Los Angeles — Arts, Culture, Health, Travel Writer

Excited to share my first piece for LAist featuring Los Angeles native and local healing artist, Rocio Navarro. She guides women and nonbinary people through meditations and sound baths in water to activate various forms of healing. In this story, I share her story about learning to use water as a modality and learned the myriads way she’s worked with individuals and families to help improve womb health or shift ancestral patterns.. I also share my water healing experience with her in the Los Angeles Forest. Check out the full story here!

Janna ZinziFebruary 25, 2020healing, Los Angeles, women of color, women's health, culture

Burlesque: Using Our Bodies As Resistance and Joy

It was a joy and pleasure to create this photo essay about burlesque for Wear Your Voice’s #BodyPositivityinColor series. Grateful to work with the incredible beauty photographer Nathalie Gordon, and to have Egypt Black Knyle, Seraphina Wilder, Loretta E. and Caramel Knowledge be a part of this project. Check out the full post here!

Burlesque is our legacy as Black and Brown folks. Its roots are in social and political commentary and it continues to be a rejection of what is considered “respectable.” Since its inception, burlesque has been about challenging the mores of the day and often the restrictions that are put on our bodies and sexual expression based on gender and race. It encourages free sexual expression and celebrates our bodies in all of their forms…not just white American “beauty” aesthetics. Women of color especially have used this art form for over a century to make political statements, challenge racial stereotypes, parody the bullshit we deal with on a daily basis, and be as sexy and glamorous as we wanna be.

Janna ZinziMarch 22, 2019Los Angeles, women of color, women's history, burlesque

I'm in Voyage LA!

Oh hey that’s me! Much love to Sid and the team at Voyage LA for featuring me as one of Los Angeles’s inspiring stories. It was quite fun to reflect back on the beginning of my career to see what I’ve learned and how far I’ve come. The growth and lessons are ongoing and I’m grateful to be recognized in my new home. Check out the link to learn more about my journey as a multi-hyphenate writer, dancer, publicist and boss lady!

enterpreneurshipJanna ZinziDecember 3, 2018Los Angeles, artist, dance, LA, inspiration

The Modern Dance Community Thrives on Crenshaw

Lula Washington Dance Theatre is a family affair. The company and school was founded by Lula Washington and her husband Erwin, and is co-managed by their daughter Tamica; all of whom grew up in South Los Angeles. Their mission is twofold: to build a world-class contemporary modern dance company that travels worldwide with work that reflects African-American history and culture, and to create a school in the inner city where young people can learn the art of dance. The Washingtons use dance to “motivate, educate, inspire, challenge and enrich young people so they can become successful and productive citizens” because they know firsthand the transformative power of this art form.

Janna ZinziNovember 5, 2018dance, Los Angeles, arts, African-American history, culture