Survival Arts: The Retreat ᜃᜎᜒ A documentary film sharing our first Philippines Retreat in 2020 bringing students from the diaspora back home to the motherland.
This film gives an introduction to our founder's story of establishing the first ever all women of color and gender-expansive Kali training group in the world, creating a movement for many others to follow. From the Bronx to the Philippines, Siargao to Bacolod, we travel the islands to connect to our ancestral roots, our Filipino fighting arts, and most importantly, to our truest selves.
WARRIOR STORIES — Together, we challenge the stereotypes of women across the globe, redefine beauty as strength, and explore the themes of bridging our past, standing strong in our present, and building a powerful future. In these stories, each piece has a meaning, and each location has a significance to our culture.
This look was inspired by the melting pot of Filipino identity in the Philippines and across the diaspora. Dedicated to all those that survive street harassment everyday, the jeepney drivers, and all the indigenous peoples still here. #NoToJeepneyPhaseout
As part of the Revolutionary AYAT project, a multimedia collaborative community art intervention which aims to contest public narratives of war, colonialism, race, and migration, Survival Arts presents a counter narrative in performance, movement & sound, and community training for social justice.
Revolutionary AYAT (2021-22), the word ayat is the Ilocano word for love, is a multimedia public art project in collaboration with Survival Arts, in a ritual performance ceremony held on Memorial Day 2022 at The Hiker (Kitson—created by Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson) monument in Arsenal Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts one of 13 monuments throughout MA, out of 52 reproduced across the US. It marks the Spanish American War and the occupation of the Philippines, Puerto Rico & Cuba.
In celebration of Asian American Pacific (AAPI) Heritage Month, Survival Arts Academy was featured in a 2022 adidas LA campaign.
“A lot of people are familiar with other martial arts, but not so familiar with Kali," said Jamie Yancovitz, founder of Survival Arts. “It’s really important for us to bring knowledge to our communities and say, 'Hey, you should be proud that this comes from our ancestors.'”
Check out the photos and video feature of our latest campaign with adidas!
Survival Arts Academy was featured in the Bacolod local news channel in the Hiligaynon language, DIGICAST NEGROS for teaching their women’s self-protection to families in Negros Island, Philippines.
Mga babaye gina training para sa self defense.
As part of their “Good Vibes” Broadcast, reporter Romeo Subaldo showcases a typical training day with Survival Arts. Founder Jamie Yancovitz shares why it’s important for Filipinos to connect back to culture and ancestral traditions, while Survival Arts students share their experiences with everyday violence, and why they train.
Kali weapons expert Jamie Yancovitz reacts to 11 fight scenes featuring traditional Filipino knives and stick weapons and rates them based on their technical accuracy. Yancovitz rates knife fights in Hollywood movies, from "Quantum of Solace" (2008) to "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" (2015), "Extraction" (2020), "The Book of Eli" (2010), "Kick-Ass" (2010), and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014). She also looks at improvised-weapon scenes in "The Bourne Identity" (2002) and "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" (2003) and rates the technique of baton and stick fighting in "Taken 2" (2012), "Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever" (2002), and "Arrow" (2012-2020).
Knowledge of survival builds self-confidence in a situation when young girls need it the most. Training builds strength and power when women are put in situations of danger. When every 73 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted, it is clear that we have no choice but to train ourselves and our girls. This is the mission of Survival Arts.
Survival Arts Academy 2019 "The LA Story" — Training from Bacolod City, Philippines to Los Angeles, California. What began as one Warrior's mission to protect women and children against violence & sexual assault has now become a movement creating strength, empowerment, and community worldwide. Thank you to everyone who has supported Survival Arts in this mission. We are so grateful to build sisterhood and heal together, while connecting to our roots and sacred ancestral arts.
Survival Arts x She/Her/I Project Pekiti Tirsia Kali Ilongga Warriors Assembly in Bacolod
Survival Arts Academy was created in Bacolod City, Philippines to protect families against violence through Pekiti Tirsia Kali. Loyalty & Respect to our grandmaster & living legend, Grand Tuhon Leo T. Gaje Jr. Gratitude to everyone that hosted us at Block 17 Art Space and Bacolod Arts District. Let us know in the youtube comments what you think of our latest videos!
Survival Arts Academy was featured in Balitang America TFC-USA on ABS-CBN News San Francisco. Originally Aired November 2019. “It’s really important that we as women learn how to respond to things like if someone tries to grab you, someone tries to choke you, put you in a corner, intimidate you, put some fear into you...”
Survival Arts Academy trains the children of Young Focus PH in Tondo, Manila, Philippines 2019. Here, we share video footage of our time with the youth in what is known as the “slums of Manila.” We teach consent, respect and boundaries for all ages, especially in places where this education is needed the most.
Survival Arts Academy was featured in Voyage LA Magazine with an interview by Jamie Yancovitz.
”Survival Arts is a community-based training program for families of color to protect against violence based out of Los Angeles, California. It is a space where womxn and children learn how to respond to grabs, chokes, and other forms of attack, creating sisterhood while connecting to ancestral roots and indigenous knowledge… We work with and within healing spaces including Flora Y Tierra, Hood Herbalism, La Conxa, and Women’s True Healing.”
Featured in Bustle Magazine, Director of Survival Arts Jamie Yancovitz speaks about her training and educational work.
“Yancovitz starts with cultivating basic concepts of consent, respect, and boundaries to her students as young as five years old. ‘With little girls, for example, when I work with six-year-olds or five-year-olds, the first thing I teach them is how to say no,’ she tells Bustle.”
Survival Arts Academy was featured on Voices of America in Kurdish.
Interviewed by journalist Ava Homa, members of Survival Arts talk about training women and children against violence and sexual assault. Please share with your Kurdish-speaking friends! Spas dikim!
Julia Saubier speaks on CNN Philippines about the work that Survival Arts Academy is doing to protect women, children, and LGBTQ communities worldwide through Pekiti Tirsia Kali.
Watch her live interview with Charles Tiu on our channel!
In the Philippines, a person is reportedly raped per hour. In America, every 92 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. In this article, Jamie Yancovitz and Julia Saubier discuss their campaign #NoMeansNo in 7 world languages and 6 languages of the Philippines.
Survival Arts represents a global movement to equip women, girls, and members of the LGBTQ community with the tools and mindset to protect themselves, and to likewise, seek to challenge and dismantle power systems and paradigms which give rise to a world where sexual violence, harassment, and abuse are the norm. The international multilingual Survival Arts #NoMeansNo campaign is just the first step in our global plan to educate the public about sexual consent.
Bayani Art, one of the premier lifestyle brands of Filipino culture in the United States and throughout the diaspora, has partnered with Survival Arts to honor Warrior Queen Urduha.
Survival Arts Academycontinues the legacy of Queen Urduha by leading the first all-womxn’s Kali training group internationally. By training womxn and girls to protect their bodies from violence and sexual assault, Survival Arts works to carry on the Pinay warrior bloodline.
A warrior queen of a matriarchal dynasty, Urduha (widely known as Princess Urduja) was a 14th century ruler of Tawalisi, in what is now known as Pangasinan. Known far and wide, she was famous for leading a retinue of women warriors who were skilled fighters, equestrians, and experts in weaponry. Learn the truth of history about our revolutionary warrior queen, Princess Urduha, and what historical sources cite her queendom.
Survival Arts continues the legacy of Queen Urduha by leading the first all-womxn’s training group internationally, interpreting Queen Urduha for the modern Filipina warrior.
“If you happen to be at the local park near Flora y Tierra in Long Beach on Saturdays, you might come across a strange scene. Once a month, 20 or so women wielding sticks can be seen on the grass.”
Woman teaches Filipino martial arts to women for self-defense
She is great niece of one of the martial art's few living masters
Style emphasizes the use of blades and body movements
Spectrum News Channel 1 journalist Kristen Lago takes a Survival Arts training, and interviews our director.
“Warrior chants rang from the center of Gumbiner Park in the East Village early Saturday afternoon, where three long rows of women, each woman wielding a wooden stick, maneuvered in unison.”
In this article and video published in the Long Beach Post, womxn and girls train to protect their bodies from violence, while healing from sexual assault and trauma.
