Beautiful dancers moving for freedom in Portland, Oregon.
Dance as a tool for social change, cross-cultural connection, and awareness raising. Moving against human trafficking locally and abroad. Everyone moves- move with us.
(Support the Kickstarter campaign that will turn this movement into film!)
1 About my upcoming piece to be debuted in Polaris Dance Theatre’s X-POSED showcase (opening June 5 in Portland, OR). Also about the inspiration behind Free Body Project. Give it a look see. Dance and activism, makin’ waves.
Want to support more dance + anti-human trafficking activism? Donate to this Kickstarter ($1, $3!!) and make history by having a hand in the creation of this unique film.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1505463974/the-free-body-film
1 
“Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo: The Busara contemporary dance group rehearse a production about child soldiers at an arts centre.”
Free Body Project, raising awareness of human trafficking through dance, is now on Kickstarter! Catch a glimpse of their amazing work:
Funds from this campaign will go toward the creation of a dance and awareness raising film made in collaboration with Kolkata Sanved, a non-profit saving lives through dance in India.
Through video and the physicality of dance, the Free Body Film explores how we are altered when faced with the daunting truth of human trafficking. How do we reckon with the understanding that this human rights abuse is happening to women around us? How do we make a difference?
Human trafficking is a big problem in Oregon. More people need to know about it. Dance is a powerful tool for communication, expression, and healing. Awareness raising, while it does not seem like much, is an incredibly important step in moving toward a world free of trafficking. Through awareness raising we may change negative stigmas, allow community members to identify signs of human trafficking and report them, and encourage law makers to support victim-centered policies.
Skip a fancy coffee and donate $3. Every dollar counts- supporting such a unique endeavor will make you feel better than caffeine can!
Together we move for freedom.
1 This is what people see as they commute to work in Philly.
Hollaback Philly is absolutely doing it right.
PHILLY! Combatting violence against women one negative cat call at a time.
(Source: poweredbygirl, via thenewwomensmovement)
Art. Poetry. Heart-wrenching truth and, somewhere, the hope for change.
This landai, or two-line poem, is from Afghanistan, written by a woman forced to marry an old man when she was 15.
Journalists Eliza Griswold and Seamus Murphy chronicled women’s use of poetry in Afghanistan. Read and see their work and more poems here.
It’s National Poetry Month. Send us…
25 The field of dance activism- of using dance and movement as tools for catalyzing positive social change across the globe- is gaining momentum!!
I am so thrilled that Move this World is presenting the First International Conference on Social Change Through the Art of Movement.
We are all movers, using our bodies to speak and express. Movement connects us across time and space. Our ancestors danced as we do. Except that we are changing the world with our dances.
SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH THE ART OF MOVEMENT- learn more about the event to take place in the Philippines on April 22, 23, and 24.
1 The Daily Beast profiles two incredible artists curbing violence against women in unique and powerful ways!
Breaking Through: Innovative Solutions to End Violence Against Women
Sohini Chakraborty of India- Founder of Kolkata Sanved
Sohini Chakraborty was a dancer, choreographer and sociologist when she met survivors of human trafficking at a local shelter in India. She knew instinctively that dance could serve as a vehicle for recovery. By encouraging girls to move their bodies, she thought they could unlock the pain trapped inside…. READ MORE!
Panmela Castro of Brazil- Graffiti artist
As a young artist, Panmela Castro was drawn to graffiti and its power to convey a message. When Brazil’s first comprehensive law on domestic violence was passed in 2006, Panmela was moved to inform those living in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro about their right to live free of violence… READ MORE!
One Girl with Courage is a Revolution…
I had the privilege to see one the most important, surprising and beautiful documentaries in a long time. Girl Rising tells the stories of nine girls in nine countries who fight for their rights and for change.
Go and host a screening or look out for a screening close to you. The film has the power to not only change the way how we think about girl empowerment, it can also change how we think about our own limitations (or what we believe are our limits).
GIRLS RISING
The art of film bringing social change home.
(via girlsforachange)
Newest Free Body Project blog post- Dance Activism in India!
A glimpse into the wonderful work of Kolkata Sanved, a non-profit organization in India saving lives through dance. I was privileged to work with them in 2011. Their professional performance company dances to express freedom and dignity in the face of human rights issues including human trafficking. Each one of the dancers is a survivor as well as a human rights advocate.
Learn more and support their work at
Why Domestic Violence Victims Don’t Leave- Leslie Morgan Steiner.
A powerful TedX Talk. Incredible parallels with human trafficking.
Violence is violence and it is unacceptable. Violence against women (and men) must end.
Dancing with a PlayWrite.
PlayWrite Inc. is a wonderful non-profit organization working with diverse youth in Portland, Oregon. The organization puts on intensive two-week play writing workshops for kids in schools across the city to give youth the creative outlet they need to unlock incredible potentials.
I was lucky enough to add an element of movement to PlayWrite Inc.’s Fertile Ground show presented in Portland this month. A talented young author created a monologue for one of her play’s characters and together we plowed through the emotional ups and downs of the character’s words, playing with how to add movement to the monologue as we went. What she created was magical- a truly creative way to incorporate dance into a distinct creative endeavor.
Photos by Eric Griswold Photography
Paul Taylor Dance Company is staging an interesting event, using dance as a catalyst for discussion and even development (proceeds go to the Sun Giant Foundation which installs and manages solar energy resources in Liberia).
The March 30th event on Facebook: R.E.M.
REM is a full length contemporary piece that questions the notions and players in civil war conflict and international aid.
This season, in honor of the M.O.V.E. Liberia effort Javanna Productions is presenting ‘REM’, a collaborative choreography project featuring the following…
Choreographers
Emily Greenwell
Lexi Dysart
Emily Bufferd
Sam Glennerster
Directors
Tracey Katof
James Koroni
Megan O’Leary
Executive Director
Nicole Javanna Johnson
One Billion Rising, V-Day 2013!
What an incredible feast of dance across the globe.
Here is our group dancin’ it out in Portland, Oregon.
A true dance revolution, standing against gender-based violence.
Akash
(a)merging 2013, a choreographer’s showcase. Portland, OR.
Choreography: Sydney Skov
Dancers: Sydney Skov & Lindsey Matheis
Music: Akash by Elspeth Duncan
This bit of choreography is a work in progress, an idea that will be expanded upon and turned into a dance film to raise awareness of human trafficking and sexual slavery in Portland, Oregon. Learn more at
