The Girls Dance Movement is a social impact initiative that uses dance to build a safe space for young women in underprivileged communities.
About the project
The Girls’ Dance Movement programme comprised regular dance sessions in the genres of urban and contemporary, accompanied by a participant-led collaborative conceptualisation and execution of a final dance project. The pilot programme started with a group of 12 girls, and completed with 22 girls at a refugee camp in Lebanon.
Intention and Impact
The Girls’ Dance Movement collaborated with young women in building space to safely engage in physical exercise and creative expression within their community. The team utilised dance- and movement-focused exercises to encourage the development of body awareness and the sharing of stories, paving the way for a personal and shared physical and emotional journey for everyone in the programme.
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We would not have been able to develop an idea into a full-fledged pilot programme without constant guidance and support of our CIPE advisor throughout the planning stages. The SIF grant enabled us to fund the resources that were necessary to achieve the desired outcomes of the programme. Besides renting a space in Shatila to hold practice sessions, we were also able to provide each participant with a sports kit and snacks to facilitate their journey of learning and dancing.
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Participants’ Feedback
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I like dance because it is like a sport and it is beautiful and it is very beneficial. (top left, orange post-it) – MARIHAN
At first I thought dance was hard, but when we practised it became easy and enjoyable. (bottom left, yellow post-it) – RAHAF
Dance was, in my opinion, something very amazing and I have nothing bad to point out, quite the opposite, we had a lot of fun and I really really hope that we do the programme again. Thank you Yasmine and Éloïse! – UNNAMED
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