Exclusive Interview -- From her seventh-floor studio overlooking Montreal’s picturesque Mont Royal, Studio Sweatshop co-founder JoDee Allen shares her company’s mission to use breakdance as a force for positivity and personal empowerment.
CA -- So JoDee, tell us about the origins of Studio Sweatshop and its unique mission.
JA -- When I first started learning to breakdance, I was part of a group of all-women breakdancers. This allowed us to have a truly safe and cool space for all of us women to start learning. We supported each other, we cheered for each other even when we sucked, and we just had a good time and didn’t care about how good we were. So if you can get through those tough, early stages of learning to breakdance, eventually you do get better. It’s so easy to judge oneself when learning something as difficult as breakdance. It’s easy to say, "I’m not going to pick this up," or "I look stupid." One of the reasons why I was able to stick with it was just that we all supported each other and had such a blast dancing together.
Studio Sweatshop emerged from my desire to create for others that positive, non-judgmental learning environment that was so helpful for me when I first learned to breakdance. So in 2004, I launched Studio Sweatshop with my then partner, Helen Simard, with whom I had been dancing for several years. Initially, we wanted to create a positive, safe environment for people to start learning to breakdance.
CA – This is quite unique - a duo of female breakdancers. Has that been a challenge, given how closely breakdance and hip hop culture are often associated with the tough-guy, macho values system?
JA – Definitely. I find that many people are still discouraged from breakdance because of that "hardcore" image. It can be intimidating. Breakdance is a dance of confidence and it’s also a competitive dance. Those two things can be intimidating and can approach being very negative, depending on how they are viewed.
In my life, I’ve chosen to use them as positive elements, to use the confidence that’s required to breakdance as a source of personal strength. The same goes for the competition aspect. It’s quite a profound experience to step into that circle and look somebody in the eye and think, "Okay, here I am, and I’m going to show you my moves." In our workshops and classes, Helen and I often use an expression we’ve coined to help students see that the competitive aspect of breakdance can be so positive. "You get to become a superhero version of yourself," we tell students. And how cool is that? In our everyday lives, we don’t often get to stand up for ourselves and get in someone’s face when challenged. In breakdance, you take on a persona that allows you to do just that, and it can be a very empowering thing.
CA – Tell us more about this philosophy of using breakdance as a vehicle for personal development, and how you’ve created such a positive environment here at the studio.
JA – When a student walks into Studio Sweatshop for the first time, we don’t expect that they will become a professional dancer, or a ‘Bboy’ or ‘Bgirl.’ We want to teach a respect for the dance and to create a positive community where people feel welcome. Hip hop, at it’s core, is very positive. That’s what we emphasize here at Sweatshop. The sharing. The learning process. We want to stay away from the negativity often associated with hip hop.
CA – A part of the hip hop world is perceived as a negative cultural force. Hip hop can often associated with the glorification of crime and violence, the objectification of women, and so on. How do you juxtapose that with what you guys are doing with hip hop?
JA – I don’t necessarily go to conferences and symposiums and speak out vocally against the aspects of hip hop culture that I’m opposed to. Doing what I do here at Studio Sweatshop is my way of countering those forces. Just by being here and focusing on creating a positive environment for people to experience breakdance, we’re building a more enlightened perception of what hip hop can be all about. We don’t actively criticize what’s wrong with hip hop, we simply represent the positive aspects and realize what it can be. We hope that this will foster a better image of hip hop and breakdance.
The fact that we are a nearly all-female breakdance crew is another thing that has helped to broaden people’s understanding of breakdance. We show up to events in baggy pants and we roll around on the floor, and this gives a people a whole new perspective on femininity. Breakdance can be a very masculine dance, so we’ve had to strike a balance with the way we teach it. It’s not about following a prescribed idea of what breakdance is "supposed" to be all about. It’s about finding yourself within it, and bringing your own style and personality to your dance, whether male or female.
I always tell our students, "You don’t have to come in here and dance like me." Find your own thing. Find yourself, your inner-super hero.
CA – Have you ever encountered friction due to the fact that you are a Bgirl (a female breakdancer)?
JA – Firstly, I want to clarify that we started out as an all-female breakdance company, but now we have a strong mix of men and women teachers and students here at the studio. We have a very open philosophy.
I've had some strange reactions. I remember one funny moment a few years ago when I was down at the Pro-Am in Miami with an all-female crew I was representing with at that time. We showed up and entered the battles. When they called our name, we went and stood in one corner while the other crew went and stood in the other. In a battle scenario, this is how it works – each crew takes its corner. A bouncer came over and said, "Ladies, you can’t be standing here. This is where the crew stands." We were like, "Ummm....we are the crew." At the time, we were the first all-girl crew to enter the battles. Usually, there’s one girl on a given crew – the token girl. So we totally blew their minds when we rolled in, dressed like train-wrecks wearing trucker caps. I think I was wearing a Canada t-shirt with a fuzzy beaver on it. Everyone was like, "Who are these people?"
These days, of course, Bgirls are much more common. Breakdance has evolved a lot.
CA -- Tell me about the clientele here at Studio Sweatshop. It seems quite diverse.
JA – The range of people who’ve responded to what we’re doing here at the studio has been amazing. I love teaching or watching a class where you’ve got people from age 15 to 65 breakdancing and house dancing. It really just demonstrates one of the core beliefs behind Studio Sweatshop: there is nothing stopping anyone from learning to dance. It’s a choice. And if you’re going to do it, this is the place.
And you don’t have to be perfect to step into the studio. You may have never danced in your life or done a single push-up. That’s okay, because our classes are progressive. Each level and skill builds on the last. We also do a lot of strength training so that students are able to progress to higher levels at their own pace.
We’ve taught breakdance to soccer moms, teenagers, contemporary dancers, and retirees. At the end of the day, if you’re willing to learn and want to have fun, you’ll feel welcome here.
Our philosophy is that our students are here to learn and to grow. We’re here for the benefit of our students. What’s most exciting to me is witnessing the little, incremental victories that students experience as they grow and improve. At first, learning a particular new move can seem impossible. But you practice and practice, and then when you finally hit it, you ask yourself, "Okay, what else can I do?"
CA –You guys have some big things happening, in terms of expansion. Talk to us about that.
JA – We’re in the process of renovating the studio. In September, we’ll have two separate dance studios, so we’ll have multiple classes going on at the same time. This will allow us to have more ‘break one’ classes (beginner breakdance) as well as a few totally new classes.
We also plan to have more break jams and dance nights. Sometimes you want that feel of dancing and vibing with people but you don’t necessarily want to go to a club. We want to give people an outlet for that.
We’re going to unveil the newly renovated studio during our ‘free week’ at the beginning of the fall session. We offer an entire week of free classes from September 15th to 20th. Anyone interested in checking out a class can drop in and try it out for free. The only thing we ask is that if prospective students are visiting a class during the free week, we want them to participate, not be a spectator. This makes sure that everyone feels comfortable, is on the same page and gets a great workout.
Our regular session will start the following week, running from September 22nd to December 21st. We have a very flexible class structure, so that students can sign up for one class per week or multiple classes.
We’ve seen quite a bit of recent growth, so this expansion is overdue. It’s a really exciting time for us.
CA – JoDee, this has been great. Thank you for doing this.
World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations attracts attention and ignites political action towards environmental issues.
The World Environment Day slogan for 2008 is Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy. Recognizing that climate change is becoming the defining issue of our era, UNEP is asking countries, companies and communities to focus on greenhouse gas emissions and how to reduce them. The World Environment Day will highlight resources and initiatives that promote low carbon economies and life-styles, such as improved energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, forest conservation and eco-friendly consumption.
World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of UNEP.
English version below. Version française ci-dessous.
Isabel Pascoa (Alternative Channel)
Alternative Channel y Rethos lanzan una newsletter multilingüe e internacional
A partir de esta semana, tu newsletter se vuelve internacional y multilingüe. Fruto de la unión entre Rethos y Alternative Channel, miles de miembros recibirán por mail un boletín sobre actualidad internacional cada semana en francés, español e inglés.
Los vídeos del Forum de Barcelona ya están disponibles
¿Te perdiste el Forum Alternative Channel? No te preocupes – Hemos publicado en vídeo los mejores momentos del evento: entrevistas a Médicos sin Fronteras, Amnistía Internacional, las Naciones Unidas y muchos otros.
Alternative Channel et Rethos lancent une newsletter multilingue et internationale
Dès cette semaine, votre newsletter devient internationale et multilingue. Il s’agit de la première communication suite à l’union de Rethos et d’Alternative Channel, une newsletter hebdomadaire envoyée à nos milliers de membres à travers le monde, en français, espagnol et anglais.
Les vidéos du Forum de Barcelone maintenant disponibles
Vous avez manqué le Forum Alternative Channel de Barcelone? Aucun problème - Nous venons de publier en vidéo les meilleurs moments de l’événement, dont les interviews de Médecins sans frontières, Amnesty International, les Nations Unies, et bien d’autres…
Alternative Channel and Rethos Launch Multilingual, Global Newsletter
As of this week, your weekly newsletter has gone global and multilingual. This is the first of Rethos’ and Alternative Channel’s joint, weekly newsletter, which we’ll be sending our thousands of members worldwide in French, Spanish and English.
Video Content from Barcelona Forum Now Available
Missed out on the Alternative Channel Forum in Barcelona? No worries – We’ve just launched video footage of some of the highlights of the event, including presentations by Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, the United Nations, and others.
After acknowledging the members of the AC editorial committee, Paul Allard proceeded to the award presentation for the best French and Spanish films in the Alternative Channel competition. The films were judged on their "persuasion, awareness raising, values, message, rigor and originality"; in short, on their promotion of AC's call to understand, and not just believe.
Paul's persuasive powers fell short of inspiring Guillaume to rousing song, so Paul nearly broke into a "Singin' in the Rain" inspired tapdance himself as Rigoberta Menchu broke the seal on the envelope. Fundación Adsis's short video of that name was judged the overall winning Spanish film.
AC Forum Video Contest Winner 2008 (Spanish):
Matthew Eisigner's film À la découverte de l'homo took the award for best French film.
Mr Allard then effusively thanked the various parties whose efforts allowed the day to be a great success. He was careful to particularly note the folks from ACT Responsible for their "international contribution to responsible advertising".
Plans have shifted as concerns the words from Rigoberta Menchu: my colleague is preparing a French translation of the press conference. When this is done I will then translate exceprts into English. At the moment she is working furiously but do look for this transcript in the coming days.
NEXT FORUM: North America, November 2008.
From Barcelona I send my thanks to all of you who tuned in, and I bid you good night.
AC FORUM 2008: Responsibility: Media and Companies
17.11 — We are preparing to kick off the final panel of the day here in the main hall. We are pleased to welcome Daniel Wermus of Média 21, Bernard Robert-Charrue of Dev.tv, Vicente Domingo of Humania TV and Xosé Ramil of Fundación Chandra/Ekoos.
I will also be making a run down the stairs over this hour to check in on the Web 2.0 workshop led by my colleague Lise Guennal, who maintains the French version of AC Blog, and Pablo Salzman of rethos.com.
14.05 — The other members of the press have converged on the lunch room where I will soon follow, but I wanted to take advantage of their absence (and the easing of the stress on the bandwidth) to send off a quick dispatch here.
The subtitle of this seminar ("The Spot") which has just closed derives from this name popularly given to the video spots which the participating organizations produce in their efforts to raise awareness.
In the course of the discussion, the participants showed how their messages, when produced and distributed properly, can play an essential role. It is appropriate that this follows my comments on Mr Lamb's presentation. I asked Mr Lamb what we can do to overcome social-political inertia and society's inherent resistance to changes which may be needed to address global issues. Mr Lamb responded that the only way to address the inertia is with a stubborn persistence. It should not be the objective to shock and awe in an alarmist fashion (though at times these tactics may be effectively employed), but rather to present the message everyday anew.
Mr Lamb said it best: for emphasis and inculcation it is best to say what you are going to say, say it, and then say what you've said. If the "spots" adopt this approach, we may begin to realize change in oncoming generations.
We will be back at 15.00 to catch Rigobertu Menchu's speech. It is not to be missed.
AC FORUM 2008: Social Networks, ICT and Worldwide Mobilization
11.24 AM — A lively coffee break on the Casa's terrasse has been truncated by a hearty whistle and I can hear the translation microphones crackling to life again in the hall. Sit tight; here we go.
Hit the link below. I am now on the floor of the main hall before the panelists.
The first featured debate is now being opened and I have a slight alteration of the program to announce. Unfortunately Vicente Verdú has suddenly been unable to join us and Margarita Riviere has taken the stage in his stead. She is a journalist who, like Mr Verdú , has been a regular contributor to the influential Spanish daily EL PAÍS.
The link to this interview will familiarize you briefly with her work (transcript is in Spanish).
We are officially at the three-day mark folks. I will be en route to Spain tomorrow night, and we will go LIVE FROM BARCELONA in the early hours, for some of you, of Wednesday 30 April 2008.
The scale of this gathering dedicated entirely to new media of information, communication and networking is in many ways unprecedented. Our panelists and guests are amongst the most influential driving forces of their respective fields.
If you've ever wanted to pose questions to some of those figures in the vanguard of our new participative society, or to observe live what will surely be fired debate amongst them, the time of your calling is now.
Advocates of so-called "deferred prosecution agreements" rightly point out the many difficulties and inefficiencies of presently available legal channels. However the fact that it is not expedient to initiate litigation against corporations guilty of social violations is suggestive of a need to overhaul the system, and not a justification for deferring and often truncating prosecution.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Rethos: Agents of Social-Political Sustainability in Action
It is commonly accepted that the project of sustainable development is conceptually composed of three constituent parts. These parts are (1) environmental sustainability, (2) economic sustainability, and (3) social-political sustainability. The United Nations 2005 World Summit refers to the “interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars” of sustainable development as environmental protection, economic development and social development. The interdependency of the first two is evident; it is perhaps the greatest challenge of our time to satisfy the needs and wants of burgeoning populations within the binding constraints imposed by our physical environment. But what is this great hoopla about social development and sustainability of politics, and what exactly is its place?
"In an article in the journal Nature last week, researchers concerned with the economics, politics, and science of climate ... argued that technology policy, not emissions policy, must dominate."
Welcome to the Alternative Channel blog, your international Web-TV focused on sustainable development and humanitarian causes. Check out our French and Spanish sister blogs. More...
