Friday Night FUNk Conscious Dance
Friday Night FUNk is a joyous, funky, deeply soulful invitation to boogie right into your weekend.
Come dance your heart open!
We are an imperfect grassroots collective of diverse DJ/facilitators who love freeform conscious dance, each with our own take on our always funky, eclectic, bluesy vibe.
Our conscious dance version of ecstatic dance is grounded in somatic practices of diving deeply toward whatever is present in this moment in us. We invite you in with musical journeys guided by a non-dual approach to embracing both joy and pain - as felt in music shaped by the African diaspora. This is a delicious, fun, lively practice but also a transformative experience.
With no choreography to follow, you are free to discover the delight of allowing every part of your body to move however it wants. Dance alone, or with others, fast or slow, silly or serious, sexy or shy!
Together, we co-create a safe, unconditional space to dance your way in to however you are in this juicy moment: joyful, sorrowful, playful, ALIVE!
No experience necessary.
Reclaim your FUNk!
Every Friday night on Zoom, with live dance pop-up gatherings on the east side of L.A.
Check below each week to see when and where we are dancing live.
Visit us on our Facebook page for weekly updates, or contact us to join our mailing list.
What is Conscious Dance?
Conscious Dance is a form of Ecstatic Dance - one of the oldest forms of healing practices that exists. It is an invitation to sink in, to drop away all expectations and stories and to experience yourself exactly as you are in this moment, without judgement or censorship.
Like Ecstatic Dance, Conscious Dance is an experience of moving freely to music that inspires you to express yourself, to access your inner emotions and discover the bliss that comes with joyful movement in deep communion with others. Conscious Dance adds a focus on deeper self exploration, with the intention of becoming more whole and grounded as we allow ourselves to fully feel and experience ourselves exactly as we are. From this grounded experience, we find the ecstasy of connection, without transcending ourselves - instead we dive deeper toward community through being fully ourselves.
Read more about what conscious dance is here - or watch the video for a taste!
Our Dance Events
Friday Night FUNk is evolving! After our August 30th live/zoom hybrid at Pieter Space, we will shift from monthly live dances at Pieter to occasional live special events at Pieter, so that we can shift our focus to nurturing smaller pop up live/zoom hybrids, hopefully more often during the month.
Our goal is to be able to dance live more frequently with less effort, and more fully in the heart of community - and we are hoping that you, our beloved dance family, will co-create with us the spaces both indoors and outdoors to dance and play on a more regular basis. Do you know of an indoor space that you dream of using for dance - or perhaps spaces that want to enable the community service that we offer when we can gift the community with free live dance? Or of outdoor spaces that are perfect for small dance gatherings? Email us and let us know!
We are continuing to dance every Friday night on zoom so we can stay connected to our Friday Night FUNk family across the globe. And now, our beloved DJs will be experimenting with hosting live/zoom hybrid dances as often as possible – in backyards, nearby parks, or in indoor spaces. We will be purchasing very portable speakers to allow us to set up easily and quickly in any location.
Come and join us on Zoom from afar, or show up and dance with us in person!
Continue scrolling below to find information on our live pop-up dances. Details updated weekly.
FACILITATOR SCHEDULE
2024
All sessions are on Zoom
Sept 6 DJ Susan B - Zoom and pop-up in Altadena
Sept 13 DJ Detlef - Zoom and pop-up
Sept 20 DJ Maria - Zoom
Sept 27 DJ Kato - Zoom
Oct 4 DJ Melissa - Zoom
Oct 11 DJ Mary Frances - Zoom
Oct 18 DJ Salim - Zoom and pop-up in Altadena
Oct 25 DJ Maria - Zoom
Upcoming live dances will be pop-up style in locations TBA in conjunction with Zoom; please check here or FNFdanceLA@gmail.com for details!
All bodies and abilities are welcome. This is, above all, a movement practice; you are welcome to move with us even if you are seated in a chair.
Online only events are from 7:30pm-8:30pm and are FREE! To join us online click on this link.
We will have occasional live events at Pieter Performance Space, to be announced.
The new Pieter Performance space is located at 2701 N. Broadway, in Lincoln Heights.
The space is located on the 2nd floor with one flight of stairs directly up from the entrance. Elevator access is available; if you wish to use it please email us at FNFdanceLA@gmail.com a day prior to the event and we will exchange contact info so that we can come down and get you, as it is not automated and needs a code. The elevator is spacious enough for any mobility device and the 2nd floor space is free of any steps or mobility barriers. There are no automated doors in the building.
Free parking is available directly behind the building at 2412 Workman Street. There are two additional free city lots south of Broadway on Workman Street. There is also ample metered parking in the neighborhood.