Move to Move Beyond®
Overview
Move to Move Beyond® is an empirically-reviewed, evidence-based program that offers the transformative power of movement to survivors of gender-based violence and their families.
Launched in 1999 in partnership with Sanctuary for Families, Move to Move Beyond® has reached over 13,000 survivors of intimate partner violence through 2,600 workshops, employing over 100 artists. The program has expanded to include partners such as Safe Horizon, Barrier Free Living, Womankind, Henry Street Settlement, and Community Health Action of Staten Island, among many other New York City organizations.
Four-Part Model
Gibney’s trauma-informed, four-part program model centers and supports participants by encouraging choice, self-expression, trust-building, and sharing:
Look Inside: Reflect
Movement and creativity foster reflection and self-awareness, which can lead to creating new patterns.
Speak Through Movement: Express
Movement and creativity supports choice and decision-making, which can encourage participants to listen to their inner voices and express their feelings, choices and thoughts using their bodies.
Working Together: Collaborate
Working together can validate the experiences of each member of the group, which can create more feelings of connectedness.
Take Care
Activities shared in the form of a Take Care Card can encourage participants to continue building a self-care practice on their own outside of the workshops.
Details and Booking
Adult and Youth Survivors Program
- Offered as a one-off workshop or a series of 2-8 workshops.
- Offered both in-person and virtual models.
- Each session is between 30-60 minutes.
- No dance or arts background is necessary for participation.
- All workshop aspects are optional, making it accessible to most bodies.
Frontline Staff Program
- Offered as a one-off workshop or a series of 2-8 workshops.
- Offered both in-person and virtual models.
- Each session is between 30-60 minutes.
Book a Workshop
For more information or to bring the Move to Move Beyond® program to your organization, click here.
Testimonials
“I found myself really connecting to the music and to giving myself that time to connect… to my body, which I had disconnected from for a long time.”
– MTMB Program Participant
“I feel like I’m coming alive again!”
– MTMB Program Participant
Research and Impact
According to pre- and post-workshop surveys, 94% of participants reported that MTMB workshops helped them to connect with themselves and with others. The most common emotions experienced before the workshop were feelings of tiredness, stress, and nervousness/anxiety. After the workshop, most participants reported feeling energized, confident, and inspired. For survivors of trauma, this shift matters, as repeated trauma affects the nervous system, often producing hypervigilance as a common response. Workshops that promote relaxation can have a lasting effect on the nervous system’s ability to return to a healthy baseline.
Federally funded research has investigated the impact of MTMB for survivors. The results of an empirical study showed that survivors of intimate partner violence who participated in MTMB virtual workshops experienced improved mood and reduced tension. Participants’ symptoms of PTSD and psychological distress lessened, and they found new ways to express themselves, attune to their bodies, learn new self-care habits, and build community as they engaged in the workshops.
Move to Move Beyond Storytellers
A performance series of original works based on lived experiences to promote advocacy, connection, and awareness in the larger community.
Move to Move Beyond® Support
Gibney’s Move to Move Beyond® Program is generously supported by the New York City Council and Council Member Harvey Epstein, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the New York University Community Fund, The Riverside Church Sharing Fund, the Billy Rose Foundation, and the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.
As of August 13, 2026.