Toranika (Tah-ruh-nee-kuh) Washington (she/her) is a teaching artist, business owner, educator, and Florida native. She gets excited about sharing the value of movement and creating collaborative spaces for exploring the unique ways bodies communicate and make an impact.
At The Theatre School she is the Director of Intimacy Professionals for Theatre & Cinema (IPTC), an Intimacy and Movement Director for productions, and she teaches Laban, Bartenieff Fundamentals, and Contact Improvisation.
Recent intimacy credits for stage & film include: The Drunken City, Three Antarcticas, Eurydice, Bernhardt/Hamlet, A Wrinkle in Time, Good Grief, 21 North, My Father’s Daughter, Hurricane Diane, Machinal, Bottle Shock! The Musical at California Center for the Arts, Escondido, California, The Day I Had An Exorcism (film)- DePaul School of Cinematic Arts at Cinespace Studios Chicago. Movement directing credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hurricane Diane, Machinal, and a directing credit for Memo, a devised interdisciplinary site-specific performance.
Toranika is a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, New York and AgapeBelgium in Koolskamp, Belgium. Shortly after receiving her CMA certificate, she began teaching Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals and dance composition to actors and dancers at New World School of the Arts College in Miami, Florida. She holds a BA in Radio and Television Broadcasting, MA in Teaching and Learning, and a MFA in Choreography. She is a registered yoga teacher RYT and certified in mental health first aid.
Dedicated to cultivating consent-based practices and instilling self-care in theatre spaces and beyond, she attends conferences and workshops around the world and gives back facilitating workshops. Her recent residencies include Whitman College in Washington, Doris Staples Theatrical Conservatory in California, University of Miami, Florida, and Northwestern University in Chicago.
Toranika is the founder and business owner of Somatic Soul Food-Movement Consulting where she facilitates global wellness retreats with a focus on stress and anxiety management. You can find her on LinkedIn @SomaticSoulFood.