Movement and Play

Workshop Objective

This workshop aims to strengthen women’s bodily awareness, foster liberation through play,

and create meaningful connections through solidarity. Designed from a feminist perspective,the workshop creates a space of resistance against historical and social pressures on

women’s bodies.

For centuries, women have been turned into beings whose relationships with their own

bodies are defined, controlled, and silenced by external forces. This workshop seeks to give

voice—through the body—against this very silence.

It relies on the transformative power of movement and play. It sees joy and collective

creation as a form of resistance.

Participants will reconnect with their own stories and inner strength through physical

expression, creative writing, and group games.

We believe that a space where women dance, play, and write together can spark not only

individual but also collective transformation. Reviving solidarity among women is one of the

workshop’s fundamental goals.

Content and Methodology

The workshop unfolds along three main axes:

● Movement: Exercises that remind the body of its natural rhythm, capacity, and

memory; includes improvisational exercises and guided group dynamics.

● Play: Physical and verbal group games where participants connect through laughter,

joy, and touch.

● Free and Creative Writing: Short creative writing exercises where the body and

memory are translated into words. A space of expression that emerges from silence.

The entire process is framed by a game-based, safe, and non-judgmental approach.

Technical Details

● Duration: 2 hours total (including a 10-minute break)

● Number of Participants: Between 8–20

● Venue:

○ A flat, empty, and airy indoor space of at least 5x5 meters, or a quiet outdoor

space (such as a park or forested area).○ The floor should be comfortable. Participants should be able to sit and lie on

the ground.

● Materials:

○ Speaker and music player

○ Mats for participants (they are encouraged to bring their own)

○ Water bottles and notebooks/pens

Target Audience

This workshop is open to women of all ages, cultures, and professions. No prior experience

is required.

The workshop has previously been conducted with war-affected women, migrants, student

groups, women with physical disabilities, elderly individuals, and white-collar professionals in

both Turkey and France, reaching over 500 women.

Feminist and Political Context

Working with women is more than a space for personal growth—it’s an act of healing

collective memory. One of the most powerful ways to resist patriarchal control over the body

is to reconnect with it and make its memory visible.

Play becomes a joyful, supportive, soft yet powerful medium for this reconnection.

Creating a space where women move freely, laugh, and play is not just a workshop—it is a

feminist intervention.

Therefore, conducting this work in public spaces with the support of local governments is

crucial for expanding inclusivity, equality, and women’s solidarity.

About the Facilitator

Ladin Avşar, born in 1986, is a theatre artist and creative facilitator living in Paris. She has

worked in the fields of movement, theatre, and creative drama for over twenty years. She is

known for her creative workshops with migrant women, children, and disadvantaged

communities.

In France, she has collaborated with the Transformative Activism group founded by the

Gender Studies Unit of Sabancı University, focusing on narrative and social transformation.She also completed the “Trauma-Informed Movement Facilitation” training led by Tuğçe

Ulugün Tuna, founder of the Contemporary Dance Department at Mimar Sinan University of

Fine Arts.

She is currently the artistic director of the Paris-based Compagnie Miselyum.