Dancewave provides access to supportive and empowering dance experiences that center social, emotional and cognitive development through movement. Developing programs to meet community needs, we use dance as a vehicle for transformation, expression, active citizenship and self reflection. Dancewave fosters a culture where dance is celebrated as a healing and inclusive art form.
OUR APPROACH
Dancewave aims to increase social cohesion and wellbeing by providing programs that develop individuals’ social and emotional growth through dance. We seek to subvert oppressive systems ingrained throughout the dance community and world at large through a culture model promoting a community-oriented dance experience accessible to all.
Our approach is grounded in restorative and trauma-informed practices. We believe that liberatory, empowering education is a key component to building a more just society. As such prioritize community building, restorative practices, cultural responsiveness and trauma-informed teaching across our programming. We prioritize mentorship and artistic integrity across all programs by partnering with cutting-edge artists and educators.
VISION & IMPACT
Dancewave envisions a future where dance is available to all populations, especially those who have ever been denied access to dance education. Dancewave acts as a resource and community hub for artists, educators and young visionaries, extending opportunities for our audience to participate in advocacy efforts and social change movements.
CORE VALUES
- Dance is a human right, available to all without exceptions
- Inclusive and supportive environments are essential for learning, growth and transformation
- Institutional power must be used to counteract white supremacy and build new more equitable systems
- Responding to evolving community and society needs is an organizational imperative
- Through a evaluatory process Dancewave is committed to having our internal values match our external values
Our Commitment to Being an Anti-Racist Organization
Dancewave acknowledges the historical inequities of our field and the responsibility of nonprofit arts organizations like ours to serve as catalysts for change. Over the past several years, we have engaged in racial equity processes; unpacking and addressing institutional and interpersonal connections with systems of oppression. We meet bi-weekly as a staff to strategize and implement change across all sectors of our organization, both internally and externally. Â
Through dialog, transparency, research, and critical analysis, we strive to hold ourselves accountable to our staff, community members, and stakeholders. We recognize our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as an evolving process and openly engage in this work with the aim of embodying the deep systemic change we want to see reflected in our world at large.
DANCEWAVE HISTORY
Dancewave reflects on its humble start in a small office at the YWCA on Atlantic Avenue, its persistence shaping the dance education field in Brooklyn, and the 35,000 students, teachers, artists, parents and audience members it has touched through its innovative programming.
1995 - 2024 & BEYOND