About marybawden

As a dance educator, Mary Bawden loves dance and its researched benefits. In 2016, she founded DA:NCE which advocates for the protection of children, from hypersexualization in adult costumes choreography and music, as well as the art form of dance. In 2003, she founded Soul to Sole Choreography which provides concrete tools for communicating the gospel using the language of movement. Mary lives in Redlands, CA with her husband Richard. She loves to create children’s books for her grandchildren, eat Snickers, and watch Dodger games.

She Loves to Move Call for Choreography Reflection

2023-09-27T22:32:37+00:00August 23rd, 2023|Choreography|

By: Marlita Hill, Lead Adjudicator for DA:NCE’s $5,000 Call for Choreography With an aim to publicize DA:NCE Awareness’s mission and celebrate the healthy, age-appropriate dance happening throughout our communities, DA:NCE launched its inaugural choreography competition, ‘She Loves to Move.’ The ‘She Loves to Move’ Call for Choreography began with an October 2022 invitation sent out

‘My DA:NCE Why’: Reflections on Innocence

2023-09-27T06:09:07+00:00July 27th, 2023|Dance Awareness: No Child Exploited|

“A child's innocence is the one gift, that once stolen, can never be replaced.” ―Jaeda DeWalt Innocence: Ignorance, freedom from cunning; lack of worldly experience DA:NCE just released a new resource called ‘My DA:NCE Why’. In that video, along with others, I recorded a brief statement about why I founded DA:NCE: “There’s been a cultural

The Long-Awaited Marriage at NRB and a Yearlong Celebration at DA:NCE

2023-06-22T19:33:38+00:00June 27th, 2023|Dance Awareness: No Child Exploited|

So DANCE Team, what in the world do I mean by a DA:NCE marriage? Lean in. The nuptials took place in Orlando Florida from May 22-25. It’s a partnership that’s taken a few years to plan. But it was worth it. In 2022, DA:NCE conducted personal interviews through our ‘Share Your DA:NCE Story’ Campaign by

Learning About Childhood Trauma from SHAPE 2023 and Tik Tok

2023-04-28T18:44:59+00:00April 26th, 2023|Dance Awareness: No Child Exploited|

From March 28-April 1, I was invited to speak on  ‘Wholesome to Hypersexualized: What Happened to Children’s Dance?’ at the National SHAPE(Society of Health and Physical Educators) Conference in Seattle Washington. Enjoy the conference pics. Tons of interesting contacts and good conversations! Along with a special interview with Dr. Josh Trout of Chico CA who

Dance Studios & Children: 3 Survivors Speak About Hypersexualization

2023-03-27T16:41:52+00:00March 28th, 2023|Dance Awareness: No Child Exploited|

Are you part of ‘the grumble’? That’s somebody who distances him/herself from a cultural or personal trend that is uncomfortable. SILENT THOUGHTS: Maybe the problem will go away? Maybe we can solve it without addressing it? Many adults don’t see what’s happening to children’s dance because of the creeping internet and media connection to pornography;

A Gift of Goodness: the CESE Summit

2023-03-15T03:07:13+00:00December 20th, 2022|Christmas, Dance Awareness: No Child Exploited|

I am lucky. It’s Christmas time year ‘round. So many ongoing gifts of goodness. I love presents. I spotted my first gift in 2013 at the inaugural CESE(Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation) Summit in Washington DC. The Summit is sponsored by  NCOSE (National Center on Sexual Exploitation) and it is an amazing experience. There are countless

AND THEN…. A Personal Invitation for ‘She Loves to Move’

2023-02-13T19:19:27+00:00October 25th, 2022|Dance Awareness: No Child Exploited|

It’s time to restore the wonder of childhood dance! "DA:NCE Awareness invites everyone - from choreographers and dance studios to individuals, families and groups of any size - to choreograph the song ‘She Loves to Move’. Help us celebrate healthy, age-appropriate children’s dance all around the world! It's easy:  1. Download the song ‘She Loves

A Personal Story of Hypersexualized Dance and Self-Objectification by Jaime Logan

2023-02-13T19:20:14+00:00August 29th, 2022|Guest Blogger|

This article is dedicated to the girls who haven’t had a chance to know better.  “My job required one thing of me, to be an object for arousal and consumption. I started dancing my heart out in the studio, but I ended up coddling the fancies of a stranger bent on using me as an

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