Workshop 1: Delving into ourselves.

Who are the cojourners? Carefully facilitated movement explorations will prepare us for the journey ahead. Emphasis will be given to our individual stories, our biases, and what we bring to the space. We will be introduced to basic dance composition tools, and will co-create a container for the development of our work.

Workshop 2: Community. Identifying the joys and challenges. 

In this workshop we will utilize creative movement to learn about our communities. What communities do we represent? What are the joys and challenges within our communities? This workshop serves as the groundwork for community-building.

Workshop 3: How do we work together?

In smaller groups, we will go deeper into the challenges our communities face, to propose effective ways to address these concerns as a collective. Through guided conversations, storytelling activities, and continued dance/movement interactions, we will co-create short dance compositions based on the material that has surfaced.

Workshop 4: Weaving Stories

At this final workshop, we will weave the material we have generated through dance, movement, and storytelling. We will have the opportunity for feedback, and contribute ways to move forward as a community in Pittsfield. The program wraps up with a collective dance composition about our identities, community building, and a solution-oriented proposal rooted in liberation and collective action.

Copyright: Marsha Parrilla and Danza Orgánica. Dance for Social Justice™. 2022

Who is this for?

DSJ workshops are open to all Berkshire County-region residents, artists, and/or community organizers. Free. All are welcome; ages 8+. No previous experience necessary.

What can I expect?

Explore conversations and movement towards liberation and social change through DSJ.

DSJ facilitators recognize that community narratives can be embodied, making movement a clear and creative way to express and transform these experiences. Prioritizing liberation and anti-oppression, workshops seek inspiration for participants to explore sustainable ways to address their concerns within an intentional and supportive community.

What could my commitment look like?

Commit to this 4-part workshop series and co-create a work in response to social justice themes emerging in our Berkshire-region communities. Participation in these workshops will be compensated. The series culminates in a work-in-process presentation on the Henry J. Leir Stage and at Third Thursday in Pittsfield. Sessions will be led by Mar Parrilla and collaborator Dey Hernández.

How can I get involved?

DSJ is an ongoing initiative, however, there are no upcoming ways to participate at this time. To stay up to date on any future DSJ opportunities, sign up for email updates here.

If you have questions about the workshops, please contact us as community@jacobspillow.org.

Dance for Social Justice (DSJ)™ is a movement journey towards social change. We will gather in sacred space to envision the world we want to live in. Dance will be our anchor. DSJ invites us to radically dream together so we can conjure up new ways of living rooted in collective liberatory practices. The work spirals between facilitated individual restorative practices, looking into ourselves and our biases, and co-creating a dance composition focused on social change. We encourage participants to come with an open mind, ready for movement, and intentional community-building.

Pittsfield Moves! launched in Fall 2017 as a year-long artist residency led by choreographer Paloma McGregor (Director of Angela’s Pulse) and MK Abadoo (Lead Facilitator of Angela’s Pulse) alongside Berkshire County partner organizations Youth Alive!, NAACP – Berkshire County Branch, Manos Unidas Multicultural Education Cooperative, Railroad Street Youth Project, Berkshire Children & Families, and Transformative Development Initiative, among others. Originally conceived by Jacob’s Pillow with The Berkshire Bridges – Working Cities Pittsfield and Angela’s Pulse, Pittsfield Moves! is rooted in developing a practice of storytelling and relationship building through movement to address issues that affect Berkshire communities. Learn more about Pittsfield Moves! and our partners here.