You’ve heard of pop-up restaurants and shops. But pop-up sculpture? Lamonte Goode creates it with his own body.
Lamonte is the practitioner of an unusual type of movement he calls cyberyoga. “Cyber” has nothing to do with computers—it’s an acronym for Calisthenics, Yoga, Break-dance, Evolution, Revolution. The futuristic, new-age practice combines movement with spirituality and art.
Originally from Akron, Ohio, Lamonte has been dancing since high school and has appeared in films, commercials, and TV shows. His Instagram boasts interesting and unusual yoga poses, some with evocative names like “candlestick” and “antenna.” That’s because he experiments with movements in the same way that a chef might tweak old recipes to invent new dishes. His days start with a half hour of handstand training and include intense midday and evening training sessions. Lamonte makes up his own poses—he’s passionate about the human form, symmetry, and clean lines—and comes up with original names for all his poses (which have a bouncy, kind of break-dance quality to them), as well.
Goode has brought cyberyoga out of the studio and into L.A. landmarks, including the Getty Villa, the Getty Center, and even the L.A. River. He’s #GettyInspired by these soaring spaces, he told me. “The architecture, the simplicity and the clarity of the Getty inspire me. My style includes a lot of symmetry and simplicity, and the architecture and aesthetic inspire me to create.”
Handless headstand at the L.A. River. Photo courtesy of © Lamonte Goode
Cyberyoga at the Getty Center. Photo courtesy of and © Lamonte Goode
Lamonte training in the studio. Photo courtesy of and © Lamonte Goode
Lotus 2.0. Photo courtesy of and © Lamonte Goode
Lamonte uses his body as a tool or medium to expose people to new expressions. Each pose is like a letter from an advanced form of body language. He believes that there’s a universal God who says “create this,” so he does.
“I hope that the people who see my images are inspired,” he says. “Anybody can do what they want if they put their mind to it. I’m just an example and a byproduct of putting my mind to my craft. I believe in hard work, dedication, and determination, and that actions speak louder than words. Always being a student inspires me to keep growing.”
Cyberyoga is growing, too, so much that Lamonte will be spending part of the summer in the UK teaching and performing at the annual Yoga Connects Festival, a retreat where international yogis meet to teach, perform, and participate in all kinds of yoga-related events. And when he returns to the States, he’ll introduce private yoga lessons in L.A. Start doing your daily handstands now!
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Thank you for this post! It’s brilliant 🙂