OCTOBER 2018: #WOMENCENTERSTAGE
During October 2018, NCCAkron launched a social media campaign called #womencenterstage, sharing behind-the-scenes photos, videos, and personal statements from women+ choreographers across the country.
Thank you for sharing your story.
Nearly 100 of you highlighted a woman+ working in your institution or community — including yourselves! October ended with 400 posts on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #womencenterstage, celebrating 104 different artists from Brunswick, Maine to Los Angeles, California, and as far away as Perth, Australia.
Scroll down to learn more.
Let's keep celebrating women+ makers year-round.
"In 19 years as a professional, I danced only one main-stage work by a woman... being in front of the room while creating work is an incredible process. What you learn makes you grow as an artist, and you can carry those lessons with you for the rest of your performing career and beyond."
— Amy Seiwert (Sacramento, CA)
#womencenterstage is an active and participatory response to this cultural moment of examining gender, sexism, and the role of women+ in the artistic workplace. It was inspired by the response to a national call for female+ choreographers, put out by NCCAkron in March 2017 for its inaugural Dancing Laboratory with Los Angeles-based company BODYTRAFFIC. The call yielded 40 names and work samples — a cross section of women dance makers in the United States today.
NCCAkron highlighted each of those makers over the course of October 2018, and issued an open invitation to join the campaign. Students, teachers, individual artists, and cultural institutions across the country created posts on Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #womencenterstage and opened an online space for connection and inspiration.
Please download a press release here.
(A note on language: women+ is a term used to engage with a wider spectrum of non-binary gender identities. Its use in similar initiatives to this has precedent, in lists such as NPR’s The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+ and The Sourcelist Database of women in technology policy.)
ABOUT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR CHOREOGRAPHY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
Developed to provide resources for dance makers to think, create and be inspired, the National Center for Choreography - Akron was founded in 2015 after a rigorous study led by local dance presenter DANCECleveland and with lead funding from the Knight Foundation.
Located at The University of Akron and in the heart of Northeast Ohio, a region recognized for its natural beauty and innovative spirit, The Center provides dance makers and their collaborators with a wide array of research opportunities, working spaces, resources and perhaps most importantly-unencumbered time to think and create. NCCAkron is led by Executive & Artistic Director Christy Bolingbroke, who builds on her extensive experience in curatorial programs and external relations to provide artistic and administrative leadership.