On a Tuesday night in Atwater Village, Teresa “Toogie” Barceló is creating a portal. With arms outstretched, she invites participants in her movement workshop, Wiggle Room, to join her on the other side, where they will meet a renewed version of themselves.
“Step into the next version of yourself,” he commands. The participants, who have spent the last hour writhing, shaking and humming, cross the invisible threshold. Their limbs swing freely and their smiling faces are sticky with sweat.
Teresa “Toogie” Barceló uses a wave drum during a Wiggle Room class at G-Son Studios.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
Barceló has been leading the Los Angeles-based class movement for almost a decade. An accomplished choreographer and movement director, she has worked with pop stars such as Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles, St. Vincent, Troye Sivan and Dua Lipa, most notably choreographing Dua Lipa's hit music video, “New Rules.”
Barceló's success can be attributed to its unique approach, which focuses on wellness and embodiment. “People call me energy coordinator,” she jokes. “I'm kind of an enigma in the business industry.”
Growing up in Miami, Barceló became disillusioned while pursuing a dance career in Los Angeles. Her early career was filled with “cattle auditions, getting an agent, and sexy portraits. All the superficial things they tell you you have to do in Los Angeles to be successful as a dancer.”
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Barceló found freedom (and escape) in improvisation and freestyle dancing. “I saw an opportunity there. I want to teach improv in Los Angeles. That's what I can bring to this community,” he says.
From there Wiggle Room was born. What began as a sanctuary for dancers to explore improvisation evolved into something deeper. “I began to realize that the class was really a healing space for many people,” Barceló says. “There really wasn't anywhere they could go to explore themselves as movers.”
Soon, Barceló turned her attention to meditative practices, which she infused into her work as a choreographer and dancer. “I became certified as a breathing coach. I started leaning more into body practices, body connection, and somatic therapy tools.” Wiggle Room is a symbiotic combination of dance and meditation. The result is a disordered and surprising interaction of bodies. “We breathe. We move and wiggle. We have moments of meditation. It's a big whirlwind of play.”
Wiggle Room is accompanied by live music performed by Joe Berry, member of the Grammy-nominated electronic group M83 and long-time partner of Barceló. Barceló invited Berry to collaborate on Wiggle Room at the beginning of their courtship. “I grew up in dance classes with live accompaniment,” says Barceló. “When we started dating, that was one of the first things I asked Joe.”
M83 musician Joe Berry uses a combination of instruments, including synthesizers and sound bowls, to accompany the class.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
Berry uses a combination of instruments, including saxophones, synthesizers and sound bowls, to create an otherworldly and moody score. In class, a saxophone solo draws cheers from the class. “Instruments receive instructions in the same way as dancers,” he explains. Berry, a classically trained musician versed in jazz, classical and electronic music, describes his role as “composing for people's emotions.”
Berry's score is an integral part of the class's meditative atmosphere. “The live soundscapes I was accidentally creating were these beautiful sound baths with ambient textures,” says Barceló.
Earlier this year, Barceló and Berry moved to Joshua Tree. Still, Barceló presents Wiggle Room once a month at rotating venues in Los Angeles. Most recently, she hosted the workshop at G-Son Studios in Atwater Village, a former Beastie Boys rehearsal space and recording studio.
The class is inclusive for everyone, regardless of previous dance experience. “There are people who are visual artists, people who are not dancers and have no experience in movement,” says Barceló. In Wiggle Room, the distinction between dancers and non-dancers dissolves and the inner child leads the way: instinct triumphs over technique.
Wiggle Room participants relax and unwind.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
To start the workshop, Barceló highlights the importance of listening to the body. “Do what feels right to you,” he encourages you. “Allow your body to eat up all the space.” In a frenetic, high-pressure society, Barceló explains that moving the body acts as a release valve for trapped emotions.
“All of those moments are stored in the body as energy. When we wiggle, shake, or move, we actually make that energy move so we can transmute it, optimize it, and transform it into creativity and beauty,” he says.
Barceló hopes the hour they spend together highlights the importance of community. “Moving with other bodies that are also going through emotionally complex lives—that shared experience is really healing.”
In 2023, Barceló distilled the mystical encounter of its kind into a digital app, “togie.” She calls it a digital toolbox filled with guided breathing, meditation, somatic movement, and visualization practices. “It's like having me in your pocket every time you need a friend to help you connect,” says Barceló.
Throughout the class, Barceló offers naughty directions and upbeat clues. At one point, he asks, “What does it feel like to add a dash of whimsy?” At other times, his advice is often mystical and ethereal as he wanders through the space with a smile. She points out the current Jupiter retrograde and urges participants to “let the curious parts drive you.”
Felicia St. Cyr, 29, left, and Hunter Wayne Foster, 30, hug during a Wiggle Room class.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
Participant and professional dancer Brandon Galván describes the class as transformative. “Everything stops for a moment and takes you back to your home, which is your body. Being able to dive deep into that really takes you places: lapses of time,” Galván says. “I saw glimpses of beautiful things.”
While the class ends, Barceló defines a word: pronoiathe belief that the universe is conspiring for your benefit. It's an easy perspective to adopt in his presence. According to Barceló, “being witnesses of each other in a shared moment is healing.”
