This event is currently being hosted on a separate registration page. .
Disability Justice in Dance Education
April 09, 2025
Reminder: Times are all EDT/EST
Webinar Access Links will be sent 1 hour prior to the start of the webinar. If you are registering after 3pm ET on 4/9 please email membership@ndeo.org after registering for the access links.
ASL/Closed Captioning Available
Registration for this event is free for members and non-members, however if you'd like to support NDEO please consider a small optional registration fee of $5, $10, or $15 if you can.
Join us for an insightful webinar that delves into the 10 Principles of Disability Justice, unpacking their significance as a framework for equity and inclusion. We鈥檒l discuss actionable strategies to embed these principles into dance education, focusing on how educators can reimagine their classrooms as spaces of accessibility and belonging. Whether you鈥檙e a teacher, choreographer, or advocate, this session will equip you with tools to dismantle barriers, center Disabled voices, and foster a dance environment where every body thrives.
Key takeaways:
- Understanding the core tenets of Disability Justice.
-Collaborating with disabled artists/educators to shape equitable practices. - Adapting teaching methods to prioritize flexibility and inclusion. - Creating multiple access points through technology, language, and physical modifications.
Transform your practice鈥攍et鈥檚 redefine what it means to make dance truly accessible.
Agenda
Speakers
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Vanessa Cruz
<p><strong>Vanessa Hern谩ndez Cruz </strong>(she/her/ella) is a Chicana Disabled multidisciplinary dance artist, intersectional Disability Justice activist, and interdependent creator rooted in the unceded lands of the Tongva and Kizh peoples (colonially known as Los Angeles, California). Through her advocacy, artistry, and consultancy, she is dismantling barriers and is reimagining accessibility as a creative force. Vanessa鈥檚 transformative advocacy spans in collaborative projects that center Disability Justice. In 2024, she was a co-project manager and writer alongside Kevin Gotkin, for AXIS Dance Company鈥檚 鈥淎ccess Guide鈥� for performing arts venues and presenters. She later served as Humanities Advisor for MonkeyHouse鈥檚 archival initiative 鈥楧ancing with Disabilities鈥� and was a Disability Justice Consultant for movement-based company We Still Move in shaping their groundbreaking event 鈥淩elease! Unleash! 隆Lib茅rate!鈥�. Currently, she guides accessibility strategy for HomeLA, Los Angeles鈥� nomadic performance organization. Alongside her consultancy work she has been deep in her dance practice. In late 2024, she was an Access Movement Play (AMP) Artist in Residency in New York. Earlier that year, she premiered an experimental contemporary dance solo titled 鈥楽oul Seeker' for the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibition show 'Abundance鈥�. This work later premiered at the new Disabled Art鈥檚 Mouthwater Festival in the fall 2024 at On The Boards, where she also served as a curator and producer. Vanessa is a 2023 California Arts Council x The Center of Cultural Power Artist Disruptor Award recipient, where she premiered an evening length dance at Highways Performance Space titled: Void Decryption ERROR; where she successfully live-streamed QBIPOC Disabled artists on stage with her. Spanning dance, visual art, and writing鈥擵anessa challenges systemic inequities while celebrating the multiplicities of Disabled, BIPOC, and queer communities. Committed to radical accessibility, she strives to transform dance into a space where marginalized bodies thrive, innovate, and lead.</p>
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