I have been extremely fortunate, having immense access to dance for the majority of my life. Dancing since the age of 3, I have had the wonderful opportunity to train at Dallas Black Dance Academy, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, The Ailey School, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, the Joffrey Ballet School, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. While I am extremely grateful to have experienced these opportunities, I recognize that many others do not have the same access and opportunity to dance.There is a great contrast between how I viewed dance and how minorities and those from underrepresented communities may view dance. Because I am surrounded by dancers and artists alike it can become easy to take advantage of the constant access to resources, while dance may be viewed as implausible for other minorities with less visibility.Turning Tables was created with a goal to bridge the gap between minorities and dance. By fostering opportunity to underrepresented youth and by exposing dance as a viable career option, Turning Tables strives to give minorities visibility to dance so that they can feel as though they are equally capable to participate and succeed as their more advantaged counterparts. Turning Tables is about changing the perspective on how society views dance as an art form.Commencing with a successful dance performance fundraiser in the spring of 2018, Turning Tables Project consisted of thought-provoking pieces that brought attention to the underrepresentation of minorities in Ballet, the unfair standard that minorities have to overcome, and the implicit bias that society puts toward minorities. Turning Tables is now a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit organization, with the mission of providing outreach dance programs to underrepresented communities and to provide underrepresented youth with the opportunity to participate in order to make dance more accessible to everyone.
This summer I plan on creating a dance film through Turning Tables, highlighting the key issues of underrepresentation, bias, and unequal standards found in dance. The dance film will present work by several student choreographers and professional dancers and will be a way to voice the problems in our dance society to the masses. I will use the space presented to me to rehearse and to film for the project.
Peerspace is on a mission to bring people together. We believe it is impossible to achieve that goal unless we also fight for equality and access to resources in the communities we serve.
Having a space to gather, create, and exchange ideas is an important part of any movement. In order to magnify voices that are often quieted, Peerspace will sponsor venues for people who challenge prejudice and fight for social justice and equality.
Each quarter, we will sponsor space for three projects that are relevant to our community. These projects can range from fundraisers and educational initiatives to art exhibits and photo series.
