We were lucky to catch up with Elena Sophia Kozak recently and have shared our conversation below.
Elena Sophia, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from my mom, Elena, and the lineage of strong women who preceded me. Five generations of first born Cuban women in my family are named Elena, myself included. This name has been passed down to each new generation and reminds me of my resilience to overcome any obstacle. It holds the energy of the long line of mujeres (women) who came before me and made it possible for me to be here.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I started my career as a community organizer working in educational justice and immigrant rights. After a period of intense burnout, I embarked on a personal journey to take better care of my body and spirit. I explored the healing arts and movement, especially salsa and other dances from my Cuban heritage. The experience of reconnecting with myself and culture was so restorative, it inspired me to want to build a healing movement space with other activist women and nonbinary individuals. In 2010, Critical Mass Dance Company (CMDC) was co-created by a dynamic group of community organizers, educators and healers to support our collective care through dance.
In our 14th year now, the mission of Critical Mass Dance Company js to cultivate well-being, resilience, and joy through movement and healing arts. Our trauma-informed work is by and for women, gender-expansive and 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals from Black, Indigenous and communities of color. Our offerings celebrate both ancestral wisdom and emergent practices, creating spaces to reconnect with our bodies, spirits, and each other!
We offer free online classes and healing arts events in Los Angeles. To attend one of our free virtual classes or in-person events, go to www.criticalmassdancecompany.org.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three most important qualities for me have been courage, perseverance, and intuition. Connecting inwards to listen and trust my own inner wisdom has strengthened my spirit and helped me move forward in my journey.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Yes! We collaborate all the time with other organizations serving women and nonbinary individuals from diverse communities. We partner with groups seeking ways to support the health, healing and care of their staff and/or participants.
We provide one-time workshops and 7-week classes using movement, meditation and trauma-informed education. If you or you know of any organizations that might be interested, please connect with us!
For more information on our community programs and a current list of organizational partners, visit us here: https://www.criticalmassdancecompany.org/engage.html.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.criticalmassdancecompany.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmassdance/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmassdancecompany
