Deanna Green, Dancer, Writer
Deanna is a yoga instructor and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. She fell in love with language and the arrangement of words at an early age and has been writing ever since. Although she graduated with a degree in chemistry from Long Island University, she was called to serve the community. She entered in to the non-profit field and worked as the Training Directory for Girls Educational & Mentoring Services. In this role, she was able to see how our education system, cultural differences and lack of mentorship negatively impacted our youth.
Through her own personal journey, she discovered the healing power of yoga and became a certified yoga instructor in 2015. Following her yoga teacher training, she began teaching children and youth, exploring the themes of mindfulness, body empowerment, community and self love. In an effort to expand her knowledge with children, she enrolled in Community Word Project’s Teaching Artist Training & Internship Program. Deanna currently works with Marquis Studios as an Assistant Teaching Artist and continues to teach yoga to under-served communities throughout New York City.
TATIP Work
Deanna has been interning at PS 316 in Brooklyn with CWP Mentor Teaching Artists Felipe Galindo and Phyllis Capello. She is also interning at The Young Women’s Leadership School with CWP Mentor Teaching Artist Katie Rainey.
Most Memorable TATIP Moment
“Definitely the first day! It was the first time in a long time that I didn’t feel confident or didn’t know how I would fit in. There were a lot of questions about why I wanted to teach and my artistry. This came at a point when I was just reviving my craft. Before this, I hadn’t written for a long time and I had never considered myself a writer. The self inquiry questions were so necessary and have helped me to realize that I wasn’t alone on this journey and many people in the room had the same questions and doubts. I often return to this first day to help push through new projects and experiences!”
Find out more about Deanna here:
Check out Deanna’s Lesson Plan she presented with her partner Alessandra Salvemini Shappard.
You can read more about Deanna’s experience in the program in her blogs: “Why We Do This Work” From a Teaching Artist in Training and more forthcoming!
“Holding Space”
To be in my body and still feel separate
To be in the world and still feel silent
To hold a space that’s unaccounted for and pose questions to deaf ears
How to envision my soul, my heart, my body as it belongs to me?
How to love and be loved, to hold and be held, to know and to know nothing
And to feel a void that can’t be filled
But somehow know I’m whole
Somehow I’m complete and not yet full
Somehow, I’m awesome with so much work to accomplish
When I realize the power in my words, the softness in my melodies
I get to see these smiles as my remedies
The antidote when I think of pain
The sun rising, rising, rising after the rain
Guiding me to my center, over the hills, twisted paths galore
Slightly nudging me if I go astray or pushing hard at my core
The fragrance lingers, the clouds darken
And still I rejoice in the night
Interested in TATIP? Find out more about our 2016-17 Program!
See more of our 2015-16 Graduates in the 2016 TATIP Anthology!
