Image of the intersection between my creative practice and academic research.

In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them. Physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past. -Bessel Van Der Kolk-

Thank you to a generous grant by Tisch Initiative for Creative Research, I have joined the Mega Grant Incubator, a small cohort of Tisch faculty whose projects demonstrate potential for securing significant external funding. The goal of the Incubator is to nurture new projects and create a pipeline for NYU’s Mega Grant Initiative and other institutional resource programs.

My project explores a somatic movement rehabilitation model for perpetrators of gender-based violence. This research started over 30 years ago observing the often violent approaches to the body in the dance spaces, evolved through my own somatic healing from domestic abuse and rests on the work of countless others, on non-violent and transformative justice practices.

Having invested many years in researching various somatic practices to heal my trauma from gender-based violence, I came to understand that perpetrators are fellow humans conditioned to transform unaddressed wounds into violent behavior. They exhibit a learned sociocultural pattern that needs unlearning. My vision is to innovate the current model of gender-based prevention & advancement by placing responsibility on the perpetrators, not the victims. Hence, I will investigate the following questions; Why is movement absent in rehabilitation programs of perpetrators? Can movement practices help perpetrators ​commit to true accountability of their actions, becoming ambassadors for community-level transformation?

I recognize that the problem is nuanced​,​ multi-faceted, and deeply complicated​. I acknowledge the relentless work conducted by experts worldwide. Their works made apparent the need for a communal commitment to a true innovation that reestablishes the socio-neurological pattern of the perpetrators to heal not just the individual but our social fabric as a whole. Perpetrators will be redirected to transform their woundedness into positive behaviors through the very tool they use to impart violence- their body. 

The goal of this project is to create an interdisciplinary pilot workshop between clinical therapy and somatic movement which will become the model for a rehabilitation program for incarcerated perpetrators. I will interview gender-based violence prevention experts working with men, movement practitioners collaborating with the medical field, movement therapists, somatic practitioners, forensic psychologists, transformative justice advocates, and law enforcement experts working on intimate violence crimes. This data harvested will be the strong basis from which I construct my program.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I full-heartedly acknowledge that my research is built upon past works of somatic practitioners, dance educators, survivors, and social activists. The inspiration I have received continues as my research reaches my students and colleagues. This research project will directly interrogate key issues that experts in violence prevention have identified, such as programs lacking inclusion of the body, and limitation in perpetrators attaining true accountability on their violent actions. This is why this research will have a significant impact in this field. This will be the beginning of incorporating somatic knowledge to current violence prevention methods, and investigating how perpetrators react to movement in intervention programs.

While I dance, I cannot judge. I cannot hate. I cannot separate myself from life. I can only be joyful and whole. That is why I dance. -Hans Bos-