The words “dance activism” have been rolling around in my brain a lot lately and I’m toying with ways to take it out in the world to help promote dance as an integral part of our culture. Dance is a tool of expression, celebration and connection in so many other countries… why not ours? With obesity levels in the United States reaching an all-time high, it’s certainly clear that people need to move more often, in general.
Question:Which sounds more fun: an hour of salsa dancing or an hour on the treadmill?
No contest, right? But dance needs to be more accessible in order to reach more people. Take it out of the studio and off the stage… bring it to the streets….
like in Paris:
It’s already starting to happen with events like Beth Fein’s dance anywhere® , Bay Area National Dance Week and let’s not forget flash mob dancing.
In fact, dance anywhere®, the global dance party, is coming up on March 30th noon Pacific Time, 3pm NYC, 9pm Europe. Visit the website for more information or to register your own event. Beth Fein created the event in 2005, after asking the question:
What if there was a public celebration of dance everywhere, around the world, simultaneously?
What if, in one moment, the whole world started dancing?
Plenty of people want to find out the answer… I happen to be one of them.
The 14th Annual Bay Area National Dance Week, the most extensive and best-attended dance festival in the nation, follows a few weeks later, beginning on April 20th with One Dance, a different take on flash mob dancing (learn the choreography here). Joyce Theater is also producing Le Grand Continental by Montréal-based choreographer Sylvain Émard at the South Street Seaport this summer in New York.
What would the world look like if more people were dancing? Let’s find out.
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