DWC|Summer 2011

TALKABOUTDANCE

Photos: Ramiro Oliva

All About Access

Panel Discussion

"Today is about talking with one

another. We're going to hear from

our panel and we're going to ask

them to talk about the issue of

access from their perspective. And

isn't that what community is all

about? That we all have a different

perspective because of where we

sit and because of what we know

about?"

Erline Belton, Panel Moderator

Claudio Martinez

Hyde Square Task Force

"I think we have serious issues of access.

I would first like to comment on some of

those in this city and this country. Inner

city and low income kids have limited

access to arts and physical education.

Research has also shown that policy has

much to do with these issues. Urban

children are now seen as robotic test

takers instead of kids who have physical

and spiritual needs. The beauty of dance

is that it combines art and physical

education. It's a great way to reach in."

Annawon Weeden

Independent Educator

"Education is [also] a focus of mine,

[especially because] 3rd grade programs

in the Boston area are required to learn

about my mother's tribe, the Mashpee.

It's a little bit of a challenge when you're

given the task of educating, especially

because I'm not an entertainer. When I

dance, it's not just a form of

entertainment, it's really more of a

sharing.

From left to right

Carlos Martinez, Erline Belton, Annawon Weeden,

Donna Folan, Maureen Finnerty, Klare Shaw

Accessibility is a very complex issue when

you're dealing with native and spiritual

cultures - representation is an important

thing to us."

Donna Folan

VSA - The International

Organization on Arts and Disability

"Does accessibility confront me often?

Yes - both personally and professionally.

Not everybody learns one way -- if you

can find out how everyone learns best,

then you can really accept the way

everyone learns differently - and the way

everyone moves differently. Maureen and

I just basically move differently.

Young people with disabilities pretty

much assume that they can't be dancers -

"nobody likes the way I move and

nobody moves like I do." Things can be

programmatically accessible, but then

there's [also] physical access. And

[beyond that], the acceptance that people

with disabilities can make significant

contributions, because the [current]

assumption is that people with disabilities

need to be taken care of."

Maureen Finnerty

VSA - The International

Organization on Arts and Disability

"For me, access needs to be a

forethought and not an afterthought. It's

all about thinking that someone with a

disability might show up - as opposed to

what happens when I go to a show.

People don't think I should be at a dance

show "because I don't dance." First of all

I do dance and second of all, why would

you make that assumption?

From a teaching perspective, access needs

to be about language - especially in the

definition of dance. For the kids we

work with, some of them have difficulty

moving their arm - and so if we can get

them to move that arm, that's dance for

them. We need to take the "dis" out of

disability."

Klare Shaw

EdVestors

"One thing I want to reinforce is that

access is not just wonderful opportunities

for 19-20% of the kids in Boston who do

have disabilities, but [it's about] the

opportunity [for the others] to interact

with and learn from those dancers.

The whole notion of accessibility actually

goes both ways when it comes to the

economics of it: for many [young] people

who want to go on, if their parents can't

afford it, then that's an impediment to

reach out and connect with cultural

partners and teaching artists.

One big thing is about the representation

of dancing here. We need to work more

closely on promoting access to dance and

music."