How DEEA Began…
For DEEA, it all started with visability.
After a period of social unrest, in late May 2020, and the expanding sexual abuse claims that occurred in later months, many dance professionals, dance conventions, competitions, and studios made public commitments guaranteeing safety, equity, and inclusivity moving forward. As months progressed there was an overwhelming lack of visible action taken from the dance community as a whole.
To understand why we weren’t seeing the change we anticipated, our team at DEEA started with visibility evaluations. These were evaluations of organizations’ online presence to develop an understanding of the systemic issues within educational dance spaces. Simultaneously, we began collecting surveys from the dance community chronicling their experiences of all types of abuse within dance education. From our data, we understood that dance education, as a whole, is not safe, equitable, or inclusive for all. Since the beginning, our team has had the opportunity to collaborate with fantastic organizations who are reimagining dance education. Learn more about how you can support them here.
We believe folks want to do better, but are lacking the support, education, and resources to do so.
Our team is here to help. Join us for our signature 12-hour BE COURAGEOUS training where we develop policy, procedures, and accountability practices threaded in anti-racism, anti-othering, and anti-abuse to build dance spaces for all!
**Please note all of our work is influenced and inspired by leaders, activists, and organizations in transformative justice, restorative justice, anti-racist advocacy, anti-sexual violence advocacy, research & development, dance medicine and science, LGBTQIA2+ advocacy, healing practices, historical communities, and disability justice spaces. This work is then applied to dance and performing arts education. These folks will be referenced and cited throughout the training, and direct resources to their work will be provided. Additionally, each course will provide accessibility for folks that are disabled, have differing abilities, or are neurodivergent. A survey will be given at the time of registration to provide reasonable accommodation and start a dialogue to meet the needs of all participants.
