Ladies Take the Lead
Liberating women in partner-dance classes
CHALLENGE
Despite some dance teachers' best intentions, women in heteronormative partner dance spaces experience social pressure that hinders their ability to learn to lead.
ROLE
Lead designer
OUTPUT
An experiential dance workshop for women where all participants practice both leading and following in a supportive, feminine space. This approach removes the pressure to follow that most beginner women feel in Latin partner dance classes.
ACTIVITIES
Field research, concept development, branding, facilitation
IMPACT
The workshop had a significant impact. Participants improved their mood, gained leadership insights, and eagerly asked about future workshop sessions. They described the experience as energizing, challenging, and fun.
TOOLS
DURATION
CLIENT
Illustrator, Photoshop, Keynote, Fab Lab, VideoAsk
10 weeks
Passion Thrusdays NYC
Takeaways
1. Integrating verbal reflection as part of the workshop helped participants develop rapport and empathy with others incredibly quickly.
2. Creating a women's-only partner dance space had a fundamental impact on the energy of the event.
Next steps
Design and host an experiential dance workshop with switch-role mechanics open to all genders, or alternatively, one where women lead and men follow. Testing these dynamics in a supportive environment could be enlightening and transformative for dancers and the broader Latin dance community.