From August 16th-20th MBDP visited Haiti and had the privilege in working with a group of teenagers/young adults at a local arts center called Artimoun. Each day they explored a different dance style: Dancehall, Street-Jazz and Hip-Hop. They culminated with a party for the community; presenting dances they learned and folkloric dances from their own repertory.

Under Cee Cee‘s direction they collectively came up with themes for each day based off the lesson: Teamwork- Patience- Leader-Communication- Risk.

By the end of the residency dancers were able to make connections on how they would apply these words to their everyday lives. Each dancer set a goal for themselves and wrote the actions steps it will take for them to achieve it. After their presentation they each received a MBDP inspiration button; holding them accountable to accomplish their goals (#makemoves) and inspire others too (#movebridges)! 😀

This is MBDP’s third time visiting C.D, Juarez – but the first time this project was brought in to work with the local dance studios. 😀 Students from the community participated in a 3 day Dance Intensive, exploring Hip-Hop, Ballet and Dance Making (Choreography). This experience culminated with an informal showing at Studio 11.

Highlights:

• Several young local dance teachers were in attendance. They were able to gather new innovative ways to engage their students and teach effective lessons.
• Participants reflected on how far the Ciudad Juárez, Mexico community has come and how they will continue to contribute to it’s progress.
• Dancers also shared their goals/dreams and expressed how this workshop inspired them to go out and achieve them