As Disability Pride month comes to a close, we at Parsons Dance are reflecting on how our company (and our industry at large) can better serve and uplift disabled artists and audiences. We are proud of our disability-forward movement classes and nation-wide sensory friendly performances--but practicing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (I.D.E.A.) values means *continuously* improving and broadening our preconceptions of the possible.
A recent staff huddle, guided by our team of interns, featured a 2018 Dance Magazine article that highlights not just the powerful wheeled choreography and performance of artist Alice Sheppard, but the broader range of disabled participants in the field. Author Kevin Gotkin notes, “It’s not the shine of a single star that Sheppard counts as success. It’s the brilliant glow of a constellation of artists growing together that she imagines.”
We are grateful to our intern team @jennaeliora, @kendylspowell, and @sarahscribs for amplifying disability and other intersectional topics in our daily discourse. We are also aware that *much* more still remains to be done. Please contact us directly to learn more about the steps we are taking on our own journey of accountability!
"Alice Sheppard Is Moving The Conversation Beyond Loss and Adversity" by Dance Magazine
