In this panel from the Gather at the Delta, Donna Mejia and Drake Von Trapp discuss gender, its deconstruction and re-imagining gender in dance.
For more information about Donna: https://donnainthedance.com/
For more information about Drake: http://drakevontrapp.dance/
The Gather at the Delta Initiative was a first effort to have a global conversation for Transcultural Fusion Dance, and to collectively imagine what fair trade cultural exchange could look like. The initiative was designed by Donna Mejia. Part 1 was a Colloquium of relevant topics held virtually on February 27th, 2021 and sponsored by Earthdance and Beyond Dance Business Academy. Datura Online is proud to be one of the hosts for the Gather at the Delta videos.
From the Gather at the Delta Team:
"Fusion is as old as contact between cultures. We aim to pursue a thoughtful approach to it.
Objective #1. The first generation of this one-day conference aims to provide a platform for intellectual, philosophical, educational and creative exchange between practitioners of the many fusion forms inspired by dances traditions of the MENATH Regions (Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and Hellenistic cultures).
Objective #2. This colloquium is also an effort to investigate, imagine and seed new ethical practices in a community that has awakened to the harmful histories of Orientalism, colonialism, genocide and slavery. We understand that our emerging global citizenship must acknowledge interconnection, interdependence, intersectionality, and stewardship.
Objective #3. This initiative establishes a global repository and archive of our generation’s efforts: artistic, intellectual and communal. It includes (1) virtual galleries of dance works from the community, (2) catalogs of interviews with pivotal artists, musicians, producers, activists, scholars, and researchers, and (3) forum summaries from communities around the world and (4) recordings of conference events for future participants and scholars.
Objective #4. This gathering has been designed for affordability and accessibility of presenters and participants from all over the globe. It is an experiment in our emerging global citizenship. Although your design team is hosting the event from an English-speaking country, we aim to provide timely access to events that can be engaged through digital/AI translation services.
Objective #5. This initiative will launch the first global survey of the transnational / transcultural fusion dance community. We aim for this information about who we are individually, and what our lives are like, to inform us beyond stereotypes and assumptions. We know that until we have data about this global art movement, we are without tools to fully understand ourselves… and our legacy. This data will not be sold to commercial entities.