Past Programming

Justice For Some

June 2011 pilot project
A multi-disciplinary performance and community outreach project

Justice For Some highlights the history and future of protest and challenges the notion of equality and discrimination. The performance is constructed as a full length show utilizing dancers, choreography, architecture, videography, and music composition. Throughout the performance, issues such as gay teen suicide, gender issues, bullying, body rights, marriage rights, right to vote, body image and self esteem to name a few are highlighted.  After the performance is completed, a question/answer session led by dancers and experts was conducted.  

Prior to the performance described above, workshops for high school teenagers were conducted. For this pilot project we worked with hearing and deaf teenagers. The Deaf population is often overlooked with arts programming and funding. This dance work is accessible to the Deaf and non-deaf population and is used as a vehicle to open dialogue on issues related to protest and equality.

As a cultural and linguistic minority group, Deaf youth are marginalized even more because of communication issues. They struggle to communicate with the same aged hearing peers in mainstream schools. The workshops and performances are ways to educate, dialogue about current issues and expose both Deaf and hearing youth to the benefits of dance and movement as a means of expression and communication.

The workshops took the following form:

• both Deaf and non-deaf populations watched a performance of  Justice For Some. The piece set up the environment for a discussion of issues led by experts.
• Journaling, drawing etc. was used.
• The investigation of protest and issues through movement  began.
• The work Justice For Some is presented in both English and American Sign Language. Many of these youth had never seen a dance theater piece that has information in both languages.
• The students participated in a movement workshop designed to encourage them to explore their perspective of the topics and issues presented in the piece as stated above.
• The dance that the youth created was performed before the full public performance of Justice For Some.    

2012 Justice For Some

The creation and production of the complete 2011 Justice For Some pilot project that entails community outreach, workshops and performance will result in a model that is replicable in other settings for other populations and issues. This valuable model can be used to help bring the awareness and information to a wide array of people, locations, and situations. The content of the program, workshops, discussions, and movement can be tailored to suit the needs and interests of the communities being served.

Look for the multi-partner project and performance Fall 2012!