We recognize that this message is late and for that, we are truly sorry.

Joy of Motion stands up against the violent act of racism. We stand with the Black community. We stand with those who protest, those who speak out, and with those who do their ancestors justice by merely living it and are actively dismantling white supremacy. We stand with those who fight systemic racism through art, organizing, and advocacy. We stand up because Black lives matter. We know that we must stand up and take action to actively change the world and our place in it.

We are committing to dismantling centuries of systemic oppression and violence against Black people in America. We recognize that we must work to educate ourselves and actively dismantle rampant anti-blackness and racism in the world of dance. We are ready for this change.

We also acknowledge that in these endeavors, Joy of Motion has fallen short. We need to take a deep look within ourselves, listen to the communities of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and understand how we can do better. In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to communicate the steps that JOM will take to do right by this work.

We will take action by:

• Prioritizing the equality of BIPOC faculty and staff members and fostering a culture where their views are always heard, including programming decisions and representation in our leadership and on our board.
• Giving equal value to all dance forms in our offerings, especially non-Western dance forms.
• Making our programs more accessible to dancers of color, and actively supporting other dance organizations led by people of color.
• Educating our leaders, faculty, and staff to be better accomplices and advocates to our BIPOC dancers and community members.
• Ensuring that we are living our true core foundational value that Dance is for Everyone™.

We will continue to communicate how we will execute these and more actions. We have a lot of work to do. While we listen, learn, and grow, we are committed to using our platform to speak up for social justice and condemn racism.

We hope that Joy of Motion can be a place of healing, a place of inclusion, a place where we meet you where you are. We hope that we can be not only a space where all feel welcomed, but where everyone will feel seen and acknowledged. We know that dance can be a powerful vehicle for change and transformation, and we need to embody the full potential of that change.

We want to hear from you.

Please contact us at speakup@joyofmotion.org, a centralized location where all staff members and members of the board will have access. We will also be passing along every comment and message here will be passed along to that address.