Danceletter 26

This week I took on some assignments that are calling for my attention (I hope to share them with you soon), so this letter will be a short one. In this moment of upheaval and transformation, I just wanted to share a few things I’ve read these past few days that I’ve found inspiring, helpful, enlightening. And some arts-related resources and (virtual) events to check out:

“When Art Is Medicine,” on the spiritual power of the Jingle Dress Dance in Ojibwe culture, by Brenda J. Child in the New York Times.

“A Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Explains Why This Time Is Different,” an interview with Opal Tometi, one of the founders of Black Lives Matter, by Isaac Chotiner in The New Yorker.

“Breonna Taylor’s Family and Friends Remember Her Greatness,” a public eulogy for Breonna Taylor, who would have turned 27 on June 5, by Eva Lewis in Teen Vogue.

This solidarity statement from the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (which offers the Undoing Racism workshops I mentioned in last week’s letter).

Open Your Lobby is a new initiative calling on theaters to repurpose their spaces in support of protesters by offering water, snacks, first aid items, access to bathrooms, etc. (Museums are getting on board, too.) Follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

Judson Memorial Church and the Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church (both familiar to dance-goers) are among the places offering overnight sanctuary to NYC protesters.

Relief Fund for Cultural Critics, from Critical Minded, is offering relief grants of $500 to critics from underrepresented communities. The deadline to apply is Mon, June 15.

If you missed the Dance Union’s first Town Hall for Collective Action, you can catch up here (the whole thing was recorded). The next one is scheduled for June 15. Follow the Dance Union on Instagram for updates.

Dance to the Music, a 12-hour virtual dance-a-thon hosted by Debbie Allen and JaQuel Knight, will raise money for dancers, choreographers, and dance teachers impacted by Covid-19. Sat, June 13, 12pm to 12am (Pacific), hosted on Debbie Allen’s Instagram.

This account of dancing with Debbie Allen in quarantine (way way back in March), by Melena Ryzik, might move you to drop by the dance-a-thon. Or maybe this…