In 2018, artist disruptor and cultural worker Andreína Maldonado of BienStar Consulting, in partnership with Dance Mission Theater and La Colectiva de Mujeres de San Francisco, started a unique arts and wellness program for immigrant women domestic workers called Cuerpos Sanos, Mentes Sanas or Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds (formally called Baile Colectivo). The program has now expanded its reach by serving BIPOC and working class communities in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and beyond. Our mission is to uplift the voices of immigrant people, people of color, women and low wage workers through self-care practices such as yoga, stress management, creative arts, and leadership development. Our commitment is to make healing and creative arts accessible to communities most affected by social injustices.
In the last 5 years, Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds has reached more than 800+ workers through engagement in dance, theater, music, yoga practice, and political advocacy. Our classes are facilitated through an equity lens by valuing the unique and collective experiences of our participants, supporting their presence in public policies and investment, helping claim artistic and public spaces, and using organizing tools such as popular education to place the voices of workers at front-center.
Offerings Include:
- Free Integral Yoga classes in Spanish and English
- Fridays from 4:30-6pm PST at San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute, 770 Dolores Street, San Francisco.
- Coming up! New Spanish Classes at The Women’s Building, stay tuned for an announcement on the start of classes!
- 6- Week Yoga and Stress Management course in Spanish and English, with certification of completion
- Workshops tailored to organization’s specific needs
- Free, bilingual (Spanish-English) Movement classes for domestic workers
- Performances
Current and past partners:
- Dance Mission Theater
- La Colectiva de Mujeres
- San Francisco Day Labor Program
- California Domestic Workers Coalition
- San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute
- The Women’s Building
OUR WORK, OUR DIGNITY
September 24th, 2022, Dance Mission and Bienestar Consulting produced a theatrical new work directed and created by Andreína called Our Work, Our Dignity. It was presented at Dance Mission Theater and featured 13 domestic workers and day laborers from the Mission District, complete with live music, poetry, worker testimonies, and audio visual projections. With the funding support from the San Francisco Arts Commission Individual Artist Grant, Dancer’s Group, and Bridge Live Arts, in collaboration with La Colectiva de Mujeres, Day Labor Program, and the California Domestic Workers Coalition, we presented a compelling story about worker dignity, home-care, Ecofeminism, advocacy, and our role in environmental justice, proposing new ways of living in harmony with our bodies, our immigrant communities, and the Earth. Since then, Our Work, Our Dignity has been shown throughout San Francisco, including at BRAVA Theater, KQED, and the D.I.R.T. Festival.
