by Heather Harrington As a mother, dancer, choreographer, and educator I want my daughters to go to dance class to learn about their bodies, explore connections between their mind and body, and find ways to express themselves. I do not want them to learn from dance how to worry about their appearance; are they thin

This is a post-truth era. We are living in a time where the idea of absolute morality is no longer in question. We are living in a time where individual autonomy reigns – whatever the viewpoint, whatever the circumstance. We live in a culture where what is right is defined by doing what feels right.

By Kristin Kusanovich, Senior Lecturer, Santa Clara University, Artistic Director, k2dance, San Jose, Past President CDEA, California Dance Education Association When I was volunteering at a carnival at my daughter’s school a couple of years ago, I found myself with time and space to think. I was stationed at the dessert booth with a great

by Grace French As a survivor of child sexual abuse, a dancer, an advocate, and the founder of a national non-profit focusing on preventing and responding to sexual violence in sport, DA:NCE’s mission immediately stood out to me. I started dance at 5, fascinated by the twirling ballerinas, tutus, and scarves I had seen on

Dr. Brook Parker-Bello was happy to be interviewed for the 2020 DA:NCE film: ‘Healthy and Harmful Dance: What Do the Experts Say?’ Although she did not dance as a child, she was abused and exploited in her early years. As a national expert on child abuse with a PhD, Dr. Bello knows that all forms

by Susan Gingrasso, MA, CMA, LOD Teacher Trainer Associate Director of the LODC What if children had an “alphabet” of movement concepts to explore, experience, and build their understanding of themselves as movers, as creators? What if this “alphabet” guided children to think, do, and feel their own movement fully – to develop their ownership

by Susan P. Lloyd Last October, I was on a flight from SFO to Miami, FL to present at the National Dance Educators’ Conference. I happened to sit next to Nancy Ng from the Luna Institute in Berkeley, California. She too, was on her way to the conference.  Ms. Ng asked the title of my

by Kristen A. Jenson, M.A. “The girls come to the set ‘porn-ready’” remarked one pornographer, as he commented on the changes he saw in the performers. Thanks to so much sexual objectification in the media and in dance, his new female “porn stars” needed little coaching. How tragic. But how understandable. Especially when you acknowledge

By Danielle Freitag, LADC | December 2019 There once was a little girl who loved to sing and dance. At first, she would twirl around the house like a ballerina without ever thinking she needed to have anyone to dance with, or for. This little girl was me, and like so many young girls, I

by Lisa Long Over the past year I have become increasingly aware of the need to educate dancers, dance teachers and parents about the hyper-sexualization of children in dance and beyond. As a college Professor I encounter students just before they make their way into the dance world, and it is with immense hope that