Toranika (Tah-ruh-nee-kuh) is a working artist, business owner, teacher, healer, peacemaker, and Florida native. She gets excited about sharing the value of movement and creating collaborative spaces for understanding how bodies communicate and make an impact.
She is a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) from the Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies programs. Her training began in New York City, migrated to the University of Maryland, and landed at AgapeBelgium - Body, Mind, Spirit in Koolskamp, Belgium. She started teaching Laban Movement Analysis and Bartenieff Fundamentals to actors and dancers at New World School of the Arts College in Miami, Florida and the opportunity led to becoming an intimacy director. She enjoys helping actors take care of their physical and mental wellness and assisting them with communicating boundaries, feeling safe, supported, and fully free to realize the overall vision.
She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Choreography and has come a long way since the days of feathered bumble bee leotards and yellow tulle tutus. Her contemporary movement research rests in works that uncover rooted identity and bringing awareness to societal challenges. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning and has 20 + years teaching artist ages 4-72. She is a Somatic Coach and the CEO of Somatic Soul Food – Movement Consulting. She facilitates professional development programs for groups and individuals and uses a body-centered approach for relieving stress, reducing anxiety, and increasing resiliency.
Toranika is certified in Kemetic (Egyptian) Yoga from the YogaSkills School of Kemetic Yoga in Chicago, Illinois. She integrates African Kemetic Yoga philosophy in her curriculum as another way for students and clients to connect to the wisdom of their bodies. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Radio and Television Broadcasting. Her favorite memory was working for NBC at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. From three miles away, she watched former U.S. Senator and astronaut John Glenn Junior launch into space on Shuttle Mission Discovery STS-95 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.