Movement Mends is an Urbanity-run community program that offers empowering dance classes and movement workshops to under-served populations in the Boston area. Founded in the summer of 2017 in partnership with Women’s Lunch Place (WLP), Movement Mends seeks to bring dance and movement to WLP’s female-identifying community. Women’s Lunch Place is a women’s day shelter that serves approximately 225 women per day by providing healthy meals, health care, basic necessities, access to educational opportunities, and an expressive therapies program. The goal of Urbanity's classes are in line with WLP's mission to provide a safe, healing space; foster empowerment of women; and offer access to creative expression. All members of WLP’s community are encouraged to participate in the Movement Mends curriculum, which consists of movement and theater games for creative and emotional exploration.
The basis of Movement Mends extends upon the scholarly research proving movement itself can help trigger changes in the mental state, allowing for mental and physical growth. Taught by a dance therapy specialist with a specific focus on dance and movement, each class builds on and follows the energy of the women as they grow more comfortable with the teacher and with the environment. The number of participants each week can vary from 5 - 10 women. Given the transitory nature of the population, participants might only attend one class or they might attend every week. Because of this, each class is built to offer benefits to the participants, regardless of whether they are able to attend future classes. Each class begins with a verbal check-in, progresses to fun warm-up activities, and ends with a creative movement activity. The purpose of the class is not to teach technique or certain dance styles, but rather to promote comfort within one’s body and encourage participants to move and choreograph based on their own personal experiences