Movimiento y Bienestar
Community dance workshops for healing and connection.
Free bilingual workshops in neighborhoods across San José. All ages, all abilities, no experience needed.
What Is Movimiento y Bienestar?
Movimiento y Bienestar is a free, participatory community dance and movement workshop from JMM Dance Co., held at library branches and neighborhood venues across San José about twice a month, in English and Spanish.
Each hour uses culturally responsive dance, creative movement, social-emotional learning and gentle somatic practice to support confidence, emotional expression, belonging and connection.
No prior dance experience is required, and everything can be adapted for different ages and abilities.
The emphasis is participation, not performance. Nobody is watching you and nobody is grading you. Movement is a way of tending to your own wellbeing that does not require the right words, the right language, or the right amount of money. That is the whole idea, and underneath it, the belief that everybody belongs.
View the Schedule
The Hour, Start to Finish
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Welcome and Grounding
5–10 minAccessible breathing, rhythm and grounding movement.
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Culturally Responsive Dance
10–15 minGuided movement drawing on Latinx, global and community dance traditions.
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Creative Movement and Improvisation
15 minResponding to prompts about emotion, confidence, identity and self-expression.
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Community Dance Creation
15 minEveryone contributes a movement or an idea, and the group builds a simple dance together.
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Reflection and Connection
5–10 minCool-down and bilingual reflection prompts.
What to Bring, and What You Do Not Need
- Nothing. No experience, no special clothing, no shoes required.
- Chairs are available throughout, you can take part seated from beginning to end.
Who It Is For
Everyone, and a few people in particular. Parents and caregivers of school-age children. Seniors and abuelas. Adaptive and disability communities. Refugee and newcomer families. Anyone who has wanted to move more but has not found a room that felt like it was meant for them.
Children are welcome alongside the adults who bring them. Come together.
Where & When
Workshops rotate through library branches and neighborhood venues, so that over the year the program comes to different parts of the city rather than asking everyone to travel to one place. Each month's locations are listed below.
Dates
- October 24 • 2–4 PM
- November 18 • 2–4 PM
- December 12 • 12–2 PM
Accessibility and Questions
Let us know what you need and we will do our best: seating, interpretation, accessibility, or bringing children along.
