In conjunction with the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence created by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership and UN Women, I invited women artists from around the world to join me in a virtual performance. This project intends to raise more awareness about gender-based violence as well as to allow the artists involved to contribute their performance work to an important effort as global citizens. The 16 Days of Activism run from November 25 through December 10, but you can visit our Instagram account now, click on the images below, or scroll down to learn more about the contributing artists! During each of the first 15 days of activism, you will see a short video by each artist on Instagram. On the 16th day, we will premiere a short dance video that merges the work of all performers!
Olena Kolomoiets was born in Ukraine in 1986. Fond of drawing from her very early childhood, Olena entered an art school and studied painting and composition during her school years. This is how she gained her perception of the image that makes up the world for her. Her artistic endeavor stems from emotional search. How to address the pain of loss or unexperienced feelings through color and stain? How do they impact the shapes of the objects and the overall image depicted? In 2008, Olena graduated from the University in Kyiv and received a diploma in graphic design. For 15 years, she has been creating digital works and design concepts for a variety of brands. In 2012, she founded her own art school for children. And in 2018, the school opened its doors to adults as well. Olena teaches her students how to visualize emotions and be able to express and render them via painting and digital graphics.In 2021, she participated in the ArtPrize project of the Museum of ContemporaryArt in Luxembourg. At the core of Olena’s art is the appeal to the viewer’s subconscious to give them a chance to experience the feelings that are hidden inside. This is what stands behind the Second Face project published in Marika magazine in August 2021. Currently, Olena lives in Germany and works as an artist and digital artist. Her artistic focus is still on emotions. She continues exploring the eternal topic of life and death as well as the emptiness which gives birth to something new. Each of her works is a visual story with its own plot, climax, and action. To achieve this effect, a painting passes through several stages and has hidden layers with a traceable scenario in them. Each work is initiated and painted by the artist in a certain emotional mood so that the subconscious mind could pick the right shapes and colors. Olena’s paintings are much more than works of visual art. These are messages from the inner world of one person to that of another person.
Nadra Majeed Assaf is the founder/artistic director of Al-Sarab Dance Foundation which houses Al-Sarab Dance School as well as Al-Sarab Dance Company. She is also a full-time academic (Lebanese American University) and a well-known researcher in dance in the Middle East.She is best known for her work in dance in the Middle East as she has lived in Lebanon for the past30+years.In 2016, she started an A-typical collaboration with American dancer, professor, and choreographer Heather Harrington. This collaboration has led to numerous performances and conferences in Sweden, Beirut, Malta, San Diego, CA, and Geneva, New York Assaf is an advocate for the arts in Lebanon and the Region. She is also an avid researcher; among her publications:(Re)positioning, (re)ordering, (re)connecting: A choreographic process of mind and body convergence (2022); Audience/performer re-action: an investigation into audience/performer reciprocity via a touring site-specific performance in Lebanon(2020); Not Without My Body: The Struggle of Dancers and Choreographers in the Middle East(2015); and “I Matter”: An Interactive Exploration of Audience-Performer Connections (2012).
Jee Eun Ahn is a dance artist and educator from Seoul, South Korea.She is currently an assistant professor of dance at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU).She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance and Choreography from Florida State University and aBachelor of Science degree in Dance Education from Seoul National University. Her creative research has been centered on finding cross-cultural connections through embodied practices and experimental and collaborative processes. Jee has been creating interdisciplinary collaborations for the stage, dance films, and site-specific works. Her works and dance films have been presented atWomen in Dance Leadership Conference, Doug Varone’s DEVICE 4,Wave Rising Series,KoDaFein NYC, Dumbo Dance Festival, Reverb Dance Festival, WorldDance Alliance-America,Screen Dance Miami Festival,Sans Limites Dance, NewGrounds-Moving Current Dance Collective, Lindenwood University, Flatlands Dance Theater, AmericanCollege Dance Association, Yo-Yo Ma’s The Bach Project, kNOwBOX Dance Company, WorldBallet Inc, Spector Dance Choreographers, Laredo School of Contemporary Dance, and many more. As a dance scholar, she has a research interest in the psychological aspects of dance. Her recent publications reviewed related issues of psychology (e.g., performance anxiety, injury, motivation, etc.) among professionals in the field.Jee, as a teaching artist, has extensive teaching experience across a broad range of subjects for all levels of dancers from diverse backgrounds.Currently, she teaches ballet, modern, dance conditioning, choreography, and improvisation courses at TAMIU. Jee has constantly developed her pedagogical methods with traditional, non-traditional, and cross-cultural approaches in her classes. She focuses on creating student-centered and inclusive classroom environments with quality tools and knowledge.
Heather Harrington is a dancer, figure skater, choreographer, educator, and researcher. She is on faculty at Kean University and Drew University, N.J. She danced with the Doris HumphreyRepertory Company, Martha Graham Ensemble, Pearl Lang Dance Theatre, and Bella Lewitzky Dance Company. In 1999, she created the Heather Harrington Dance Company, performing nationally and internationally. She found moving in the public space as an inspiration for her site-specific work; either creating a piece on the steps of Federal Hall Memorial in Wall Street orstaging a gun violence protest in Newark, NJ. Her artistic and scholarly collaboration withLebanese dance artist and professor Nadra Assaf has led to performances and conferences across the globe. Through their use of research and virtual connection Assaf and Harrington, have continued to create work that speaks against the violence that hauntingly remains embodied in female bodies. Her scholarship has been published by Choreographic Practices, Dancer Citizen, Research inDance Education, Dance Research Journal, Nordic Journal of Dance, Journal of Dance Education, Beauty Demands, and Dance Education in Practice.
Kate Seethaler (she/they) is a dance artist, movement educator, choreographer, improviser, mother, naptaker, and unabashed goofball based on Lenni-Lenape land now referred to as Philadelphia, PA. She has performed in the work of many choreographers including Kellie Lynch, Deborah Goffe, Katie Martin, Jenn Nugent, Michael Figueroa, and Paige Phillips. Most recently, Kate has performed with Meghan Frederick in ‘Carnivore’—an ongoing collaborative duet project that explores motherhood and the materiality of the body. Kate’s solo choreography explores themes surrounding participation/viewership, vulnerability/sincerity, and humor/melancholy. Kate currently teaches at Movement Source Pilates Studio, University of the Arts, and Rowan University. They received a BA in Dance (summa cum laude) from Springfield College and an MFA in Dance/Choreography & Performance from Smith College.
Federica De Francesco is a dancer, performer, choreographer and teacher.Her ballet and modern dance training took place mainly between Rome and Florence and then she integrated the study of contemporary dance throughout Italy and abroad by following lessons and workshops with renowned teachers and choreographers.Since 2005 she has worked as a dancer and performer in numerous projects, both as a soloist and in companies.In 2014 she founded her contemporary dance company KANNON Performing Dance, thus beginning her personal path of choreographic research.With the company she created various productions presented in theatre seasons, festivals and shows all over Italy.In 2018 she closes her activity with the company and dedicates herself to research projects as a soloist and her works were subsequently selected for festivals and exhibitions.In the field of didactics, she has held and still holds ballet, modern and contemporary dance classes, research and movement workshops, both on her own and in collaboration with other artists (actors, musicians, singers, painters).Currently she is artistic director at the dance school Danzainsieme in Italy, modern and contemporary department.
Elissar Hanna is a Canadian composer, singer, and dancer. Her works are inspired by a love of the natural world and by her studies in Sufism. Influenced by her background in opera, she blends dramatic narrative with rich harmonic shifts and textures. Her work as a dancer and choreographer has explored themes of spirituality, human oppression, and nature conservancy. She has danced with choreographers including Ghislaine Doté, Lucie Carmen Grégoire, and Lara Kramer, and has performed in theaters across Canada. Elissar’s recent projects include: "Dreams in Hand," composed for Canadian guitarist and luthier Emily Shaw; "Mary," composed and choreographed in collaboration with performer-choreographer, Candice Salyers, and Canadian musicians, Liam Jaeger and Alec Joly; and "Biophony," co-created with United Kingdom composers Mike Ladouceur and Alessandro Apolloni. Currently, she is working on "Balaena," a collaboration with Canadian marine biologist and National Geographic Explorer Laura J. Feyrer and Candice Salyers, which tells the story of the endangered northern bottlenose whale through musical drama and contemporary dance. Elissar’s work has been supported by institutions such as the Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Ottawa, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Faculty of Graduate and PostdoctoralStudies at the University of Ottawa. She has participated in composition and dance residencies in Canada and the United States, and currently resides in London (U.K.) where she is in her third year of studies in osteopathy.
Jessie Owens is a dance artist and a structural integration practitioner who lives and practices in northern Vermont (US). She holds a bachelor of arts in Dance and German Studies from Smith College and a graduate degree in Health Arts and Sciences and Embodiment Studies from Goddard College. Through her work, she explores the spaces where the art, science and spirituality of movement overlap, the adaptability of the human body, and how effort and creativity can be catalysts for transformation.
Cathy Nicoli & the Dance and Performance Studies Program at Roger Williams University offers a professional training ground for dancers within a liberal arts setting. Known for high quality technical and creative training, the program also distinguishes itself by being dual-major friendly, highly collaborative, and student-centered. Other highlights include RWU's Dancing in London semester abroad, multiple guest artists each semester, and performances that celebrate student works alongside works by internationally renowned guest artists and faculty. Armed with the belief that dance can change lives for the better, Professor Cathy Nicoli works to coordinate continuous opportunities for RWU dancers to strengthen themselves and their communities, as both dancers and citizens. Special thanks to the RWU dancers who worked on this 16 Days project: Isabella Cirignano, Stephanie Davis, Cara Grady, Hannah Leslie, Hillary McDonald, Emma Trahan, and Zoie Vail.
Sona Pogossianis an Armenian performer, social worker, and PhD candidate in Studies and Practices of Art. Her artistic, academic, and social work seek to awaken the multiplicity of women’s representations in the phenomenon of war, and to revive the body and its expressiveness at the center of power issues.
Lucia Grace Young is an embodiment and mindfulness teacher, C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, intuitive astrologer, improvisational dancer, and transformational retreat facilitator based on the Big Island of Hawaii. Her soul calling is to create spaces where you can feel seen, held, supported and guided more deeply into your true self and inner knowing as you explore the inner landscape of your body. Lucia approaches all of her offerings such as yoga classes, retreats, and 1:1 sessions with a trauma sensitive, holistic, heart centered and somatic way of being. In her teachings, Lucia skillfully weaves together celestial wisdom with embodiment practices to ground the current energetics into the felt experience of the body, empowering you to flow and move in harmony with what is.
Alba Vieira is a performer, dancer and artistic director of Mosaico Dance Company; professor and researcher of the Dance Undergraduate Program of Federal University of Vicosa, Brazil; she also teaches at two graduate programs: the Performing Arts Graduate Program of Federal University of Ouro Preto, and the Arts Program of Federal University of Minas Gerais. She holds a Ph.D. in Dance from Temple University (USA). Her research interest is on how dance intersects with social and ecological issues; for more than seven years she has been working with indigenous people and their traditional culture in Brazil. She is a recipient of the Daci Across Border Grant. Alba is one of the editors of the Art Research Journal; she has published two books and several academic papers at journals in Brazil and abroad.
Danielle Tekut is a clinical social worker by trade and a mover at heart. She is curious about the space between the intra and interpsychic, relationships of all kinds, and the narratives we hold and embody through various movement forms.
Jes Kalled is a multidisciplinary artist based in Tokyo. Through mediums such as writing, dance, and visual arts, Jes tells stories. "I just want to be there for you in that moment of yours, for the story to hold you if you need it."
Candice Salyers is a choreographer and performer whose work explores dance as humanitarian service and proposes that site-specific dance can contribute to unique ways of embodying ethical citizenship. Her work has been presented in the US, UK, Estonia, Spain, Morocco, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. She was recently awarded an artist residency in Acadia National Park, and documentation of her performances will be archived by the US Department of the Interior. Her work has been honored with an Alma Bucovaz Award for Urban Service, a Choreographic Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Solo Performance Fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the American Association of University Women, and a grant from the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund for her forthcoming book. She was one of the first dancers invited to speak at the Society for European Philosophy, and her publications include contributions to Tanz, Bewegung, und Spiritualität, The Journal of Environmental Philosophy, and the Journal of Performance and Mindfulness.