About
Movement, connection, and the people who show up.
Who We Are
A collective creating something different
Rhythm of The People is a Seattle-based movement collective. We create spaces where people can move, connect, and practice being human together.
We are not a dance studio. We are not a wellness brand. We are a group of dancers, educators, organizers, artists, DJs, and everyday people who believe that real connection - the kind that happens in the room, in the body, in conversation, through movement and music - is something worth building deliberately.
Rather than centering a single teacher or perspective, ROTP is built as a shared effort. The work belongs to the people who show up for it.
This summer, we're starting simply: free social dance gatherings on Seattle's waterfront. Four dates. Pier 58. Open to everyone. What comes next depends on what we learn and who shows up.
The Collective
Shaped by many voices.
ROTP is driven by the collective energy of many people. While the project grew from an idea by Janū Sung, its direction is shaped by the conversations, teachings and experiences of many.
The collective includes people across disciplines and backgrounds who believe in the importance of creating spaces where movement, culture, and human connection are taken seriously.
We are building toward a model where educators are compensated fairly, where real questions are asked, conversations are had, and where the cultural traditions we draw from are held with respect.
Dancers & Movers
Bringing embodied wisdom and cultural richness to every session.
Educators
Grounding our work in pedagogy, accessibility, and lived experience.
DJs & Musicians
Setting the tone, energy, and cultural sound of the room.
Organizers
Making things happen - logistics, community, and operations.
Artists & Designers
Shaping how this work looks, feels, and gets told.
Community Members
The people who show up and help shape the room by being in it.
Our Story
Why we're building this.
We started building Rhythm of The People because something most people can't quite name has been steadily slipping away. The ability to really be with someone. To feel something without immediately managing it. To connect without a screen between you. The skills that make genuine human connection possible - vulnerability, emotional regulation, repair - are quietly disappearing from everyday life.
We believe movement is one of the most direct pathways to self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and genuine human connection. Not as a concept. As a lived experience - in the body, in the room, between people who showed up not knowing what they'd find.
We're a collective grounded in Club and Street dance culture, movement education, and Eastern philosophical and contemplative traditions. These practices have shaped how we understand what it means to be present with yourself and with others. That understanding is the foundation everything else is built on.
We do not have all the answers. But we're attenmpting to do something real - to create spaces where social dance, rooted movement, and embodied practice can be what they have always been: a way of being with people, not performing for them.
We don't claim authority over the traditions we draw from. We claim responsibility to them - to name where they come from, to compensate the people who carry them, and to build something that contributes to and uplifts the cultures and practices it draws from.
This work belongs to everyone who shows up for it.
Acknowledgements
Naming what matters.
These are not footnotes. They are foundational.
Land
ROTP gathers on the ancestral lands of Coast Salish peoples, the original stewards of what we now call Seattle. This land was never ceded. We are grateful to move and build community here, and we are committed to supporting Coast Salish peoples' ongoing presence and sovereignty.
Support Real Rent Coast Salish →
Labor
The dance forms, movement practices, and cultural traditions at the center of this work were created and sustained by Black, Brown, Asian, Indigenous and Queer communities - who were not always credited, compensated, or protected for that labor. We name that history explicitly. We commit to compensating educators and culture bearers fairly, and to building an organization that honors the communities it draws from.
People
Important figures include: Sekou Heru, Marvin Gilmore, Dani Tirell, Amy O'Neal, Dufon "Orb" Smith, Nia‑Amina Minor, Tracey Wong, Circle of Fire Crew, Lesar Steputat, Reverend Riz Rollins, Soul Zuberi, and more. These are mentors, friends, peers, teachers, and family whose conversations and guidance have shaped ROTP. We thank them for all their work, labor, guidance and support.