Goal:
To establish a personal connection with a war-affected community of children in Uganda in order to understand their culture, help them to express themselves and work through the trauma which they have experienced, and raise awareness here in the US about the way in which armed conflicts affect their lives.
Description:
Tuzina is a group of five dancers and a filmmaker who plan to travel to Uganda during June 2012 in order to collaborate in dance classes and performances with children who have experienced war-related trauma. During our two and a half week trip, we will teach dance classes daily and will teach the children pieces which they will later perform for the rest of their community. Our dance classes and choreography will be rooted in modern technique, but we will emphasize its use in providing the children with an outlet for the emotions they have experienced, particularly in response to trauma. Creative improvisation dance classes will give children the opportunity to develop their personal style of movement in order to give better expression to these emotions as well. We would like to take East African dance classes from them in return. At the end of each week, Tuzina and the children will give a collaborative performance for the community (two to four performances total). Tuzina will perform pieces which we have choreographed and rehearsed beforehand intermixed with the pieces the children have learned during our time there.
Benefits for the Community:
We hope first and foremost to inspire the children of the community to work through the traumatic events they have experienced and to celebrate their culture. Tuzina believes that each child has an important personal story to tell, and we want to enable them to tell it using the universal language of dance. We also want to raise awareness about the issues that impact these kids’ lives on a day-to-day basis, such as the war against the Lord’s Resistance Army. We will therefore document the work we do with the children and create a student film emphasizing what we learned about these conflicts. When we return to the U.S., we will hold screenings of the film. We will also choreograph and perform works based upon our interaction with the children as well as the issues affecting them.
Long-term Goal:
Tuzina is founded upon the idea that we do not know the best method of dancing. Instead, we hope to learn from the children what kind of dance springs up intuitively into their bodies and reflects their cultural values. Keeping this in mind, we plan to develop a connection with the community in order to establish a lasting arts exchange. This trip will be the first step of a long-term goal of beginning one or more arts schools in East Africa. Over the coming years, Tuzina will periodically return to the community in order to continue the work it has begun there. As soon as resources and artists are available, we will establish an arts school with the intention of empowering children affected by social and political conflicts to express themselves, remember their history, and celebrate their culture.
To establish a personal connection with a war-affected community of children in Uganda in order to understand their culture, help them to express themselves and work through the trauma which they have experienced, and raise awareness here in the US about the way in which armed conflicts affect their lives.
Description:
Tuzina is a group of five dancers and a filmmaker who plan to travel to Uganda during June 2012 in order to collaborate in dance classes and performances with children who have experienced war-related trauma. During our two and a half week trip, we will teach dance classes daily and will teach the children pieces which they will later perform for the rest of their community. Our dance classes and choreography will be rooted in modern technique, but we will emphasize its use in providing the children with an outlet for the emotions they have experienced, particularly in response to trauma. Creative improvisation dance classes will give children the opportunity to develop their personal style of movement in order to give better expression to these emotions as well. We would like to take East African dance classes from them in return. At the end of each week, Tuzina and the children will give a collaborative performance for the community (two to four performances total). Tuzina will perform pieces which we have choreographed and rehearsed beforehand intermixed with the pieces the children have learned during our time there.
Benefits for the Community:
We hope first and foremost to inspire the children of the community to work through the traumatic events they have experienced and to celebrate their culture. Tuzina believes that each child has an important personal story to tell, and we want to enable them to tell it using the universal language of dance. We also want to raise awareness about the issues that impact these kids’ lives on a day-to-day basis, such as the war against the Lord’s Resistance Army. We will therefore document the work we do with the children and create a student film emphasizing what we learned about these conflicts. When we return to the U.S., we will hold screenings of the film. We will also choreograph and perform works based upon our interaction with the children as well as the issues affecting them.
Long-term Goal:
Tuzina is founded upon the idea that we do not know the best method of dancing. Instead, we hope to learn from the children what kind of dance springs up intuitively into their bodies and reflects their cultural values. Keeping this in mind, we plan to develop a connection with the community in order to establish a lasting arts exchange. This trip will be the first step of a long-term goal of beginning one or more arts schools in East Africa. Over the coming years, Tuzina will periodically return to the community in order to continue the work it has begun there. As soon as resources and artists are available, we will establish an arts school with the intention of empowering children affected by social and political conflicts to express themselves, remember their history, and celebrate their culture.
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