Janna Meiring (she/her), is a queer movement-based artist, somatic educator and group facilitator based in Indianapolis, IN, U.S.

With more than 20 years of dedicated study, work and application as a theatre and movement artist, writer, editor, teacher, non-profit administrator and group facilitator, Janna intuitively designs spaces that support both individuals and groups in discovering, embodying and amplifying their presence, work and purpose.  

While pursuing an MFA in Contemporary Performance from Naropa University in 2005-7, Janna first encountered Body-Mind Centering®, Viewpoints, improvisational practices and embodied voice techniques with ensemble-devised new performance techniques.

In the years since, she has deepened research in these practices while maintaining positions in the non-profit field as an administrator and organizational leader. Soon after earning her MFA, she owned and operated an arts and performance venue for two years in Denver, Colorado, hosting arts events, workshops and classes for all ages. From 2016 to 2019 she served as writer, editor and chaired the Education Committee at thINKingDANCE.net, based in Philadelphia, PA. She currently works as the Development and Communications Coordinator at the international Body-Mind Centering® Association.

While living in Philadelphia from 2014-2024, she worked in many collaborations, and as a solo artist and teacher, and showcased several short dances, experiments and works. In 2020 she was an artist in residence with Get What You Need (GWYN), through Bodymeld New Dance Platform, later becoming one of the consortia of artists with Zornitsa Stoyanova, Keila Cordova and Kenwyn Samual, who further developed and continue to administer the program, supporting 2-3 emerging artists per year.

Taking on a mentor role uncovered a passion and skill for supporting artists through their own process, to find their own voice, trust their instinct, and both honor and advocate for their wellbeing. Most recently, she inhabited the role of “Somatic Process Maven”—a term bestowed upon her by Annie Wilson for her project Always the Hour—as she supported the artist with building intention, presence and practices to somatically integrate the discoveries and transformation that came through a project that was highly personal and emotional.

Janna connects with many fields in all her work including contemplative arts, experiential anatomy, ancestry, psychology, cultural mythology, personal cosmology, queer ecology, emergent strategy, collective governance strategies, green witchery and about every possible inkling of mystery within existence. She’s also dedicated to upholding anti-racist, anti-oppression, anti-capitalist, anti-patriarchal and trauma-informed frameworks.  

It is this unique blend that Janna brings to any space, seeking to mirror back the light and power we all carry, and our capacity to enact change through intentional, mutual care.