Collaborative generosity

Fly Freak Studio founder and facilitator Haley Saccomano was exuberant as she pointed to several bins of donated food in her studio’s front waiting area. “I will bring my ninth carload tomorrow,” she said. “I’ve already brought eight!”

Her studio in the Midway neighborhood (755 Prior Ave. N, Suite 239), known for its aerial arts classes – think acrobatic dance while suspended from fabric or hoops – as well as yoga, barre, and pilates, is now also serving as a food donation hub.

Many concerned Saint Paul residents are actively seeking out locations where they can bring needed food and supplies for families who are now homebound. In the Midway and Frogtown area, Fly Freak Studio is one more hub for gathering such donations.

While the studio does not handle the final packaging and distribution of donated food, they partner with Open Market MN for those tasks. “Most of the food stays in the neighborhood,” said Steph Forsland, another instructor at the studio.

Forsland went on to describe the surrounding Midway neighborhood as full of young families and first-time homebuyers. “We live here, we shop here, we support our neighbors. When it’s not this cold, people are out walking and biking and going to parks.” The neighborhood has a tight-knit feel. So, when local immigrant communities felt threatened by ICE actions and assaults, to the point of becoming housebound this winter, others wanted to help.

“It’s daily, people are saying, ‘How can I help?’ I’ll be teaching, and there will be a knock on the door and someone brings in six bags of food,” Forsland said. It’s not just Fly Freak students either. Those students have encouraged friends to donate, and those friends have spread the word to others.

“The help is pouring in,” Saccomano said. She described getting calls from people as far away as Texas, asking how to help. Every time there has been another atrocity related to ICE or CBP, another wave of concerned citizens has gotten involved. “Now people are coming in from Edina and Eden Prairie. Maple Grove! That wasn’t on my bingo card!”

Both Saccomano and Forsland commented on the importance of each person discovering the task that they can do best. Forsland has noticed how nuanced those roles and contributions can be. “Everyone has different capacities to help,” she said, noting that people often choose volunteer activities based on their personal skills, abilities, and interests. Beyond that, allies need to be savvy about not mixing certain roles. “It’s important that, if you are in direct contact with vulnerable populations, you don’t also engage with rapid response teams.”
Saccomano reflected on how the myriad ways people volunteer and express dissent are adding up to a revolution in how people think and live in community together.

“I am so grateful and impressed and proud that so many are making a point to find their place,” Saccomano said. “The revolution is about community care... We’re working as a team.”
She was quick to note that she didn’t view any single action as uniquely heroic.

Part of the transformation she’s noticing is a shift from “rugged individualism” toward mutual aid and group action. It’s possible to do countless well-intended volunteer activities with a heroic, individualistic mindset. But that can backfire. “If you wear yourself out, you can’t show up for your team,” Saccomano said. “You can’t ‘do it all’, because that’s how you get burned out and lose hope and get ground down, and that’s what they want. Let’s let go of the things that weren’t working.”

It’s not only what people do to serve their neighbors, it’s how they are organizing themselves into larger interconnected groups to complete their tasks.

Saccomano described this time period as painful, and yet also a moment of creative opportunity. “We’re equally creating right now,” she said with a gesture that seemed to include her whole studio – and likely the entire state and nation. “It’s not a good time, but we’re creating something better.”

TRAUMA AND BODY WORK
True to the creative spirit of two instructors who spend most of their evenings and weekends teaching people a dance form that looks something like flying, Saccomano and Forsland eventually let their thoughts return to the ground, to this one dance and exercise studio in Midway.

Yes, they’ve turned their lobby into a food donation hub. Meanwhile, they continue to offer their usual dance, exercise, and yoga classes. As Forsland reflected on how they care for their students during this time, she looked toward one of the classes in session. “We also try to be a place of joy,” she said. That’s part of the community care. She described self-care and joy as inherent “acts of resistance”.

Saccomano shared that she believes “body work helps trauma move out faster.” With that in mind, she’s planning to offer a yoga and acupuncture workshop, as well as a self-defense workshop with a focus on de-escalation techniques. It’s all meant to equip and nourish her student community and neighborhood. Those ripples of care clearly radiate outward and are endlessly interconnected.

Fly Freak Studio will continue to serve as a food donation hub, as long as there is acute need. As of publication, their food bank partner is requesting: rice, beans, mock duck, and cooking oil. See current needs and announcements on the studio’s social media pages @flyfreakstudio.