Alys Ayumi Ogura Residency: Don’t You Feel it Too? Community Movement Workshop

Description

Join Lanesboro Arts Artist-in-Residence, Alys Ayumi Ogura for a community movement workshop at Sylvan Park on Saturday, August 9th from 9 – 11 am! Don’t You Feel it Too? invites folks of all ages and abilities to find mindfulness, stress relief, resilience, and connection through movement.

Participants will gather for this workshop to engage in gentle stretches. Yumi will begin the workshop by teaching a simple Japanese folk-dance as a warm-up, helping everyone develop a shared movement-vocabulary.

Following this, Yumi will invite everyone to practice “Don’t You Feel It, Too? (DYFIT)” together. DYFIT is a form of movement meditation that encourages personal transformation through action in the world. It was developed by Marcus Young and his collaborators in 2008 and has since continued to evolve. In this part of the workshop, folks will dance freely to music of their choice, shaking off inhibitions in favor of authentic expression. This activity welcomes participants to engage as they are moved and as they are able. For reference, check out this 60-second video explaining DYFIT. 

Please remember to bring a water bottle, your electronic device (such as a phone), and headphones to enjoy your favorite music while dancing. Comfortable shoes and weather appropriate clothing is encouraged.

About Alys Ayumi Ogura

Alys Ayumi Ogura  (she/her) is a Twin Cities-based dance artist and performance maker who centers on storytelling through her movements, voice, and quirky humor. She has created a platform called the “YumiVerse,” a.k.a. Yumi’s Universe to focus on the marginalized voices of Asian women like her. She created a work commissioned by the Pillsbury House + Theatre (2021) and one for the Red Eye Theater (2023). An iteration of the YumiVerse work was selected as a solo at the 2022 Walker Art Center’s Choreographers’ Evening. Ogura is thrilled to share the YumiVerse with other towns and cities, including Lanesboro during her residency. She is always searching for communities that are open to embracing the YumiVerse and a different perspective on the world—just as she does.