Join us for an event that explores how screen dance empowers artists with disabilities and promotes inclusivity in the film industry. Discover the pathways to providing equal employment opportunities for disabled artists as we engage in a captivating conversation with Margot Greenlee, the founding director of BodyWise Dance Company based in Washington, DC.

The spotlight of the evening is the premieres of two remarkable screen dance films: “Traveling Light” and “Dance Out Loud,” each of which explores the powerful connection between movement, emotions, and life experiences.

Traveling Light (2023) Follow the tightly-knit community into their symbolic journey into the woods. They carry only the experiences, memories, and dreams that matter to them.

Dance Out Loud (2023) In this short film, spectators witness the emotional landscapes of individuals in their daily lives, and dance creates a safe space for their feelings’ expression.

BodyWise Dance is an inclusive dance lab for people of all ages and abilities. We are a group of neurodiverse performers, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At the heart of BodyWise Dance practice is collaboration. Through dance, team members learn how to not only share leadership but to take responsibility for the decisions they make together and how those decisions impact the art they create. Margot Greenlee, BodyWise Dance’s founding director, says: “Some of us are beginners, while others have decades of experience dancing, teaching, acting, and choreographing. For some, this is how we make a living; for others, this is strictly a volunteer gig. But collectively, we strive to create space in which

🔺Every voice matters.

🔺Every person is equally valued.

🔺Every person can contribute to our common dance.

When we enter the rehearsal studio, we make work that matters to us on a personal level and then share it via different media – performances, dance films, tutorials, and workshops’’.