Brittany Delany, Dancer and Choreographer: Free the Body: Exploring Personal, Cultural, Social, and Political Liberation Through Interactive Art and Movement
Art Heals All Wounds
05/17/23
•47m
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Featured In
Today, I’m joined by Brittany Delany, a dancer, choreographer, and co-director of the dance and social justice collective GROUND SERIES. We discuss the latest project from GROUND SERIES called “Free the Body,” an interactive art installation at The Coachella Valley Art Center that explores what it means to free the body within personal, cultural, social, and political settings. In our conversation, Brittany describes the inception of this project and how different elements of writing, sound, movement, and visual art were introduced. She shares what people can expect from the installation, including the various workshops the collective is hosting with local nonprofit organizations. When Brittany found herself in a cycle of rage and frustration brought on by the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the overturn of Roe v. Wade, she joined with collaborators to channel that energy into “Free the Body,” using the text Abolition. Feminism. Now as inspiration. Brittany unpacks the refuge that this project offers her and what she hopes people will take away from the experience. She also highlights ways that the collective is working to engage with local community organizations and foster restorative justice services within the Coachella Valley community.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Dance through the lens of politics, spirituality, and research
● Brittany’s perspective on what it means to free the body
● Rage as a powerful motivator for artists
● The fortification of community through in-person events
● The core curriculum and methodology of “Free the Body” workshops
Resources Mentioned:
● Abolition. Feminism. Now. by Angela Y. Davis, Gina Dent, Erica Meiners, Beth Richie
Guest Info:
● Coachella Valley Art Center Website
● Brittany's Instagram
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
Previous Episode
Today, I’m joined by Shavonne Allen, Joel Yates, and Dazié Rustin Grego-Sykes, three members of Skywatchers, a performance ensemble based in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. Skywatchers is an interdisciplinary, intergenerational, mixed-ability, and multicultural performance group that aims to amplify the voices of Tenderloin residents. Their mix of movement, music, visual art, and spoken word get to the core of what the Tenderloin is, which, despite the despair that is visible on the streets, is a place of abundant generosity. In Dazié’s words, community members in the Tenderloin have been given a limited view of themselves based on what outsiders see on the surface. The Tenderloin is an inclusive neighborhood where people support their neighbors and forge social spaces despite the hostile architecture that discourages social gathering in the area. Skywatchers performances explore the real, raw, lived experiences of ensemble members and life in the Tenderloin, but also share a vision of how things could be. Shavonne, Joel, and Dazié highlight the impact their art has on the neighborhood and reflect on how their lives have changed since joining the ensemble.
Listen, rate, and review Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The history of the Tenderloin neighborhood and how it became a containment zone for the city’s biggest unsolved social issues
● How Shavonne, Joel, and Dazié were introduced to Skywatchers
● The story behind the ‘Opulence Portraits’ and ‘Towards Opulence' pieces
● Examples of what hostile architecture looks like, particularly in downtown San Francisco
● What Shavonne, Joel, and Dazié have gained from being part of Skywatchers
● What other Tenderloin community members gain from the work of Skywatchers
Guest Info:
● Towards Opulence, the Opera at The Cutting Ball Theater
● Skywatchers on Facebook
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
Next Episode
In today’s episode, I’m joined by body-based artists and activists Kai Hazelwood and Sarah Ashkin. Kai and Sarah are co-founders of Practice Progress, an anti-racist facilitation practice that addresses structural, professional, and interpersonal white supremacy through embodied learning. In our conversation, Kai and Sarah describe what body-based learning is, particularly through the lens of their LISTEN IN workshops, which are race-based spaces that address the physiological impacts of racism. In Kai’s BIPOC Affinity Circle, the focus is on repairing the rest and care gap that so many people of color people face. She leads participants through embodied rest, practices that settle the nervous system, and frameworks for setting boundaries. Sarah facilitates the white working group and guides members to build awareness around what it means to actively be anti-racist. Kai and Sarah share examples of modalities that support the collective unlearning and healing in both workshops. In addition, Kai and Sarah are partnering with Arcos Dance to host their third annual UNtensive workshop. The four-day virtual gathering is designed for educators, artists, or really anyone who wants to explore the embodied nature of rupture and repair.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The distinction between body-based artists and dancers
● Recognizing the ways that different groups embody white supremacy
● The physiological toll of covert and overt racism
● Building community around anti-racism and embodiment
● Why Kai and Sarah decided against facilitating workshops in multiracial spaces
● What to expect from the UNtensive workshop
Resources Mentioned:
● Sign up for the upcoming UNtensive workshop
● Kai’s essay: I'm Breaking Up With Dance: I Can't Heal In The Same Relationship That Hurt Me
● Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
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