Grown Women Dance Collective creates cross-cultural, intergenerational, and cross-class connections, encouraging dialogue, empowering thought and action, and building cross-racial alliances through concert dance and wellness programs. Mature dancers challenge the stereotypes of aging and create artistic work that is relevant, accessible and inspiring to diverse and financially challenged audiences. We promote mind and body healing through health and fitness programs and create economic opportunities for young people.

It is my pleasure and honor to be able to end our sweet podcast after five years with a series of three episodes dedicated to highlighting and elevating some of the visionary warriors in our movement community. In this episode I'm talking to a long time colleague and friend, Tonya Marie Amos, one of the fiercest, most dedicated, and driven people I've ever met.

Tonya is a force and her vision to positively impact and change her community from the inside out through Pilates teacher training education, art and fiscal education, and more is stunning and powerful.

I'm so happy to lift up her voice and her vision and CALL YOU TO ACTION in support of social justice and change!

Enjoy. Act. Share. Create change.

More About Grown Women Dance Collective

Founded in 2009, Grown Women Dance Collective inspires and empowers social impact through dance and wellness. Founded by former professional New York dancers of color, GWDC is based in Oakland and Contra Costa County, California. GWDC offers a space for internationally respected, retired dancers in their 40s and 50s to share over 400 years of collective experience, hold space in our historical lineage, and celebrate African American history. It’s a space for the residents of Alameda and Contra Costa County to learn, explore creativity, find connections, and heal.

WHAT DO WE DO

Our annual Juneteenth celebration performance creates cross-cultural and inter-generational connections, encourages dialogue, provokes thought, strengthens self-identity, and advances racial harmony—all while challenging stereotypes of what a dancer should be. Our performances are a celebration of African American culture that incorporates a self-empowered view on U.S. history.

Our wellness programs consist of teaching mind and body healing through health and fitness classes. These lessons both heal the individual and heal our society. Our arts and wellness programs are relevant and accessible to diverse and under-resourced audiences who traditionally have had barriers to access.

grownwomendance.org

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More About Tonya Marie Amos

TONYA MARIE AMOS (Founder & Artistic Executive Director of Grown Women Dance Collective)

Tonya received a BA in Cultural Anthropology from U.C. Berkeley & trained four years on full scholarship at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. A member of Actors Equity Association, she has appeared with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater & Donald Byrd, was a member of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Footprints & Amy Pivar Dances, performed in the International Tour of West Side Story, the National Tour of Sesame St. Live, Sacramento Music Circus’ The King and I, and has been featured in numerous print ads and TV commercials.

She is the owner of Aspire Pilates Center, for which she was awarded Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce’s “100 Women of Influence” in 2010, Women’s Initiative’s Concord Female Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011, Concord’s Small Business of the Year 2013, Community Focus’ Reader’s Choice Best Pilates Studio in 2015, and Concord’s Best Woman-Owned Business of the Year in 2016.

The former author of a monthly Health & Wellness column for the Community Focus newspaper, Tonya is currently proofreading her Foot Pain prevention and recovery book, running Pilates retreats internationally, and developing Pilates education programs to help make this impactful work accessible to diverse communities. Shifting Aspire’s operating model in 2018 has allowed her to work full time on bridging health, wellness and the arts within under-resourced communities.

She’s proud to help build cross cultural and intergenerational bridges with Grown Women Dance Collective.

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Chantill - chantill@skillfulteaching.com + (707) 738-7951
Debora - dkolwey@gmail.com
James - j.crader@evolvedbodystudio.com

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Ep 75: Tonya Marie Amos

Thinking Pilates Podcast