JUNTOS is collective of artists that uses outreach through dance to create community across borders...

Help our dancers connect with others in Costa Rica and Nicaragua! 

--TOTAL PROJECT COST: 19,520 ----- WHAT WE ASK FROM YOU: 9,500--

“The great thing about JUNTOS is that it takes this idea [that the understanding of different cultures is what will bring peace to the world] and connects it to concrete actions… Something inside me has really changed. I feel so inspired to do more because there is so much to be done." - Marisa Martin, Excerpt of letter written to the director after our 2010 Guatemalan exchange

WHO ARE WE?

JUNTOS (“together” in Spanish) was founded in 2008 by Joanna Poz-Molesky with other college students. We’re a collective of performing artists from various university dance conservatories in New York and California (Ailey/Fordham, Juilliard, LINES/Dominican, and SUNY Purchase) committed to social justice and community outreach through dance. We teach and perform in many local and international locations while focusing on communities that aren’t granted much exposure to art.

Over the past 4 years, we’ve had the opportunity to travel and share in central Mexico and Guatemala six times. We’ve also created multiple smaller projects in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. We teach workshops and perform in various hospitals, retirement homes, orphanages, centers for HIV+ children, as well as for dancers with limited access to training and large public audiences. In total, we have worked with hundreds of children in workshops and have performed for thousands of people from diverse backgrounds. All our activities are free of cost.

WHAT DO WE HOPE TO BE DOING IN COSTA RICA AND NICARAGUA?

We would love to expand our project more and with your help (juntos!) we can do that!

We hope to offer 8 of our student dancers from New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area an opportunity to travel to Costa Rica and Nicaragua to collaborate with residents, engage in intercultural exchange, and connect with various diverse communities. With your help, we will: Teach movement workshops to local youth in rural communities and cities alike; Perform for communities unfamiliar with contemporary performing arts; Collaborate and exchange with local artists, workshop participants, audience members, and volunteers; Explore various traditional and contemporary expressions local to each country; Read more on our website (detailed description coming soon!)

WHY IS DANCE IMPORTANT?

create JOY; UNIFY body, mind, and spirit; NURTURE and promote creativity, confidence, and individuality; TRANSCEND languages, race, religion, cultures, and customs, enabling us as human beings to connect on the most essential level; OFFER a means of self-expression; STIMULATE both interdependence and collaboration

“We are humans. We have common feelings: joy, sadness, fear, love. It doesn’t take much to understand another’s story. Language holds limitations, but art breeds possibilities. If we dance for an audience and we use our spirits to do so, connection happens. We are here for each other. To share, to understand, to come together." -Marisa Martin, Excerpt from “Thoughts on Guatemala, Part II.” June 10, 2011

HOW ARE YOUR FUNDS HELPING?

Our total costs for the project are $19,520. We hope you can help with some of this! Covering participant costs is a big challenge, especially when travelling abroad. Individual support has always been key to allowing JUNTOS to continue to facilitate both local and global outreach projects! Your donation, made right here on Kickstarter, will take us one step closer to accomplishing our JUNTOS collective goals! You’re helping with..

• Air & ground transportation: $12,100 – Funding our air transportation from the U.S. to Costa Rica and from Nicaragua to the U.S. is essential. We also need funding for our travels to towns, villages, and cities near San Jose, Costa Rica and Managua, Nicaragua.

• Housing while abroad: $3,920 – After a fulfilling day of workshops and traveling, nothing would be nicer than a shower and a bed. That’s where you can help! We need to provide shelter 8 dancers + 4 staff members for 2 weeks!

• Production and promotion: $3,500 -  (costumes, venue rentals, performance permits, promotional material, and resources for our participants abroad!) - We are a spending-savvy group that has learned to be flexible and resourceful with our past budgets, but we still need help with the logistics!

Even a small donation makes a big difference in our ability to achieve our goals. There are lots of rewards for donating, so check out the level that works for you. Thank you so much for your help!

Want to do more? You can also help by spreading the word - share this page on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, your blog, etc!

http://juntoscollective.org/

www.facebook.com/juntoscollective

www.twitter.com/juntoscollective

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