SUKHA/KIM G. CHOREOGRAPHER/TEACHER OF MOVEMENT
A versatile choreographer and teacher of movement, Sukha (Kim G) is a respected figure in the commercial, theatrical. academic and outreach communities. Founder and director of "The Movement Works Project", a dance/arts outreach organization dedicated to working within both the California Department of Corrections and the juvenile justice system since 1994, she is committed to using her art as an agent for social change. "Akimbo Movement Theater", the performance branch of the project is focused on creating innovative interconnected performance art and dance that is truly a voice of the community. Influenced and inspired by the material generated in Sukha's prison classes and workshops, the company has performed at local and international arts festivals since 1998.
A modern dancer by training (primarily Graham and Horton techniques), Sukha is versed in Contemporary and Classical Ballet, Hatha Yoga, Pilates and Gabrielle Roth's 5 Rhythms Method. This eclecticism is reflected in her choreographic style and the amalgam of classes she teaches. Her company's diverse performance repertoire is rooted not only in rhythm and movement, but in poetry and the written word. Akimbo performs works that range from yoga theater to improvisational comedy. Integration and innovation are at the core of their work creatively, technically and philosophically.
Sukha/Kim G. began her formal training as a tap dancer and then shifted her focus to Modern Dance and Theater. She studied dance and theater at San Diego State University and the University of California at Los Angeles . While on residency in Japan she discovered yoga, studying Iyengar yoga with Deborah Grant and Ashtanga with Chitose Mari. She continues to expand her movement practice and technique with continuing education courses in dance and healing arts as well as an ongoing exploration integrating the disciplines that define her daily practice - meditation, yoga, writing and the 5 rhythms.
As both a teacher and choreographer she has worked with students from a wide range of backgrounds, ages and levels of experience - from college students to "at risk" youth and incarcerated adults. From athletes to artists to professional dancers to corporate executives - it is her trademark to consistently reach people from all walks of life through movement with dynamic energy and humor. Using communication skills to bridge differing cultural and socioeconomic pockets within the community, she has served as a project consultant and guest artist for organizations such as AmeriCorp/Building Up L.A., Project Head Start, Children of the Night, The Beat Within, Homies Unidos, Arts Expand and the Criminal Justice Consortium. She has held artistic residencies abroad in Japan and Italy and most recently was a guest artist/teacher in Taiwan (Republic of China) where she taught Movement, Theater, Poetry and English classes to college bound students.
Currently, she teaches Modern Dance, Contemporary Ballet, "Namaste Ballet" (classical ballet barre/center floor meets asana flow yoga) and vinyasa yoga for the UCLA Department of Cultural and Recreational Affairs at the John Wooden Center . In addition, Sukha provides yoga/alignment and stress relief workshops for the Anderson School of Business Management, The Dashew International Student Association, The University Buddhist Association and many other student and faculty organizations within UCLA. She is an adjunct faculty member at Mount Saint Mary's College where she taught Yoga and Modern dance. And she maintains a guest instructor/choreographer/consultant relationship with the Yoga Loft in San Francisco and Sonora, Little Company of Mary Hospital and various dance companies and collaboratives throughout the city and state.
In 1994, Kim G. combined her philosophy of movement as a healing force with her knack of performing and teaching in virtually any setting to create the Movement Works Project. Movement Works is a performance outreach organization which provides Interdisciplinary Arts classes (which utilize assorted artistic media such as poetry, storytelling and theatrical improvisation, as well as dance and movement) to incarcerated minors at Central Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles . A recognized success in spite of the numerous obstacles working within a prison system presented, her work has been the recipient of numerous awards and media attention, which included grants from The Mattel Foundation, Los Angeles County, Warner Music and feature articles in the Los Angeles Times ("the Choreography of Hope"), the L.A. weekly, SHAPE and in Oprah Winfrey's "O" magazine ("Hope Floats"). Her work has also been featured on the Oxygen channel, CNN, NBC and is currently the subject of a feature documentary, "The Box Project". Most recently a retrospective of Sukha's dance and poetry
was presented by Akimbo Movement Theater and highlighted by a group show of renowned visual artists in support of Movement Works at an event called "Convicted to Love".
In 1999 the scope of Kim's outreach work with the incarcerated population evolved and expanded to include an appointment as a contract artist for the California Department of Corrections. Working primarily with men at all prison security levels, she travels statewide presenting a diverse slate of programs, from poetry and storytelling to Yoga and Body Awareness. Each workshop is crafted to serve the distinctly different populations of the specific penal institution. Over the course of three years she has visited 17 of the states 33 prisons. Despite the resent dissolution of the “Arts in Corrections” program due to state budget crisis, Kim continues to maintain an ongoing relationship as a volunteer artist teacher at 2 institutions – Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga and Sierra Conservation Center in Sonora where she teaches monthly.
In addition to her academic, outreach and community work, Sukha choreographs professionally for film and video. Her work has been seen on HBO, Comedy Central and the Oxygen Network - a national lampoon special "Gumby's 50th Birthday" featuring Smashmouth will be shown on HBO this fall. Sukha and the company are at work on a collaborative full length movement theater piece with choreographer Nicole Clarke called "Blue" - originally performed in Studio Z in San Francisco . Sukha is at work on her first book, "A Captive Audience" - a collection of essays and poetry based on her experiences within the prison system and her work is the subject of a feature length documentary - "The Box Project".
Akimbo Movement Theater is the performance branch of the Movement Works Project, an arts/outreach organization working within the California Department of Corrections and the the California Youth Authority. Founded in 1994 by choreographer/performance artist, Kim G., Movement Works provides movement-based interdisciplinary arts classes, workshops and performances for incarcerated adults and minors, as well as for “at greater risk” populations within the community. Sukha/ Kim G.'s progressive work in California state prisons was recently featured in Oprah Winfrey's "O" magazine, as well as on the Oxygen Network.
Akimbo was established in 1998 as a vehicle for the company to broaden their outreach efforts in the community by using their performance art as an agent for social change and transformation. The company is dedicated to creating innovative, humorous and educational theater that is accessible to a wide cross-section of audiences. Comprised of dancers, poets, actors and comediennes, the ensemble uses it's diversity as a tool to integrate bodies, ideas, perspectives and spirit.
The company's repertoire is inspired and developed in part, through Sukha's workshops and classes given in prison (as a contract artist for the C.D.C. and Central Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles ). The performances use movement, comedy and rhythm to address compelling subjects that are deeply human and transcend language, social and cultural barriers.
Kim G and Akimbo Movement Theater have performed locally and internationally at diverse venues, from “Seeking Justice” (a national conference for criminal justice reform) to the Alti Buyoh International Dance Festival in Kyoto , Japan . Their newest work in development “Blue" will be presented as a full length theater piece and performed conjunctively at public venues and selected prisons throughout the state. The work is based on a poem of the same name, written collaboratively with the inmates of Pleasant Valley State Prison. Audience interaction and structured improvisation will connect various segments of choreography, poetry, music and visual art (created by inmates) to the performers on stage and in turn to the audiences attending each performance - ultimately illustrating the interconnectedness of us all to it all…
To find out further information or to contact AKIMBO MOVEMENT THEATER, THE MOVEMENT WORKS PROJECT or SUKHA/KIM G contact Mgr. Lori Tilkin 310 309 2980 or ltilkin@lionrockproductions.com OR sukhamotionworks@yahoo.com
THE MOVEMENT WORKS PROJECT - Mission Statement
Our bodies are linked through movement. We cannot not move. We can consciously choose to move in such a way that facilitates interconnection /expression and growth. In this collective dance we move together toward healing…
Based on the concept that art and movement are powerful agents for physical and psychological healing, the Movement Works Project dedicates itself to providing movement based interdisciplinary arts classes to incarcerated minors and adults within the juvenile justice system and the California Department of Corrections.
Founded in 1994 by choreographer Kim G., the project has expanded its scope to include community outreach programs. Recognizing that the family and influential others form an interdependent system, outreach programs are designed to encompass families and other influential adults in the lives of “at greater risk” youth.
To share and promote its vision, the Movement Works Project also provides training in their interdisciplinary arts method for outreach organizations with similar missions The guiding philosophy for all Movement Works Project instruction is that through being wholly involved and completely present throughout the creative process, new and positive levels of consciousness are tapped.
To participate with mind, body and spirit within the framework of movement and art facilitates self-awareness, and raises self esteem and self discipline. Program workshops and classes teach skills in all areas of the arts – theater, poetry, yoga, dance, music, storytelling and visual arts. This eclectic approach fosters an understanding of the link between the arts through movement. Thus, a foundation is laid for the inmate participants to recognize themselves as interconnected with the community.
With the conviction that constructive redirection of energy can replace the negative cycle of behavior leading to incarceration, Movement Works Project provides participants of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds with lasting benefits - problem solving skills, new options for personal growth, and accessible outlets for focused expression.
The Movement Works Project is committed to providing programs and opportunities for the juvenile and adult incarcerated population which will significantly improve their chances for successful reintegration into the community.