DANCE

FOR WATER IN NEW YORK

We are an organization of movement and water enthusiasts who believe that dance, like water, has the ability to stir up society and catalyze a ripple effect of change.

Through participatory art events, we partner with communities to generate local and global environmental awareness. We stand, stomp and reach for a world invested in clean, safe water for all.

ABOUT

GLOBAL WATER DANCES

Global Water Dances New York (GWD-NY) was founded by a group of dance and non-verbal communication experts. Our founders partnered with local choreographers to develop performances that mirror water’s dynamic patterns and reflect how humans resolve water scarcity and demonstrate appreciation. GWD-NY produces events that engage audiences through community building,education, movement and problem solving.

Founder

GWD-NY co-founder and site director, Dr. Martha Eddy, is a celebrated dance educator, scholar, Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst, and exercise physiologist. She has designed wellness, anti-violence and environmental programs for schools through the Center for Kinesthetic Education, and Moving For Life.

Steering Committee

The GWD-NY Steering Committee includes choreographers, dancers, environmental activists, event producers, movement educators, and social entrepreneurs committed to catalyzing change, promoting health and building community.

GWD-NY engages water experts, social justice organizations, artists and community members in interdisciplinary events throughout the year culminating in the GWD-NY event in May. We incorporate multiple modalities including movement, art making, live music, conversation, collaboration and education.

GWD-NY events welcome all types of movement while highlighting techniques in somatic movement therapy and expressive arts, Dynamic Embodiment™, Body Mind Dancing™, Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis, as well as free-form improvisation and experimental dance. Between movement segments, participants are prompted with thought-provoking questions and engage in community-based dialogue.

While the structure of each event is informed by strategies in Laban Movement Analysis and Solution-Oriented Coaching, local organizers and participants have complete agency to direct the collaborative learning process. Like water, our events are adaptable and fluid. Each gathering is intended to build ongoing partnerships, develop imaginative solutions for personal, cultural and environmental change and bring joy to everyone involved.

New York City’s economic success and cultural vibrancy is due in large part to its access to multiple water sources. New York City’s port, in close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the Hudson River, allowed for a booming trade during the early nineteenth century. The economic opportunities of NYC attracted people from across the nation and around the world.

Steady increases in population strained the systems within the city that provided potable water to its residents, including wells, cisterns and springs. Clean water from upstate New York was diverted southward to address the needs of the growing metropolis. Today, aqueducts, reservoirs and tunnels connect New York City’s water to its following upstate sources: the Croton River, water from the Catskill Mountains and tributaries of the Delaware River. New Yorkers are connected by the water they consume.

Approximately 95 percent of the total water supply is delivered to the consumer by gravity. Political boundaries are delineated by our waterways. Working to maintain safe water for all urges us to work across boundaries for common goals.

New York enjoys relatively easy access to water compared to the rest of the world. We work together across the state – from the Catskills to the Hudson River Valley to New York City and Long Island to provide water for both rural areas and densely packed urban areas. We strive to make more citizens aware of this shared resource and choose to honor and celebrate this through dance.