MODArts Dance Collective
MODArts Dance Collective (MADC), established in 2011 by Leah & Shaun Tubbs, holds space for ALAANA, MENA, & SWANA people through its choreographic work, festivals, concerts, residencies, & workshops. The vision of MADC is to reflect the historical and cultural legacy of black and brown communities through all of its offerings to people and audiences nationwide. The mission of MADC is to utilize movement as the catalyst to increase IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, & access) as a form of resistance & liberation for Black & Brown people nationwide. MADC is a newly formed nonprofit organization as of December 7, 2021. MADC’s self produced season consists of 2 annual festivals (Move to Change & Collective Thread) creating platforms for choreographers of color to present their work, 1 free workshop (Me<We: a workshop) for BIPOC teenage girls ages 13-18, 1 free residency (Collective Thread) for BIPOC womxn dancers & choreographers ages 18+, and a solo concert (Me<We: a solo dance concert). The goal/outcome of MADC’s season is to provide as much safe, open, therapeutic, & healing space for BIPOC to be seen and heard while building sustainable community amongst Black & Brown people. (Photo: Sean McInnis)
Website: https://www.modartsdance.com
PERFORMANCE PROJECT:
MADC will use the artist-in-residence to expand our Me<We: a workshop to all BIPOC teenagers. The Me<We workshop would evolve into a celebratory, self-affirming space for BIPOC teenagers ages 13-18 to hone their technical skills as dancers and create choreography with an underlying theme of community. These 2-hour workshops will consist of the following: 60 minutes of movement based classes, 30 minutes of round table discussions + journaling, & 30 minutes of Creative Exploration through Movement (CEtM) once a week for the duration of the NYC DOE school year. This workshop would include an informal showcase before the winter recess to share with family, a couple of open houses for the community to see the creative process done in real time followed by a quick q& a session, and community what the students have been creating over the start of the program and culminate with a concert where the budding artists would share an excerpt of a MADC repertory piece and premiere their solo that they have been building in the tenure of the program. The purpose of the Me<We workshop is to provide young artists access to technical and creative resources to assist in strengthening their voices. The goal of the Me<We workshop is to provide a safe and open space for BIPOC teenagers ages 13-18 to cultivate tools towards positive mental and emotional health, build a cohesive, sustainable circle of peers, strengthen their artistic voices, and realize that their voices are necessary to change the world.
