Dear Dance Place Community,
Today, Dance Place observes Juneteenth, the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. The current global health crisis, its accompanying financial impact, and the historic and ongoing racial injustice and violence against the black community, have all highlighted how this promise of emancipation remains unfulfilled. As a community arts center, school for dance, and national dance presenter that brings people together, Dance Place affirms there is no place for racism in our institution, nor in our society.
While Dance Place has long upheld values of inclusion onstage, in the studio, and in the communities with which we work – the staff and board of Dance Place acknowledge that there is always more work to do to center the work of racial justice within our own organization.
Dance Place explicitly stated our solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement on June 1st, and seeks to hold ourselves accountable to that statement with ongoing follow up communications. The commemoration of this important day felt an appropriate time to share actions that Dance Place has committed to taking:
- Dance Place will continue supporting (administratively and financially) conversations hosted by Artist in Residence SOLE Defined artistic directors Quynn Johnson and Ryan Johnson focused on dismantling white supremacy in the dance field, building upon conversations held Wednesday 6/3 and Thursday 6/4. Lessons learned from these conversations will inform future programming decisions.
- Dance Place has reached out to People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond to schedule an undoing racism training for the entire Dance Place staff and board.
- Dance Place staff are compiling an action list of specific, anti-racist, justice-oriented changes to our programming, office culture, and institutional structure. Dance Place will move with urgency, care and accountability to enact (and expand, as needed) the items on the action list, which we will be sharing with our community in future communications.
- All donations made toward Dance Place Adult Classes for the month of June will be redirected and matched by Dance Place in support of the Black Lives Matter DC gofundme for legal aid. Dance Place is committed to matching up to $2,500.
For some of you, this language around racism and white supremacy at Dance Place and in the field of dance may feel jarring; you may feel that it does not reflect your experience at Dance Place. Please know that the work of undoing systemic racism is deeply layered, and while it is true that the organization has historically been committed to diversity and equity in our work, there is more we must do as an organization in order to move towards justice.
For others of you reading this statement, the fact that Dance Place has internal work to do will not come as a surprise. Dance Place is grateful to the individuals who have helped us to see the ways our institutional practices can reflect white supremacy culture. Dance Place will continue to report back to our community as we commit ourselves to sustained anti-racist action to move towards equity and justice.
Even during times of quarantine and social distancing, Dance Place remains a gathering place where a wide range of community members of varied backgrounds and identities can come together to express themselves and unite through the power and joy of movement. As the staff of Dance Place take this day to reflect upon the significance of this moment in history and the difficult, but essential work ahead for all of us to achieve the promise inherent in Juneteenth, we hope you will take time to do so as well.
Denise Rollins
Chair, Dance Place Board of Directors
For others of you reading this statement, the fact that Dance Place has internal work to do will not come as a surprise. Dance Place is grateful to the individuals who have helped us to see the ways our institutional practices can reflect white supremacy culture. Dance Place will continue to report back to our community as we commit ourselves to sustained anti-racist action to move towards equity and justice.
Even during times of quarantine and social distancing, Dance Place remains a gathering place where a wide range of community members of varied backgrounds and identities can come together to express themselves and unite through the power and joy of movement. As the staff of Dance Place take this day to reflect upon the significance of this moment in history and the difficult, but essential work ahead for all of us to achieve the promise inherent in Juneteenth, we hope you will take time to do so as well.
Denise Rollins
Chair, Dance Place Board of Directors
Christopher K. Morgan
Executive Artistic Director
Join some of our staff today by marching at a Black Students Matter March, starting with a 10 AM poster-making session at Freedom Plaza (14th St., NW and Pennsylvania Ave., NW). Protesters begin marching at 11 AM to the Department of Education, where there will be group discussions with educators and students.