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Communities

9 Performing Gender local communities are dancing in your shoes! 

 

Partners and Dance Makers are engaging hundreds of different people in a community building process.
Artistic co-creation and co-production the tools to explore and reflect on gender issues. 

Happens in

Each partner is involved in establishing a strong connection and a deep relationship with members of heterogeneous and blended communities.
How can we bring together dance, gender, personal stories and different backgrounds and knowledge?
Take a closer look through the map:

Community of Budapest
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Community of Madrid
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Community of ‘s-Hertogenbosch
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Community of Tilburg
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Community of Marseille
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Community of Ljubljana
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Community of Umeå
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Community of Leeds
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Community of Bologna
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Community members

Olga Carreño Pedrozo
Community of Madrid
Olga Carreño Pedrozo

In the community I found a comfortable, welcoming, diverse, inclusive place, where I quickly felt identified and included, with Laura Kumin and Miren Muñoz Vitoria, who were waiting for us that afternoon in June 2022. Since then I have found a comfortable place to be myself and express my art… I was immediately connected and committed to the project, art, performing, various scenarios and then put down roots in the Vilarynio Space, a cozy and comfortable place for weekly practices. 
I suffered one of the most difficult moments in my life, my mental health blocked all my paths and when I thought I was sunk in the dark, Miren, Laura and Marina Santo, they insisted on dancing with the community again, they said it would be good for me and really. Then I came back to the practices, and when I arrived, Marina Santo was moderating, working with different aromas, always giving back as much love as fits in her big heart. These practices sent me back the light and the path of peace and healing that allowed me to take charge of my life. Today I enjoy this growth and enrichment as a human being, trans person, artist and folklorist who feels, vibrates and lives with art and dance the most outstanding moment of my life. Without fear of living to show my non-normative, racialized and migrant body, but proud of my art, my color and my brilliance, a bit of feather as Javier Vaquero invites us in his fun and joyful practices, but finally being Olga Victoria Carreño Pedrozo, a human being infinitely grateful to Performing Gender: Dancing In Your Shoes and Paso a 2.

Luc Vañó Prieto
Community of Madrid

Challenges

We want to fight

Safe spaces

Trust and security are two crucial elements in the development of a community that includes those people who have normally been marginalised, discriminated against. The aim is to build relationships of trust, safe spaces in which people can express themselves freely and conquer the spaces they have always been denied.

Long term engagement

A challenge is to build communities that last over time and space to make sure that people continue to be part of the project. On the part of cultural organisations, especially at the end of the EU project, there will certainly be a need for fundraising efforts in order to support activities.

Open discussion about gender issues

It is sometimes difficult to talk about gender issues with young people.

Mixed communities

Some people may not feel comfortable with others who are not part of their “group”, already identified as a community. The challenge is to prove that mixing different groups is possible and enriching.

Outreach

One of the aims of the activities is to reach out to outsiders, those people who have never been interested in addressing the project’s issues and who are not connected to Performing Gender’s cultural partner organisations. 

People involved

Artists, Audience developers, Artistic directors:
How to co-design processes? What are the key aspects to be taken into account?

Artists

All of them face a huge experience in community dance practices with non-professional dancers but also with people who have never practised dance. Not only that, they are all artists who have a certain sensitivity to gender issues.

MEET THEM

Audience developers

They actively participate in the workshops, on an equal footing with the other participants. Not only to break down hierarchical principles and power relations but also to understand people’s needs and barriers.

ABOUT THEM

Artistic directors

Participates in moments of confrontation and discussion rather than practices in order to keep an overview and coordinate artistic production processes.

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Community
dance practices

See which phases have already been
completed and which ones are about to begin