Grown Women Dance Collective

Context- they've made change by:

•  Elevating the voices of 21 choreographers of color to tell a story

• Creating a platform for 39 world premiers of choreography to be presented

• Leveraging the arts to mobilize people, including collaborations with voting rights and housing justice organizations

Company ideals and accomplishments:

• They have free movement-based wellness workshops for things like mental health and movement, and fall prevention and pain reduction for seniors

• They are currently fundraising for their "Movement Whole Life Program" which infuses thousands of free arts and wellness programs into disinvested Bay Area communities.

• They’ve taught 12 years of free dance classes to financially challenged children, and movement, back pain prevention and fall prevention for seniors

Grown Women Dance Collective is an important influence because they emphasize cross-cultural connections through performance and wellness programs. People from the community have described various performances as a learning  experience including, to be successful as a culture everyone put participate, you can start change instead of waiting for someone else to, and art can be used to heal. Another important aspect of the company's goals is their advocacy for mental health disparities. The company is partnered with wellness-based programs to bring “financial empowerment, nutritional training, mental health services, job opportunities, and new businesses to under-resources, overlooked communities.” Some of their partners include: San Francisco Foundation, Aspire Pilates Center, Center for Cultural Innovation, California Arts Council.

Citation:

“Grown Women Dance Collective.” Grown Women Dance Collective, www.grownwomendance.org/. Accessed 12 Dec. 2023.