Why we exist
Movement is the medium. Learning is the mission.
Practices that shape our embodied lives are often encountered in fragments: a short workshop, a single lineage, or one teacher's career. MSA exists to offer greater continuity. It creates a place where distinct practices can enter respectful dialogue, educators can collaborate without losing autonomy, and students can develop a lifelong relationship with learning.
The Academy is not defined by one method. It is defined by how learning happens: through attention, practice, reflection, conversation, and the patient development of agency. Its purpose is to support people and fields of inquiry, not simply to produce more programs.
History & origins
Founder-led in origin, institution-led in identity.
Movement Studies Academy was initiated by Juliano Vendemiatti, a Brazilian-born artist, musician, and somatic educator based in the Netherlands. His work across movement, sound, improvisation, and pedagogy helped establish the Academy's interdisciplinary foundation.
Juliano serves as Founder and current Educational Director. His role is named clearly, while the Academy is built to become larger than any one person: a shared educational culture in which multiple faculty members bring distinct methods, histories, and questions into sustained exchange.
Vision & mission
A culture where embodied knowledge is taken seriously.
Vision
We envision embodied knowledge as essential to personal and collective life, supported by learning environments that are rigorous, socially aware, and spacious enough for curiosity, rest, and inquiry.
Mission
We support lifelong embodied learning through courses, workshops, research, and study pathways that honor diverse lineages, sustain educators, and encourage ethical, thoughtful practice.
Organizational independence
Clear boundaries make thoughtful collaboration possible.
Movement Studies Academy is an independent educational organization. The Institute for Arts and Movement Studies (IAMS) is a separate, independent nonprofit foundation. Neither organization controls the other, and each retains its own governance, finances, and strategic priorities.
MSA may collaborate with IAMS or other organizations on specific projects where missions align. These collaborations are intentional, project-based, and do not imply a parent, subsidiary, or umbrella relationship.