With support from the California Arts Council, JUNTOS Collective will sustain and grow our history of dance outreach for underserved communities, with a specific focus on Latine/x Bay Area dance artists. Founded in Berkeley in 2008, JUNTOS Collective bridges art, outreach, and intercultural exchange across the U.S. and abroad, with the mission of cultivating international community through shared dance experiences. This year we will reengage our Bay Area community through JUNTOSxChange – a program that brings free and inclusive movement workshops and performances to underserved communities, and provides free professional development and mentorship for emerging dance artists of underrepresented backgrounds. This initiative will advance JUNTOS’ programmatic equity and accessibility, strengthen its global community, and uplift the Bay Area dance landscape. CAC grant funds would critically support the salaries of U.S-based staff leading these programs.
JUNTOS aims to provide dance exposure primarily to Latinx underserved communities, local and international, such as women’s safe homes, migrant and immigrant centers, foster homes, retirement centers, hospitals, and youth programs. Through movement workshops, we hope participants discover new creative expressions that invite and encourage confidence, self-esteem, and self-expression. We seek to foster an international community by developing and sustaining ongoing relations, and by building a network of people from different backgrounds who will become creative leaders.