More Than an Archive
CCAIMRS is not just an archive—it is a movement elevating ACB movement systems beyond performance into the stratosphere of science, policy, and play.
Our Work
Preserving. Teaching and Activating.
CCAIMRS safeguards African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) movement traditions—dance, drumming, music, and storytelling—while activating them for community wellbeing, education, and policy impact. Our work bridges archives, training, community programs, and research to ensure traditions thrive across generations.
Archive & Preservation
We build long-term infrastructure to document and steward living traditions with care and accuracy. This includes:
- High-quality audio/video documentation of performances, classes, rehearsals, and cultural demonstrations
- Oral histories with artists, elders, and community knowledge holders
- Contextual research that records meanings, histories, and cultural protocols
- Ethical metadata, notation, and cataloguing that preserve lineage and interpretation
- Secure storage, backups, and tiered access to protect sensitive or sacred materials
Goal: Ensure ACB embodied knowledge is preserved with dignity and remains accessible—responsibly—for generations.
Keeping Traditions Alive
Learning, Training & Transmission
We support intergenerational learning by translating embodied knowledge into teaching and learning pathways:
- Workshops, intensives, and masterclasses for dance, drumming, music, and storytelling
- Community documentation labs (training in recording, interviewing, and description practices)
- Curriculum-aligned resources for educators and community facilitators
- Mentorship for youth and emerging artists in performance and cultural leadership
Goal: Keep traditions alive through practice—strengthening skills, confidence, and cultural continuity.
Community Wellbeing & Belonging
CCAIMRS mobilizes movement as a tool for connection, healing, and immigrant wellbeing:
- Embodied programs that reduce isolation and strengthen social cohesion
- Trauma-informed, culturally grounded sessions that support nervous system regulation and collective care
- Community gatherings that build identity, joy, and shared cultural pride
- Partnerships with service providers to complement settlement, health, and community support systems
Goal: Support ACB communities—especially newcomers and youth—through culturally grounded pathways to belonging.
Research, Innovation & Policy Engagement
We elevate ACB movement systems beyond performance by connecting them to research and public systems:
- Collaborative research with community partners and institutions
- Knowledge mobilization through talks, publications, exhibitions, and public learning
- Policy-informed tools and recommendations for arts, education, health, and civic sectors
- Innovation projects that explore movement in relation to science, technology, and wellbeing
Goal: Position ACB movement traditions as vital knowledge systems that can shape public life—locally and nationally.
How We Work
Across all our projects, we follow a consistent approach:
- Community governance and cultural protocols guide decisions
- Ongoing consent and tiered access protect participants and traditions
- Fair compensation and reciprocity prevent extractive practice
- Accurate attribution honours lineage, authorship, and community ownership
- Long-term stewardship ensures materials remain safe, usable, and meaningful
The Result
CCAIMRS creates a living ecosystem where archived materials become training tools, where training strengthens wellbeing, and where wellbeing and evidence inform policy—building lasting infrastructure for ACB cultural legacy and future possibility.
OUR EVENTS
Workshops & Intensives
Dance foundations, drumming technique, embodied storytelling
Talks & Community Conversations
Culture, identity, policy, and diaspora futures
Showings & Demonstrations
Research-in-performance, artist labs, community stages