Exploring Afrofuturism through Dance and Art

An Interview with Layna Lewis and Kayla Banks BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT, PHOTOGRAPHS BY NINA LEWIS Viva La Free is a nonprofit in Portland, Oregon that creates art healing projects and public art to energize, enchant and heal communities, centering vulnerable and marginalized populations most impacted by systems of oppression and […]

May 9, 2019  |  Read Article

Dancing With and Without Adjectives

An Interview with Amelia Uzategui Bonilla BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT Amelia Uzategui Bonilla is a dance artist and educator who regularly performs and teaches in the United States and Peru. In 2013, she founded the Río Danza Comunitaria in Peru, an organization that protects water rights through community performance and arts […]

January 21, 2019  |  Read Article

Dancing Migrant Farmworkers’ Experiences

An Interview with Heryka Miranda BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT Heryka Miranda is a dance artist in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada who has been using approaches in expressive arts and dance movement therapy to work with migrant farmworker communities. Alongside Juan Luis Mendoza de la Cruz, she created The Sunflower Man using Indigenous […]

January 7, 2019  |  Read Article

Choreographing Resistance

An Interview with Raissa Simpson Raissa Simpson is a San Francisco based choreographer and the artistic director of PUSH Dance Company, which uses contemporary dance to vivify the stories of individuals from unique and overlooked communities. Raissa shares the challenges she faces as an African American mixed ancestry choreographer in […]

December 10, 2018  |  Read Article

Protecting Youth in Dance Through Education

An Interview with Leslie Scott BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT Youth Protection Advocates in Dance (YPAD) is a non-profit dedicated to building empowered dance communities and keeping youth happy, healthy and safe in all dance environments. YPAD’s focus is on providing dance studios, conventions, competitions, instructors, dance professionals, parents, community members and […]

November 29, 2018  |  Read Article