DSJ workshop as part of the Skeleton Architecture and Summer Stages Dance programming at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Photo Credit: Tony Turner
To book a DSJ workshop, please contact: danceforsocialjustice@gmail.com
dance for social justice™
Founded in 2014, the
Dance for Social Justice™ (DSJ) workshop grew out of Mar Parrilla’s desire
to use dance as a tool for social change. While she was teaching dance in
urban settings, she organically provided her students with dance composition
tools with which they explored themselves and their communities. She quickly
realized that combining literacy and dance composition was a great way to
engage people of all ages in a holistic process of creation of dance for
social justice.
Parrilla
has worked as an educator in New York City and Boston public schools since
1998, and has a Master’s degree in Dance Education from New York University.
The DSJ curriculum is informed by Paulo Freire’s philosophy of education as
expressed in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, her studies on dance composition, and
her experience as a performer and choreographer in the diaspora.
DSJ is open to youth, teens, and adults of all experience levels. Workshop space is limited and pre-registration is required.
program description
The body thinks first, making dance one of the most honest forms of expression. Examples of expressions within activism, such as: fist-up, hands-up, sit-in, and die-in, show us that everyday gestures give human beings a unique vocabulary to communicate with people around the world.
Dance for Social Justice™ is a process-based workshop that delves into the universal language of movement, to generate conversations and create art around social justice issues in our communities. Participants exercise solidarity through group-work, the exchange of ideas, and by engaging on intentional discussions. Through a guided dance composition process, participants explore basic elements of dance composition to collectively create original dance pieces that reflect their experiences. The movements are generated by themselves, following the model of "for us, by us". DSJ™ believes that when the community members themselves create, move, and perform their stories, the work is shared in the most vivid, accurate, and genuine way.
An optional informal showing and feedback/Q&A session, bring closure to the workshop.
For more information and booking inquiries, email:
