On April 9, 2016, 18 World Dancers embarked on an inspiring, poignant day together, bringing love and connection to wheel-chair bound seniors and disabled adults in our community. It was a day full of heart and humanity for us all.
WD Activities
Helping Kids in Our Community / Love and Licks from Gracie
Santa Barbara’s Westside Boys & Girls Club serves more than 100 children each day after school. Many of the kids are barely passing their subjects in school, and the Club is trying hard to give them the support they need to turn this around. They are severely short-staffed and need volunteers to work with the children. World Dance for Humanity is stepping up to fill this need by providing after-school volunteers. We’re also opening a window into the world for these children by nurturing a relationship between their Club and Rwanda. For two years, they have been sponsoring Clarisse, one of our Rwandan students. A few weeks ago, we shared a video of Clarisse’s life in her Rwandan village. It was VERY eye-opening for the children, who are making a video about their own lives to share with Clarisse!
One Billion Rising 2016
“Well-behaved women rarely make history!” This slogan on Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson’s T-shirt summed up the spirit of activism, connection, and empowerment we all felt on Sunday, when we joined the world in protesting violence against women. We are grateful to the SB Rape Crisis Center for hosting the event, and to Senator Jackson and Assemblymember Das Williams for “Breaking the Chain” with us!
Martin Luther King, Jr. Remembrance 2016
On the morning of January 18th, 20 World Dancers traded their raincoats for jingles, and joined with the community in Santa Barbara’s annual MLK tribute. Below are some impressions of the wonderful experience we shared together. Thank you Tom Spadoro, Grace Spadoro, Jacob Yinger, Rob Hoffman, and Hugh Brown, and Lida Paradisi for the wonderful pics and videos!
Albanian Dance Day – With a Special Guest!
Those of you who were in class Feb. 7th met SADIK KADRIJAJ, a young Albanian man from Kosova (former Yugoslavia) who was the subject of a documentary in the Santa Barbara film festival, “A Single Frame.” In this report, you’ll see how his visit made it possible for three of our Rwandan high school students to attend school in 2016!
Wetlands Reunion – for Rwanda!
Huge thanks to the 10 incredible musicians who gave us the best dance party EVER! We raised $1,037 to buy a full-grown, pregnant cow for the Tubehotwese (“Let Us All Live”) Co-op in Rwanda. It’s the first cow these impoverished farmers have ever had, and will provide milk for the community and manure for their crops. An ecstatic dance night – life changing for the people we serve!
Sharing Holidays with Seniors and the Homeless
WD4H Board Chair Peter Haslund: “OK, here is the question of the day: How can so many people have so much fun doing so much good and bringing so much joy to so many people who truly benefit from these efforts?”
Vieja Valley School’s 1st Skype with Rwanda!
World Dancer Christy Morse found two 6th grade teachers, Kim Gevirtz and Dave Carter, with the imagination and spirit to embark on a wonderful partnership with a Rwandan school. The children are so excited about the connection! They’re coming up with great ideas about ways to share their stories and their lives – via video, Skype and letters. See their amazing first Skype together…
Westside Boys and Girls Club Reaches out to Rwanda
World Dancer Jackie Pruitt is working with Club Director Priscilla Hernandez on the children’s sponsorship of Clarisse, a Rwandan high school student. Christy Morse also volunteers at the Club most afternoons, helping the kids with basic skills. In October we showed them videos of Rwandan children and they were SO curious about their lives. In November, the children wrote 51 LETTERS to Clarisse! Here are a few letters and photos:
International Women’s Day – State St. “Break the Chain” Flashmob
Photos I asked one of our new World Dance interns, Genevieve, to write a few sentences on her experience of last Sunday’s flashmob. This is what she sent. I had to share it. The sun was shining, the music was blaring, the cars were honking, and the people were clapping, but our feet were far […]
Dance Jam with Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries
Last Thursday, our evening class had a “field trip” to a Summer Concert in the Park featuring Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries, one of the top 50s & 60s Rock ‘n Roll band. We danced our socks off, to fantastic music, on a beautiful evening. Ah……….
Soul Jam for Africa
We had another fabulous time June 13th at our SoulBiscuit dance night at the Creekside! The band was awesome, we had a full house, danced like crazy for 4 hours straight, and made $1,000 for the communities we serve in Rwanda! SoulBiscuit Leader Ed Diamond: “That was possibly the most fun I’ve had in my […]
Dance Outreach to the Elderly and Disabled – May 2015
On Saturday, May 17th, World Dancers visited elderly and disabled folks in Santa Barbara, bringing SWING music to the seniors and ROCK N’ ROLL to the young adults. As they took our hands, their faces slowly brightened, the music lifted them, and we shared amazing moments of affection and connection.erly and disabled folks in Santa Barbara, bringing SWING music to the seniors and ROCK N’ ROLL to the young adults. As they took our hands, their faces slowly brightened, the music lifted them, and we shared amazing moments of affection and connection.
World Dance on Local TV News
We had a blast doing this TV spot, rockin’ out on the KEYT patio looking out over all of Santa Barbara and the coastline. It was gorgeous up there – and wonderful working with Meredith, Shirin, and Jennifer on the piece! We send a message inviting Santa Barbara to join World Dance, get involved in our outreach work, and take part in our March 8th State Street “Break the Chain” Flashmob for International Women’s Day.
One Billion Rising
1 in 3 women in the world will experience domestic violence or sexual assault during her lifetime. With the planet’s population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION women and girls. ONE BILLION RISING is a protest against domestic violence that takes place around the world on Feb 14th. World Dance taught the powerful dance, “Break the Chain,” and we danced together on Feb. 14th, reaching out to our sisters in Rwanda, and women around the world, in strength and unity.
Martin Luther King Rememberance
“The arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice.” On Monday, January 19th, World Dancers helped open Santa Barbara’s MLK celebration at De la Guerra Plaza. We brought warm, passionate spirits to the day, sharing our message of service…
Thriller 2014: Outcomes! Videos!
With all 2014 donations in, we can now share the final results of our Thriller and year-end fundraising efforts. Our (lofty!) 2014 goal was $35,000 for the Rwanda Education Fund and local charities. (The Thrill for Humanity video below says we raised $23,000. That’s old news!) Thanks to our AMAZING dancers and donors, the final amount raised was…
Holiday Dance Outreach – December 6, 2014
On Saturday, December 6, a group of World Dancers visited wheelchair-bound folks at retirement homes and at a home for disabled adults, performing holiday dances and “dancing” with the residents. As always during our Outreach excursions, it was a penetrating, joyful experience – reaching through silence, stillness, and pain – to love and connection.
A Visit with Genocide Survivor Frederick Ndabaramiye
A group of World Dancers enjoyed a very special opportunity to talk about Rwanda with genocide survivor Frederick Ndabaramiye in a small, intimate setting. He told us his story, and how the horrors he experienced, and his miraculous survival, inspired him to devote his life to helping his fellow Rwandans.
Creekside Soul Funk Dance Party = 40 Goats to Tubeho
On July 26th, World Dancers and friends gathered for a fabulous night of dancing at a local club, Creekside. Our local 70s band, SoulBiscuit donated their time and talent so all the funds we raised could go to Rwanda. On July 28th, $1,800 was wired to Rwanda to purchase 40 GOATS for the Tubeho
Check out our new look!
If you’re lucky, you’ll see our World Dancers around town in a bouquet of colors and styles. The beautiful printing job was graciously done by by Recovery Ranch Sober Living in Santa Ynez. We’ll be proudly wearing our shirts and using our shopping bags around town, sharing World Dance for Humanity’s message of service. We […]
David Powdrell Joins the World Dance Advisory Board
World Dance for Humanity is delighted to welcome David Powdrell to our Advisory Board and to the Finance Committee of the WD4H Board. David is a Certified Public Accountant and graduate of the University of Colorado. He has served on the Board of Directors for Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, Carpinteria Rotary Charitable Foundation, Carpinteria Noontime […]
World Dance at I Madonnari Chalk Art Festival
Each Memorial Day, Madonnari (street painters) transform the Old Mission plaza into a spectacle of color and creativity with 150 beautiful, vibrant chalk images. This year, World Dance for Humanity was delighted to take part, sponsoring Art Walk for Kids/Adults, a program for artists with disabilities, to create beautiful 8’ by 12’ chalk drawing expressing the joy of dance. We’re grateful to Teresa Nowak who’s idea sparked this collaboration, and Kerrie Kilpatrick-Weinberg, Director and Founder of Art Walk.
Mother’s Day Outreach in Santa Barbara
The day before Mother’s Day, World Dancers ventured out into community to share the gift of music and movement, to connect with folks who are confined, for most of each day, to a wheelchair, and to honor an extraordinary generation of Americans.
Rwanda Benefit Dance Party at Soho
As the remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide drew to a close, World Dance for Humanity invited the community to a Rwanda benefit at a favorite Santa Barbara dance club. It was an amazing night of non-stop dancing to the irresistible funk-soul sound of SOULBISCUIT… and we raised a total of $1,500, […]
World Dance Retreat at El Capitan Canyon
On March 30, 30 World Dancers enjoyed a wonderful time together… a beautiful evening around the campfire getting to know each other, a cozy fun night in the cabins, a gorgeous morning, a splendid hike and visit with the llamas and goats in a field above the Pacific. What a special time at El […]
World Dance “Happy” Dance Flashmob
We enjoyed a wonderful “First Thursday” outing, dancing our way down Santa Barbara’s State Street, sharing the free and open spirit of our World Dance community with passersby. Thank you everyone who took part!
Martin Luther King Remembrance
“An individual has not started living until they can rise above the narrow confines of their individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” Martin Luther King, Jr. On the morning of January 20th, 16 World Dancers took part in Santa Barbara’s annual MLK tribute. We were honored by the invitation to help kick-off […]
Rain Dance at Santa Barbara Mission
Dear Janet, Teresa, and members of the World Dance for Humanity, I cannot begin to express the joy, love, beauty, and prayer you brought to everyone at Old Mission Santa Barbara for our Rain Dance gathering – celebrating together and expressing our common need. This day, and your leadership and dance, was an incredible inspiration […]
Holiday Outreach 2013
In December of 2013, World Dancers once again performed for retired communities and homes for the disabled in Santa Barbara. All of our hearts were opened…and filled. It was the highpoint of our holiday season!