The Flowjo in Carrboro, NC is seeking collaborators for Summer / Fall 2021 programming
After a fourteen month covid-sleep, The Flowjo is beginning to imagine reopening for 2021-22. To reopen, we’ll need community involvement, support and collaborators. After ten years, The Flowjo founder is focusing on a new rural venue with a natural burial ground, temple space and spiritual retreats and is only interested in hosting and coordinating weekly community dances at The Flowjo space. The Flowjo has hosted a robust aerial program and youth circus program for most of its life that could provide a template for an inspired aerialist or artist. Our dance community is eager to return to this space for our practice to heal from the past year of separation and pandemic-trauma. However, this leaves to five days per week are available for the right motivated facilitator(s) or community organizers to dream up their own programs.
The Flowjo is a 2500sq ft event space in the heart of downtown Carrboro on Brewer Lane equipped with high ceilings and a sprung dance floor. Founded in 2011 by Julia Hartsell, this studio has provided creative programming for youth and adults to gather for embodiment practices and community building for a decade. Loved by folks from age 5 - 80, this urban sanctuary has provided a home for aerial dance, circus arts, contact improvisation, community building, ecstatic dance, summer camps and youth programs and ritual practices in the triangle. The Flowjo has historically emphasized listening to and caring for the body, welcoming the full emotional range inherent to the human experience, practicing respect for the bodies of others and has taught consent through various forms of playful practice. We have sought to cultivate cultures of belonging for a variety of ages and disciplines centered around shared practice.
The studio features:
- Approximately 1600” sq ft sprung floor
- Sound system with a subwoofer (this room has excellent sound)
- 8 Rigging points with gear
- 2 trapezes, 1 lyra
- 8 fabrics
- 5 folding mats and 2 crash pads
- Circus and flow props (spinning plates, diabolos, flower sticks, etc)
- A collection of quality handmade hoops for a variety of ages and body types
- Mirror
- Loft space
- Office / storage space
- 2 bathrooms (4 toilets total)
- 60 chairs
- Other miscellaneous gear, blankets, mats, cleaning tools, ladder
- A decade of magic to build on
The Flowjo team is seeking partners who want to share this studio space to build their own teaching or arts businesses in downtown Carrboro. Ideal collaborators are those passionate about creating their own programming, classes or events in perhaps aerial or circus arts or dance and also self-motivated and responsible to execute and administrate these programs. Other ideas are welcome. Youth programming welcome. Collaborators must be COVID-aware and able to create and manage COVID-precautions appropriate for their classes in accordance with CDC guidelines as needed in the coming seasons.
Collaborators would:
- Be responsible for percentage of the rent/utilities/expenses in relation to amount of time used/booked
- Carry their own insurance
- Be responsible for administration, registration bookkeeping and marketing
- Be willing to be a team player and have good communications skills
- Be willing to collaborate on and uphold agreements concerning the physical space, schedule, cleaning protocols and values
- Have an awareness of power dynamics, structural racism, trauma and other forms of oppression and a commitment to inclusivity, accessibility and integrity
- Ideal candidates would be committed to their own personal growth and development, especially as a leader in their field and community
** possibility for shared administration and marketing support from someone trained in Flowjo systems
In addition to physical infrastructure, The Flowjo can provide:
- A newsletter base built over 10 years of community engagement
- Brand recognition in the Triangle
- Sample schedules, contacts, possible teachers for subcontracts
- Access to The Flowjo website and social media (if desired) or links from the FJ site & social media accounts to your website
- 3 hours of coaching / consulting with Flowjo founder (if desired, once a commitment has been made)
- Introduction to previous Flowjo staff, teachers and renters if supportive to building your vision
Depending upon applicants, we could be seeking 1-3 collaborators. For example, one person or team could be inspired to take on weekend programming and workshops while another could be interested in crafting weeknight programming and classes or just a youth program. Priority will be given to people willing to take on more time (ie every Monday & Tuesday or weekdays from 4-9pm or weekends or every Saturday.) Year-long commitments desired (unless pandemic dictates otherwise.) Rates could start lower this summer and increase in the Fall as we attempt to pay the full rent again.
Collaboration on aesthetic upgrades and signage are also possible. Over the years, the space has had tens of thousands of dollars invested. Having sat empty for a year, there is a bit of tending needed to be ready to reopen. If we get the right team on board, we’ll consider investing a bit of money and labor into fresh paint and new lighting.
BIPOC and LGBTQIA folks are encouraged to apply. Also immigrants, parents, people of diverse faiths and variously abled bodies encouraged.
At this time, we are not taking applications for one class offerings. In order to reopen, we're needing folks willing to take on more responsibility for the financial and physical space requirements of the space. Lower commitment rental opportunities may be available in the near future.
Thanks for dreaming into making this space available for practice and gathering again.
Please email your proposals to info@TheFlowjo.com.