In Conversation (48 min)
“Movement As Liberation: Attuning to Your Personal Theology”
“One of the main boxes that society forces [us into] is the idea that the mind-body-spirit are separate…the first thing is to recognize that this is completely wrong… it’s not natural for us [to be separate]…we have to put ourselves back together” - Olivia Kamil
Olivia Kamil is a visionary movement practitioner + teacher, guiding us to see ourselves differently in the world through the lens of the body’s Divine theology (God Talk).
In this conversation you’ll:
Open your mind to see how liberation is a way to see yourself integrated into the world
See yourself in an on-going, Divine creative process and not boxed in to any one expression/definition
Learn what it means to ‘translate a movement concept’ in your own body for authentic sensual + spiritual expression
Learn how the (w)holistic body is essential to social justice, collective restoration, + self-sustaining communities
May You Feel Empowered!
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Olivia Kamil Smarr is a Black queer public theologian and spiritual movement artist, combining traditional West African dance with contemporary Black American dance styles, as well as music spanning the African diaspora to show how ancestral rhythms survive in our bodies and are embedded within our spirits. She explores, challenges, and creates innovative ways of spiritual engagement—conjuring revolution, power, magic, and passion through movement. She engages with a theology that views the body itself as divine and holy, embracing the connection of sensuality and spirituality. Olivia Kamil centers those with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and survivors of trauma, including religious trauma, in her work.
Academically, she has a Master of Arts in Religious Studies from Chicago Theological Seminary, where she was a recipient of The Reverend Doctor Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. Legacy Scholarship, and studied spiritual embodiment through movement. She successfully defended her thesis “Revelations of Divine Love: A Womanist Embodied Mysticism” in 2021. Her research explores the intersections between movement, mysticism, and nature, from a queer womanist theological lens.
Olivia Kamil offers private sessions, workshops, movement meditations, and dance classes—including an Afro Spiritual Dance Jam series designed to help movers of all backgrounds, experiences, and ages engage with their spirituality through dance.