Global Water Dances

Videography by Michèle Cramont

Connect to the environment through your body.
Support communities in need. 
Join the fight for safe water.

Global Water Dances 2021: 
Dancing for Safe Water Everywhere

Core Dance aims to bring voice to our communities through purposeful connection and action-oriented initiatives. Our work is deeply embedded in the issues that we all face, both nationally and globally.

 

We choose to act as environmental advocates by holding ourselves accountable for our actions and the effects of those actions on the planet. For us this means sharing important, relevant information with our community in ways that are accessible, taking an active role on the frontlines of the environmental crisis, and encouraging others to take action.

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Photo by Simon Gentry

​Global Water Dances (GWD) uses the art of dance to illuminate water issues on a global scale. Their work incites collaboration to address water issues through the universal language of dance, and encourages participants to take direct action aiding in the fight. Core Dance last participated in Global Water Dances in 2019 at the Samúel Jónssons Art Farm, Selárdalur, Iceland.

Photo by Simon Gentry

Fighting for Safe Water in Hawaii​

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In June 2021, we joined dance artists and environmentalists on the Big Island of Hawaii for Global Water Dances 2021. Working alongside the Hawai’i Wildlife Fund at Kamilo Point and Hawai’i Environmental Restoration in the lowland rainforest of Keau'ohana, we experienced the environmental crisis first hand, aid in local  efforts, and bring our experience and the Call To Action to the Core Dance Community worldwide. Before traveling to Hawaii, the artists of Core Dance took the pono pledge and participated in the carbon offset of our travel to Hawaii through Carbon Buddy - both to hold themselves accountable for any cultural or environmental impact incurred during the trip.

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Once in Hawaii, our Dance Artists participated in  four days of cultural immersion with Ryan McCormack, esteemed Hula instructor originally from Waimānalo who holds a Masters Degree in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. He now calls the rainforest of ʻŌlaʻa, Hawaiʻi Island home, where his passion for hula and community expand great widths. 


Alongside this cultural immersion, the Dance Artists from Core Dance offered a series of dance/movement classes, Moving with and for our Water at Volcano Art Center and multiple Global Water Dances community projects. Watch the video below for a glimpse into some of their work in Hawai'i.

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Meet Our Collaborators

Megan Lamson

Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund’s Board President and Hawaiʻi Program Director

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Megan has been coordinating HWF’s Hawaiʻi Island Marine Debris Removal Project and Anchialine Restoration Projects in southeast Hawaiʻi since 2008. She began exploring ocean critters in Hawaiʻi and California during her childhood, then earned a bachelor’s in marine biology at the University of California at Santa Cruz and a master’s in tropical conservation biology and environmental science at the University of Hawaiʻi in Hilo.

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Lamson focused her academic research on coral reef fish ecology and community-based marine resource management. She is on the board of non-profit, Ka ʻOhana O Honuʻapo, and has been actively working on conservation issues along the Ka’ū coastline since 2005. She has primary responsibility for grant writing and reporting for all of HWF’s Hawaiʻi Island projects. Lamson has also worked part-time for the state’s Division of Aquatic Resources in Kona since 2012.

Jaya Dupuis

Hawaiʻi Environmental Restoration Board President

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Jaya has since 1989 immersed herself in the natural world of subsistence farming; and since 2014 has been project coordinator for the restoration of Keau’ohana native rainforest. She is also dedicated to community outreach and education of critical vegetation issues, in support of the lowland environment at large. 

Ms. Dupuis is the author of  of “Hawai’i Plant World Essentials“.  You can also find her 2012 thesis about vegetation patterns in Hawaii:  “Invasion and Resilience in Lowland Wet Forests of Hawai‘i“.

Volcano Art Center

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Volcano Art Center (VAC) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) educational organization founded in 1974 by a band of eclectic and energetic artists. Today, Volcano Art Center continues to operate a successful fine arts gallery showcasing handcrafted artworks by over 230 local artists, as well as developing and offering programs for residents, keiki (children) and visitors alike, including the award-winning Na Mea Hawai‘i Hula Kahiko performance series at the kahua hula in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Ways to Act Now

Learn About the Crisis in Hawaii

Our environmental partner organizations in Hawaii are doing important work that is making a direct impact on coastal ecosystems that have become overwhelmed with pollution. Access the resources below from Hawai'i Wildlife Fund to find out more about some of the coastal ecosystems that are suffering from the influx of pollutants, and the long-term implications of marine debris.

The article below discusses the work of our collaborator Jaya Dupuis, and her restoration efforts in the lowland rainforest of Keau‘ohana. One of the sites our artists will be visiting is Kamilo Point. This location has been deemed "one of the dirtiest places in the world" for the massive amounts of plastic that float in from neighboring countries creating a "graveyard for the world's junk". Click below to find out more.



Move with Us: Our Global Water Dances 2021 Schedule of Events



Make a Financial Contribution

Each year, trade winds and ocean currents deposit an estimated 15-20 tons of fishing nets, tires, and plastic debris onto the southeastern shore of Hawaii Island. This debris can injure or kill seals, whales, seabirds and other native wildlife. Each ton of trash costs $700 to remove, not including the time and effort donated by the team of dedicated volunteers who give countless hours of manual labor. The EPA estimates that we as humans produce about 4.9 lbs. of waste per day, accumulating to almost 1800 lbs. annually. The impact of this trash, much of which makes its way to Hawaii's coastlines, is devastating to the once vibrant native vegetation and animal life present there. We are calling upon you, our communities near and far, to help raise enough funds to remove one ton of trash from some of the most polluted areas in the world, which have found their way to treasured coasts of Hawaii. Join us in taking responsibility for the impact we have on our shared environment, and honoring our duty to protect the only planet we have, Earth. Information will be released shortly about how to make a financial contribution to this fundraising effort. All proceeds Core Dance receives will be split evenly and sent directly to our partner organizations, Hawai'i Wildlife Fund and Hawai'i Environmental Restoration.



Take Action in Your Community

In the words of our collaborator Megan Lamson, “There are ways that we all can be a little bit more mindful and pay attention that there is only one planet Earth.” Reference the list below from Hawai'i Wildlife Fund, about the many ways you can make a direct impact on the environment in your local community and around the world.

  1. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and refuse single-use plastics!
  2. Properly dispose of all trash and recycling so that streets, sidewalks, parking lots, etc. remain free of trash.
  3. Use reusable shopping bags and be mindful that “less is more” when it comes to product packaging.
  4. Use water filters, water coolers, and refillable metal and glass bottles instead of purchasing bottled water.
  5. Buy soft drinks in aluminum cans or glass. If you have to purchase something in plastic, select types that are recyclable locally.
  6. Encourage restaurants to use biodegradable products or bring your own utensils and to-go ware!
  7. Avoid over-packaged merchandise, disposable lighters, razors, cameras, Styrofoam cups and clamshell containers, and other throw-away items.
  8. Make your own bath products to avoid products that contain tiny plastic "micro-scrubbers" that wash down the drain into our oceans.
  9. Serve as an example to others by taking all of these actions and encouraging others to join you!
Click to view the entire resource list.



Advocate for the Environment

Your voice is just as important as the physical actions you take. Use yours to demand action and call for advocacy on important environmental issues facing our communities throughout the world. View a detailed list of current opporuntities below.

  • Amazon Watch - Pledge to Protect the Amazon Rainforest (introduced by Leila Salazar-Lopez)
    • Mission: "Amazon Watch is a nonprofit organization founded in 1996 to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin. We partner with indigenous and environmental organizations in campaigns for human rights, corporate accountability and the preservation of the Amazon's ecological systems." introduced by
  • A Global Deal for Nature - Petition (introduced by Carly Vynne, PhD)
    • Mission: "Sign the petition calling on world leaders to support a Global Deal for Nature that protects and restores half of the Earth’s lands and oceans."
  • Drawdown Learn
    • Mission: "Drawdown Learn is a broad initiative to encourage education and learning about climate solutions based on Project Drawdown’s research, analysis, and insights. Through our programs and partnerships, we are helping educators and students of all ages to understand the solutions available to address the climate crisis and create new ways of teaching and learning about Drawdown solutions."
  • Cooperation Jackson (introduced by Brandon King)
    • Mission: "The broad mission of Cooperation Jackson is to advance the development of economic democracy in Jackson, Mississippi by building a solidarity economy anchored by a network of cooperatives and other types of worker-owned and democratically self-managed enterprises."
  • New Consensus (introduced by Demond Drummer)
    • Mission: "We are a global, distributed network of academics, creators, activists, leaders and entrepreneurs working to make the new consensus the standard operating system for national economies around the world."
  • Youth Vs. Apocalypse (introduced by Isha Clarke)
    • Mission: "Youth Vs. Apocalypse is a diverse group of young climate justice activists working together to lift the voices of youth, in particular youth of color, and fight for a livable climate and an equitable, sustainable, and just world."
  • Schumacher Center for a New Economics (introduced by Greg Watson)
    • Mission: "To envision a just and sustainable global economy; apply the concepts locally; then share the results for broad replication."
  • Democracy Collaborative (introduced by Ted Howard)
    • Mission: "Through our cutting edge research and our many diverse programs, The Democracy Collaborative works to carry out a vision of a new economic system where shared ownership and control creates more equitable and inclusive outcomes, fosters ecological sustainability, and promotes flourishing democratic and community life."
  • Seed Sovereignty (introduced by Christine Nobiss)
    • Mission: "Seed Sovereignty reclaims seeds and Biodiversity as commons and public good. The farmer's rights to breed and exchange diverse Open Source Seeds which can be saved and which are not patented, genetically modified, owned or controlled by emerging seed giants."
  • Coral Reef Alliance (introduced by Madhavi Colton)
    • Mission: "We work collaboratively with communities to reduce direct threats to reefs in ways that provide long-term benefits to people and wildlife."



Thank You to Our Partners

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