“Freshwater is the thread that connects everyone and everything on planet Earth. Rivers, streams, lakes and groundwater are all impacted by how we live on the land. We at The Nature Conservancy appreciate Global Water Dances creative and dynamic campaign to raise awareness of this critical resource. Your efforts are reminding people of the importance of managing our water resources and uniting communities to take action for safe, clean water.”
– The Nature Conservancy
Mission Statement
We connect and support a global community of choreographers and dancers to inspire action and international collaboration for water issues through the universal language of dance.
History
Global Water Dances began as a collective idea of an international group of individuals, certified by the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies (LIMS), with decades of experience in producing Movement Choirs: events that use community dance to create social cohesion through non-verbal communication. They met attending a conference on Dance and the Environment in July 2008 at Schumacher College in England. The college, connected to the Dartington Estate, is rich in modern dance history and Laban’s life.
The original group includes Karen Bradley, Richard Bell, John Chanik, Gretchen Dunn, Martha Eddy, Ellen Goldman, Marylee Hardenbergh, Antja Kennedy, Tara Stepenburg, Simone Hoever,and Daniela Schlemm.
Participation in Global Water Dances is open to anyone who loves to move.
Our first event took place in June 2011 where 57 locations came together for a 24 hour movement around the world.
For more information about Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies, please follow these links:
We are very grateful to Connie Publicover for allowing us to use her water droplet photographs as inspiration for our 2011 logo.