Last edited 4 weeks ago
If you're on this page you've probably already expressed interest in helping out, so thank you! CM was envisioned to be a collective, decentralised effort, and therefore needs the help of community to sustain it and prevent any one person from burning out. I've laid out all the work that goes into CM with as much transparency as possible, without it being too overwhelming or definitive. Also, this is just how I (Moss) run sessions, so feel free to experiment or try out approaches you think would be better!
Table of contents
- Studio hire
- Updating dates and details
- Marketing and promo
- Music
- Posters
- On the day
- Summary checklist
Studio hire
1 month in advance
- Login to BrandX Portal using the CM login provided.
- Pick two weekend dates in the next month and book for 4-6:30pm (can be a later time if slots are full). Aim for dates that don't clash with any major events, e.g. Sydney street dance events.
- In the booking description, write:
- Title: Collective Movement
- Description: Dance
- Capacity: 10
- Equipment needed: Coloured fixed lights (orange/purple/pink at 20%), 1x table, broom, fans if AC not working
- Confirm booking. Should be linked to my card but contact me if it doesn't go through.
Updating dates and details
1 month in advance
- Update registration form for the month
- Open rego form on GDrive
- Update details in header description
- Update dates in "what are you registering for?" field
- Check that the rest of the form is lookin' good
Update Sydney Weekly Jams group chat (IG) with upcoming dates for the month
Submit event(s) (one for each session) to the Sydney Dance Event Calendar
Event link: Link to IG post for the month
Event type: Jam/sessions
Dance style: All styles/open styles
Description: Follow @cm.sessions on Instagram or go to the website: https://collectivemovement.bearblog.dev/
- Update @cm.sessions Instagram bio with the upcoming dates
- Update Signal group chat description with upcoming dates
- Monthly post and caption on @cm.sessions
Marketing and promo
2 weeks in advance
- Share monthly post to story, mention @mossblood, @sydneyweeklyjams and anyone else involved or would be open to share to their story
- Share monthly post to group chats (IG, Signal and any relevant circles)
1 week in advance
- Same as above
- Check registrations for access needs, song requests, etc
1 day in advance
- Share monthly post to story, mention @mossblood and anyone else relevant
- Update "note" on @cm.sessions with "tomorrow at [insert time]!"
- Message reminder to group chats
- Check registrations for access needs, song requests, etc
Music
If you're doing the music for the session, let the organiser know what you plan the vibe to be and give them a representative track (ideally available on IG) to promote the session with.
Requirements:
- Open with ambient music to accompany the meditation
- Close with music that facilitates cool-down and ending
- Aim for 65–75mins in length
- Host will cue you in for when to start playing, usually during the meditation
Music to highlight:
- Local & Indigenous artists
- Jazz, funk, soul, house, hip-hop etc.
- Cultural or folk music
Posters
Requirements:
- Send final design to organiser before the start of the next month
- Suitable aspect ratio for Instagram post (not too tall or wide)
- Can be a still PNG image or MP4 video
- Visible text "Collective Movement". You can include other text or dates, but it's not required. See previous posters for examples and inspiration
- It can be a good idea to get in touch with the DJs for the month and tailor it to the music they'll be playing!
On the day
Setup
- Set up and test music
- Pop on background music
- Make sure lighting is correct (main lights off, coloured lights on 20%)
- On table: masks, earplugs, donation bag and details, hand sanitizer
- Stick CM poster (should be tacked to the Brand X noticeboard on the level) on door of studio
- Set up sensory corner
- Sweep floor
- Check if there's anyone waiting to be let in
Opening
Explain format of the session:
- meditation, ~1hr music, no pressure to dance, closing circle
- non-verbal, non-social
- consent: solo vs connected journey
- no phones
- be present, open to the music, don't force yourself to dance if you don't vibe with the music, and vice versa
Logistics:
- masks, sanitizer, earplugs on table
- sensory/art corner
- location of toilets, disabled toilets, kitchenette
- interrupt me or regulars if you need anything
Acknowledgment of country & culture, example script:
- Before we start, I want to acknowledge that we are moving on stolen Gadigal land. Sovereignty was never ceded, that this always was and always will be Aboriginal land. I want to pay my respects to Elders past, present and future, and extend that respect to stories and relationships that the traditional custodians have nurtured for thousands of years and counting.
- As part of the work, your donations to CM, minus studio hire, will always be redistributed to First Nations communities via the Mob Strong mutual aid fund.
- Collective movement is just a small part of a collective purpose to liberate all oppressed and marginalised peoples across the world. On this note, I also want to acknowledge that today you may see a diversity of styles and practices. Many of these are borne out of historical and ongoing oppression of black, brown queer & trans minorities and each have a rich cultural context of their own. So, if you see someone move in a way that speaks to you, I encourage you to ask them about it—to connect with the culture, the community, their movement comes from.
Guided meditation
Begin with disclaimer: free to ignore the guide and do your own practice
Moss' rough structure:
- Connecting with the space—"there is always space" (participants move around and explore the room)
- Connecting with others—"notice others as though for the first time" (moving through space as a medium)
- Connecting with self—breathing, body scan, simple mindfulness meditation -> small dance (from Contact Improvisation) -> "let movement emerge from sensation"
Closing
Ideas:
- Our session comes to a close
- Lean into whatever you’re feeling, notice how it’s trying to express itself in your body. Where it’s showing up
Closing ritual
- Press your palms into the ground. Think about the world you'll be transitioning to next. The chaos of the city, dinner, other plans...
- Then clap three times and throw it into the circle.
- We can now return to our phones, socialise etc.
Logistics
- Sharing/harvest
- group chat
- playlist
- donation
- offerings
- dinner
Summary checklist
(Monthly)
- book studio
- message in Sydney Weekly Jams IG group
- update dates in Signal chat description
- update dates in [rego form](in https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SOE6VFncuKtZBUhOqW1eBciBVc9dmkLd)
- submit calendar event to https://sydneydancertime.blogspot.com
- design poster art
- IG post & story, tag @sydneyweeklyjams etc
- organise music
- donations