Resources for Supporting the Movement for Black Lives
As a majority white institution we’ve benefited and continue to benefit from the structures created by white supremacy. We commit to creating space for meaningful conversations about undoing racism with our staff and our community members, and embedding our core value of access into everything that we do. We must do the important work of educating ourselves, being accountable, and keeping an open dialogue about the systemic racism in the dance community and beyond.
We have taken first steps to create and maintain an open forum within our organization for undoing racism and have made room for some challenging but important conversations. We will prioritize this work and continue to invest in it. We are building a plan of action — accountable action, beyond these words. There will be workshops, trainings, and experts to guide change at all levels of the organization.
As we look at ways we can support the Black community beyond our organization, we have compiled a short list of resources that includes local and national organizations doing important advocacy and activist work to undo racism. Additionally, we want to do our part to amplify Black voices within our own dance and arts community. If you’re looking for organizations to support, please consider these groups:
Advocacy organizations
International Association of Blacks in Dance
Dance and arts organizations
These are Black-led or Black-founded organizations in our community.
- AIM
- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
- Black Art Futures
- BRIC
- Camille A. Brown
- Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute
- Cleo Parker Robinson Dance
- Cumbé
- Dallas Black Dance Theater
- Dance Theatre of Harlem
- Deeply Rooted Dance Theater
- Dimensions Dance Theater
- Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company
- Harlem Arts Alliance
- Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet
- Jamal Jackson Dance Company
- Kriyol Dance
- Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center
- MoCADA
- Moving Mountains Inc.
- New York Live Arts
- PHILADANCO
- Renegade Performance Group
- Ronald K. Brown/Evidence Dance
- Step Afrika!
- Urban Bush Women
Reading List
Books and articles about Recognizing Systemic Racism in Dance by Alicia Mullikin
- Dance Pedagogy for a Diverse World: Culturally Relevant Teaching by Nyama McCarthy-Brown
- Digging: the Africanist Presence in American Performance by Brenda Dixon Gottschild
- The Palgrave Handbook of Race and Arts in Education by (eds.) Amelia M. Kraehe, Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández, B. Stephen Carpenter II
- “Tendus and tenancy: Black dancers and the White landscape of Dance Education” by C.U. Davis & J. Phillips-Fein
- “Counterstorying in Concert Dance History Pedagogy: Challenging the White dancing body” by Julie Kerr-Berry
- “Beyond Hierarchy” by Takiyah Nur Amin
- The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Politics by (eds.) R.J. Kowall, G. Siegmund, & R. Martin.
- “Queer social dance, political leadership, and Black popular culture” by Thomas F. DeFrantz
- “Racing in place: A meta-memoir on dance politics and practice” by Brenda Dixon Gottschild
- “Decolonizing Dance Pedagogy: Application of Pedagogies of Ugandan Traditional Dances in Formal Dance Education” by Alfdaniels Mabingo
- “How Ballerinas of Color are Changing the Palette of Dance” by Rohina Katoch Sehra
- “Unpacking the Invisible White Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh – a good intro to White privilege
- “Are College Dance Curriculums Too White?” by J. Buoy
Source: SeattleDances
Resources for racial equity training
Social media accounts that support Black artists and dancers
- @blackartistspace
- @blackboysdancetoo
- @blackdancehistory
- @blacksinballet
- @dopeblackart
- @mobballet
- @supportblackart
- @youngblackartists
Resources for rest and recuperation