Deep Root Methodology™

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Deep Root Methodology™ is my signature framework for approaching creative practice, teaching, and community work through an ancestral, culturally grounded lens.

It grew out of my years of choreographic research, my graduate thesis, The Way Forward, my experiences teaching in Black and Brown communities, and a lifetime of listening to the stories carried in our bodies.

Deep Root offers language, structure, and ritual for those who want to create, teach, and lead in ways that are accountable to culture, community, and spirit.

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The Five Pillars of Deep Root

Reclamation

Returning to what has been taken, forgotten, or buried.
In Deep Root, reclamation asks us to return to our lineages, our bodies, our stories, and our cultural practices as valid sources of knowledge. It is about remembering ourselves whole—beyond erasure, beyond respectability, beyond the gaze.

Ritual

The intentional practices that root us.
Ritual might look like breathwork, grounding, prayer, call-and-response, journaling, or shared movement phrases. In Deep Root, ritual is how we invite spirit, ancestors, and community into the work and honor that we are not doing this alone.

Reflection

Critical and compassionate self-study.
Reflection is the space where we pause, ask questions, and tell the truth. It can be written, spoken, or danced. Deep Root uses reflection to name patterns, examine power, and make meaning of what emerges in the studio, classroom, or community space.

Rehearsal

Practice, repetition, and revision.
Rehearsal is where we try the thing, fail at the thing, try again, and shape it over time. It reminds us that transformation is not instant; it is iterative. Deep Root treats rehearsal as a spiritual and communal practice, not just a technical one.

Reimagination

Visioning new worlds and relationships.
Reimagination is where we ask: What else is possible? Who could we be if we were free? How might we move, teach, and organize differently? In Deep Root, reimagination is a collective process—a way to dream futures that honor our people, our land, and our lineages.

Who Deep Root Serves

Deep Root Methodology™ supports:

  • Dance educators and teaching artists

  • K–12 and higher-ed faculty

  • Community organizers and arts leaders

  • Nonprofit and cultural organizations

  • Emerging and mid-career choreographers

  • Youth programs and intergenerational spaces

Whether you are designing a course, building a youth program, staging a performance, or rethinking your organization’s approach to art and community, Deep Root offers a grounded, culturally responsive way forward.

A large red sign on a building with the words "Community is Strength" in bold, light-colored letters. Smaller text below reads "Be strong. Let's look out for one another."
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Ways to Engage Deep Root

  • Deep Root Educator Training
    Multi-session workshops and professional development for educators and teaching artists.

  • Deep Root for Organizations
    Consulting and strategy support for arts organizations, community programs, and schools.

  • Deep Root in the Studio
    Residencies and creative labs for dancers, companies, and collectives.

  • Deep Root Courses & Resources
    Digital offerings, lectures, and future publications that deepen engagement with the framework.

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