Healing Dances

Envision moving poetry in the form of dance on the walls of your home or a gallery/art space, dance that was created with the express purpose of igniting the healing process of the viewer.

That is what my Healing Poemdances are – I created this name for these works of healing art, because they are often dances that are crafted from my poetry, informed by my knowledge as a medical doctor, and made to heal.

Artist Bio

Tumí Johnson is a Nigerian-American dance performance artist, poet, and physician.

She quit stable jobs as both a hospitalist and company dancer for two reasons: art and healing.

In 2006, Tumí went to work as a field physician for Doctors Without Borders in the Sahel desert. When she returned to her usual work in NYC, she realized she couldn’t unsee what she had seen: art as medicine.

Tumí had found that sharing her dance in Africa was powerful medicine. She returned to the States to begin creating a newer and truer way to be of service to others.

That service is her Healing Poemdances. These dances are crafted from her poetry, her experience as a physician, and performed to powerfully ignite and propel delicious healing in the viewer.

She has now performed several of her Poemdances around the world, and creates films of her Poemdance performances for video installations in art spaces.

Here is a sample of a full improv healing dance:

Healing Dances for Art Spaces

An integral part of my work is now creating Healing Poemdances for museums/galleries/art spaces and other conscious organizations.

If you are interested in my live performance of my Healing Poemdances AND/OR installing them as a video/film exhibit, please contact me at the email address below. I am also open for commissions, creating a site-specific and topic-specific Healing Poemdance.

Read my Artist Bio, CV and see Video Art Samples HERE.

Contact me at tumi.johnson@gmail.com for more information.

Individualized Healing Dances

If you are someone who has something you'd like to heal and you are interested in me creating an individualized Healing Poemdance for you AND/OR working one-on-one with me, please complete this form here.

I'm Unity

A healing poemdance to strengthen your immune system.

To learn what watching dance can do for your immune system, please watch this video.

For inquiry about accessing I'm Unity, please contact me at tumi.johnson@gmail.com.

Dr. Tumí Johnson is one gift of a woman. A doctor, a mystic, a dancer, a poet, a mother. She is such a living treasure. This testimonial is too brief to be able to contain all of the reflections and reasons why I believe she is a person who fills the world with wonder, awe, and inspiration. I am so happy that I decided to receive an individualized healing poemdance from her. She has a unique ability. All the movements, the words, the nature, the music, she featured were unique to me. In other words, she is actually able to feel who you are and what you need on a deeper level and then lovingly create something that WILL heal you/assist with healing yourself! It’s been over a week now since I received my healing poemdance, I have already noticed major shifts in my life: a positive career shift, more energy, and feeling secure in myself and who I feel I am and my purpose in life! This is a true labor of love for Tumí, I feel, and the whole process is a complete joy for her. I now know why she is so excited and passionate about this offering! It’s powerful, effective, and joyful!

Evan Garvey

“I'm Unity” is a beautiful and healing offering of art and wisdom. The experience of this medicine brought me a whole new perspective on immunity. The poemdance opened up a healing space for me in which my restless and worrying mind could rest, tension softly left my body and my heart deeply relaxed. I feel guided to come back home to the present moment and empowered to take care of my health in a holistic way. Thank you so much for this deep medicine!

Barbara Stehmann

Tumí’s I’m Unity Poemdance is a revolutionary and integrative way to heal! The Poemdance integrates your intellect, heart, senses, body, and spirit with medical knowledge that empowers you to remember the potency of your immune system.

Dorinda Peterson

....The Poemdance that I requested from Dr. Tumí Johnson that was crafted for me was elating because as I described the health concerns I’ve lived through in a very raw direct clear way with zero sugarcoating, a space was created to address that which has always been silenced. The Poemdance addressed the reality of what I’ve lived through and made me feel seen, which provided the strength to let go of unhealthy relationships with other people, as well as within myself. This kind of thing is a powerful way to nourish oneself in a real way that made me feel as though something within myself was unlocked. The thing is, when you are willing to let yourself become your real self and let go of all the gunk that was placed upon you, you take your power back from those and that which took it from you. And it's done with a level of artistry and talent that Dr. Johnson created and crafted from listening to what you are actually describing and allowing a creation of space for real, genuine, and authentic ease within yourself, an ease that speaks to the whole of a person. The Poemdance was a gift.... (PLEASE READ COMPLETE TESTIMONIAL IN THE TESTIMONIALS SECTION FOUND IN THE MENU BAR ABOVE)

Supriya S

As I took in this Poemdance as prescribed, I could feel its nutrients seeping into my body. Ancient wisdom and intelligence being reignited, my trust in that wisdom being fortified. This, combined with Tumí’s medical knowledge, made both my body and my mind feel calm, centered and empowered to handle any immunity challenging situation.

Mel B

Dr. Tumí Johnson, M.D.

Holistic Physician, Dancer, Poet