Hello and welcome to Esperanza’s brand new blog! We’ve got some new adventures ahead of us, and EDP is happy to announce the edition of this blog and a monthly newsletter as we continue to spread a message of hope.
First of all, we’d like to thank you for your interest and support. We’d also like to encourage you to sign up for our email list and add this page to your favorites! We are excited to be providing fresh new content on a bi-monthly basis!
With our 8th season beginning July 29th, Esperanza dancers are already hard at work preparing for upcoming performances.
Just in case you aren’t sure exactly what we do, here’s a little bit about the Esperanza Dance Project.
Esperanza Dance Project, or EDP, was founded in 2011 by Artistic Director Beth Braun. Our mission is to eradicate stigma, secrecy and shame associated with childhood sexual violence. As a non-profit organization operating out of Tucson, Arizona, EDP has a large variety of participating artists and dancers, all volunteers, who perform a multimedia dance performance entitled “House of Hope” for high schools, universities and community events.
This blog will be your guide to the 2019/2020 season and keep you updated on EDP performances, local events and resources that might be helpful in our mission to spread awareness and advocate a message of hope.
We hope you enjoy our newly redesigned website, complete with local and national resources for survivors of sexual violence and a great deal of information on what to expect from an EDP performance. If you are looking to starting a conversation about sexual violence with your school, your child's school, your workplace, or personal life, this is a good place to start. The issue of sexual violence affects all of us, and it is our mission at EDP to spread awareness and break the stigma and shame associated with it.
LET’S GET STARTED 5-6-7-8!
With the beginning of a new season, the EDP company has their work cut out for them in learning all the choreography for the repertoire we take into schools. In the opening number of the show, entitled “I Don’t Pray Anymore,” dancers create individual solo's based off of writings provided by the Artistic Director from our first generation of EDP dancers, who were asked to share their thoughts and reflect on the topic. These writings turned out to resonate particularly well with meaning of the project, and still provide a large impact on how the dance is performed. You can hear the dancers use the spoken words in their movement, including the phrases such as “I don’t pray anymore” and “Anyways, this is a place where I do not feel safe.” and more.
Once these solo's are created, ranging about 30 seconds in length and incorporating spoken word from the provided text, the dancers are paired up into duets, trios and quartets to combine their movement in ways that will impact the audience and depict the emotion of the first section of choreography. Next Director Beth Braun will infuse the dancer’s movement with the majority of choreography she has crafted.
Dancers meet weekly every Monday and Wednesday nights from 6 to 9 PM to get the movement down, participate in a technique class and spend time creating a strong bond to better communicate their movement across to the audience. EDP is already working toward an upcoming performance in October at the Department of Child Safety Leadership Summit, a performance at a local high school scheduled in September, as well as a fundraising performance due sometime in November.
MORE EXCITING COMPANY NEWS
In addition to the EDP company as it stands today, EDP is also excited to announce the addition of the Apprentice Company, an all new venture this season. The apprentice company is an opportunity for anyone interested in spreading EDP’s message by participating in the performances, but don’t necessarily have a prior dance background. This apprentice opportunity is also meeting Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 9 PM, for introduction to movement classes and focus on learning the choreography that goes into “House of Hope”. It is always free to take company class and the apprentice class. This aspect of the project has begun due to high interest from students who have seen our performance at their homeschool. We are hoping that more young individuals interested in impacting their community in a positive way will come forward and join us in our message to spread hope.
Are you interested or know someone who would like to perform with us? Please reach out to esperanzadanceproject@gmail.com to discuss participation.
Dancer’s are looking forward to the upcoming Peer Advocate Training where they will be given tools to respond and support the community and individuals who have been affected by sexual violence or know someone who has been.
Great things are happening and we look forward to sharing the news here with you! Thanks again for your support. Until next time!
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