Peace, Love, and Dance - 2021 Spring Residents
Indya Childs and Josh Cleveland joined PlySpace in the spring of 2021 for a special project collaboration between the Peace, Love, and Dance Project, PlySpace, and the Ball State University Department of Theater and Dance.
Part 1: The Creative Use of Difference
The project unfolded in two parts. The first portion of the project was comprised of four community panel discussion webinars as part of the series: The Creative Use of Difference. Each panel featured artists, both local to Indiana/Muncie and national, who are using their respected art forms to creatively bring awareness to societal issues such as racial injustices, sexism, and more. These hour-long discussions were moderated by Atlanta-based artist Indya Childs. Each discussion was free and open to the public.
You can read about the events in the Muncie Journal! Click on the titles below to watch the recorded discussion.
FEBRUARY 11TH, 6-7 PM EST - THE ART OF POLITICS
Guest Speakers: Ted Williams III + Shantanu Suman
FEBRUARY 18TH, 6-7 PM EST - THE BLACK WOMAN CREATING
Guest Speakers: Charmaine Minniefield + Dee Dee Batteast
FEBRUARY 25TH, 6-7 PM EST - WOMEN SHIFTING THE SPACE
Guest Speaker: Ana de Brea + Lauren Pacheco
MARCH 4TH, 6-7 PM EST - THE "NEW" POLICIES OF DANCE
Guest Speakers: Felicia Thomas + Beverly Bautista
Part 2: Peace, Love, and Dance
The second portion of the project happened behind the scenes through a collaboration between Indya and a group of dancers from Ball State University. Throughout the month of February and March, Indya developed a new work, entitled "Peace, Love, Dance" with Ball State University Department of Theatre and Dance students, drawing from the content uncovered in the panel discussions. The semester-long project culminated in a dance film, filmed and produced by Josh Cleveland, with new work choreographed in response to the Creative Use of Difference series by Indya Childs, Ball State faculty Melanie Swihart, and the students.
You can watch the final film here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVuCDZyveLw&t=2s
The entire project is also documented for Ball State University: https://digitalresearch.bsu.edu/peacelovedancebsu/peacelovedance
Peace, Love, and Dance in development - Photo by Ceth Williams
Indya Childs hails from Atlanta, GA. After graduating from Kennesaw State University with a B.A. in Dance, she had the privilege of working with Ballethnic Dance Company, T. Lang Dance, Kit Modus, and Scrap Performance Group. In 2015, Indya was featured in Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch. In 2018, Indya performed a new solo work choreographed by Sidra Bell for the Women in Dance Conference in NYC. In 2019, she completed a year of training at the Hubbard Street Professional Program (HSPRO) under the direction of Alexandra Wells. The same year, Indya was awarded a full merit scholarship from the Cultural Service of the Consulate of France and the Goethe-Institut in Chicago to attend the Camping dance festival in Paris, France. Indya currently dances with Abby Z and the New Utility in New York.
Josh Cleveland
“I’m a storyteller and filmmaker whose creative voice centers on exploring and making space for discussion around marginalized and oppressed voices, topics of faith, blackness, God, and the complexities of humanity and the soul. I hope to produce sincere and meaningful stories that question and critique social and political constructs that formulate our perceptions of reality and identity. I desire to introduce visuals and images that are also in conversation with these themes and introduce aesthetics that challenge viewers to formulate moments of introspection and self-evaluation. I’m on my own journey to develop innovative and honest ways to tell stories of the heart and create worlds that allow the unheard to occupy spaces of structural and social power and to find agency in places that weren’t previously accessible.”