
I believe… our sensuality is our superpower and our senses are portals through which we receive deep guidance from the cycles around and within us.
I AM A... FLOWER MEGA FAN ∴ STEPMAMA ∴ INTROVERT ∴ WARM BEVERAGE DEVOTEE ∴ CAT & DOG LADY
MEET JOCELYN
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Jocelyn is a writer, somatic educator and dance teacher based in Portland, Oregon.
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She has taught writing, dance and somatic centering practices for the past two decades. Jocelyn has led dance intensives and created choreography for professional dance companies in the United States and in Brazil.
She wrote and directed the feature length documentary, Believe The Beat, which follows the evolution of a group of Brazilian Hip Hop dancers over the course of 12 years. She also directed the Brazilian docu-series, Fé Na Batida, which examines the relationship between urban dance styles, community and culture.
Jocelyn’s award winning creative nonfiction and poetry has been published in various online platforms and magazines, including three Best Women’s Travel Writing anthologies, Rebelle Society and 3Elements Review.
I’ll never forget the first time I felt EMBODIED…
Despite having taken dance classes for years and training my ass off as a ballerina, I didn’t actually land in my body, not in the deep down way, until I lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
I was introduced to a group of Brazilian hip hop dancers, by my Brazilian hip hop dancing boyfriend. I was 22 and wide eyed when I first entered the city park where they trained on a concrete stage surrounded by a herd of stray cats. Music blasted from their portable boombox and their shouts of encouragement and elation bounced on the saltwater breeze.
They met up at all hours of the day and night. Whenever they could make it work, they were there in that park getting down.
The essential ingredients were simple, but profound.
Movement and togetherness.
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When they invited me to join them, I didn’t hesitate.
Fast forward six months...
We formed a circle, like we often did at the end of practice. One by one, dancers entered the circle when they felt the pull. They improvised their movement, while the rest of the group watched and encouraged them.
I never, I repeat NEVER considered entering the circle. Witnessing my friend’s vibrancy when they entered the circle, however, had quickly become one of my very favorite activities.
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A song I loved poured through the speaker that day. I let my body fall into cadence with the music, bending my knees and tapping my fingers against the rim of my hip.
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The center remained empty while everyone imbibed the new rhythm. I had the fleeting thought, I want to have a conversation with this song.
My friend placed his hand in the middle of my back and gently began to drum out the rhythm. I felt his silent message while the empty center waited. While it beckoned.
And finally, I moved inside of it.
Nothing complex or surprising or stunningly impressive sprung forth from my body that day.
But something deeply true took hold.
I resided in myself, in my own joy and tempo, and I allowed the collective alchemy of shared attention to work its magic.
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I understood - we are both the center and the circle that contains it.
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I landed inside the unique expressive power of my own body and I never forgot that feeling.
Now I help others experience the joy of landing.
I harness the energy of intention and collective attention. I invite groups of people into movement and mindfulness practices that deepen their sense of vitality and self love.
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Because being embodied is a wild, vulnerable celebration.
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It is our challenge and our gift.
And it is what we are here for.
circles of dew drops on the deep green bodies of plants // the uneven texture of tree bark // the scent of rain mixed with smoke and fertile soil // the warm, raw sound of my husband’s voice conveying a dream in the dark // the way words fit together suddenly to make their own music // the eruptive, full bodied laughter of my sons // thick handled mugs // wind chimes // tea kettles // cozy nooks where people can lean in and conversate // the feeling of pages turning // the way rain or light or wind sweeps in and shatters my amnesia // a shared spontaneous sigh // the sound of a match being struck against silence
MY SENSES LOVE...
I CAN BE FOUND TENDING MY MUSE...
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in the half light of early mornings.
I crave the vibrant sway of pre dawn stillness.
My breath mediates the threshold.
Life ripples through my lungs.
I hum and hold my hum against the part of me who feels afraid of…
everything.
Who feels the grief of…
everything.
Who feels the rage of…
everything.
Who feels the joy of…
EVERYTHING.
The between space shimmers.
Instead of reaching out to grasp the light, I loosen and root down.
Words and movements drip from my tongue and bones and muscles to nourish a new story.