Born from grief.
Built from love.

OUR STORY

Maribel Flores didn't find dance. Dance found her—at 11 years old, in the middle of a loss that could have swallowed her whole. What she discovered in that studio changed everything. Missy Project exists so no one else has to search for that door alone.

A woman smiling with one hand on her hip, wearing a black blazer, beige top, and black pants, standing against a plain white background.

Choreographer · Dance Movement Therapist · BC-DMT · Founder

Maribel D. Flores

The Timeline

  • At 11 years old, Maribel's uncle was murdered in her Brooklyn neighborhood. She could have gone anywhere. She went to the dance studio. Under the guidance of Ms. Marcea Daiter at Wadleigh Secondary School in Harlem, she buried herself in choreography—using movement to process what words couldn't hold.

  • While studying the work of Paul Taylor and Katherine Dunham, Maribel realized she needed something they hadn't built—a framework that honored her Afro-Latina identity and the communities she wanted to serve. The seeds of the Choreographic Healing Framework were planted.

  • Maribel formalized what she'd been living. She earned degrees from SUNY Potsdam and Pratt Institute, a child and family therapy certification from NYU, and yoga and trauma-informed certifications. She didn't just survive through dance—she built a clinical and artistic framework to share it.

  • On September 19, 2024, The Missy Project was formally launched—a company that creates the spaces Maribel needed when she was younger, and that so many Black and Brown women and girls still need today. The work is not aspirational. It is operational. It is personal.

The Choreographic
Healing Framework

THE FRAMEWORK

CHF places choreography—not performance, but the process of structuring movement—at the center of healing, community, and creative expression.

CHF is the conceptual backbone of Missy Project. It blends improvisation, structure, cultural body knowledge, and trauma-informed practice—allowing trained and untrained dancers to co-create movement side by side.

Rooted in the work of Marian Chace, Natalie Rogers, and scholars in African diasporic movement traditions, CHF is also deeply informed by humanistic and Black psychology. It is a framework built for bodies that have been told they don't belong.

IMPROVISATION AS ENTRY POINT

Participants begin with their own movement, not someone else's routine. The body leads; the structure supports.

CULTURAL BODY KNOWLEDGE

Ancestral movement wisdom is honored and centered—not erased. Your culture is your credential.

TRAUMA-INFORMED STRUCTURE

Every session is built around consent, pacing, choice, and emotional safety. We regulate before we create.

CO-CREATION & COMMUNAL WITNESSING

Choreography is built together. The audience is community. The outcome is belonging.

LINEAGE & ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Influenced by Ms. Marcea Daiter, Dr. Charne Furcron, Dr. Ebony Nichols, Maria Rivera, Paul Taylor, and Katherine Dunham—Missy Project honors those who came before while forging its own path.

What We Stand For

Movement as Medicine

Dance isn't just art—it's healing, release, and reclamation of your body. We create room for what your body has been holding.

Co-Creation Over Conformity

You're not learning someone else's routine—you're creating your own. We start with improvisation and let your body lead.

You Belong Here

No auditions. No prerequisites. This space was built for Black and Brown women and girls who've been told they don't fit.

Rooted in Culture

Your culture isn't something you leave at the door—it's what makes your movement powerful. We dance together. We heal together.

Maribel’s Credentials

SUNY Potsdam

Movement as art and expression

BA in Dance

MS in Dance and Movement Therapy

Pratt Institute

Bridging the creative and therapeutic

Child & Family Therapy Certification

New York University

Specialized work with young people and families

Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist
(BC-DMT)

NYS Certifications

200-Hr Yoga & Trauma-Informed Yoga · LCAT · R-DMT · BC-DMT

Investing in Accessible Art

Missy Project is built on a hybrid funding model that keeps programming free for the communities who need it most, while developing sustainable revenue streams for long-term growth. Your investment makes that possible.

Donate

  • Black and Brown women and girls in NYCHA housing and under-resourced NYC neighborhoods face significant barriers to formal arts access. Missy Project removes every one of them.

  • The Choreographic Healing Framework integrates dance movement therapy principles, trauma-informed care, and co-creative choreography to support emotional wellness and embodied confidence.

  • With a target of 20–25 workshops per year and a growing mentorship cohort, Missy Project is designed for measurable reach, documented outcomes, and sustainable growth.

FOR FUNDERS & GRANTMAKERS