About

Dance Against Violence seeks to assist and support women who are survivors of domestic violence and those who are in difficulty by offering them unique movement workshops given inside the shelters. These workshops seek to empower women and assist them in regaining control of both their bodies and their self-esteem.

The workshops provide participants with a source of relaxation, well-being and overall appreciation of their body and self. The creative approach to movement empowers these women and assists them in recapturing a sense of pride and autonomy.

Montréal Danse and its dancers-moderators are currently developing a new program of workshops for mothers and their children. This program will be added to the workshops dedicated exclusively to women. The mother-children workshops will offer participants a moment of relaxation, well-being and reaffirmation of the self, but they will also help reinforce the bond between mother and child as well as between siblings. Based on playfulness, intergenerational solidarity and circulation of power, the workshops will stimulate creativity, imagination and encounters with others. They will also promote moments of complicity and tenderness.

5.3 % of the population in Quebec state that they have been the victim of physical or sexual violence within a conjugal context.

In Quebec, 18,180 cases of conjugal violence were reported to the police in 2009.

Between 2000 and 2009, the rate of conjugal violence has increased by 4.6 %.

70 % of the victims of physical or sexual violence state that they also suffered psychological violence and/or financial exploitation.

80 % of the cases of conjugal violence reported to the police was made by women In Quebec. The average number of conjugal homicides each year is 15 women and 4 men.

Source: Institut national de santé publique du Québec, "Trousse média sur la violence conjugale, des faits à rapporter, des mythes à déconstruire, une complexité à comprendre."

In 2007, Amélie Dionne-Charest befriended Gina Gibney, a New York based choreographer whose company offers movement workshops to women who are domestic violence survivors.

Enthralled by this alliance between dance and the community, Amélie becomes the instigator of what would become Dance Against Violence in Québec. In partnership with Kathy Casey of Montréal Danse, Francine Bernier of the Agora de la danse and Sabrina Lemeltier of La Dauphinelle, these women nurture Dance Against Violence from a project to a full-fledged non-profit organization.

Gina Gibney and her dance company arrive in Montreal in December 2009 to train the dancers of Montréal Danse: Maryse Carrier, Elinor Fueter and Rachel Harris. All of the Dance Against Violence partners participate in the training provided by Gina Gibney and Beth Silverman-Yam, Clinical Director of Sanctuary for Families and Professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work.

La Dauphinelle is the first shelter for women in difficulty to offer these movement workshops.  It is an immediate success among the residents of the shelter.

In February 2010, Gina Gibney and her dance company return to Montreal for the official launch of Dance Against Violence. Gina Gibney presents her work “View Partially Obstructed” at Agora de la danse and all of the proceeds collected during this premiere are donated to La Dauphinelle for its project to create a new women’s shelter.

Year after year, more and more workshops are given. In 2016-2017, the dancers-moderator operate in three shelters: La Dauphinelle, l’Assistance aux femmes and Maison d’hébergement d’Anjou. In 2017-2018, workshops begin in Centre des femmes de Montréal-Est / Pointe-aux-Trembles and Logis Rose-Virginie.

Each shelter benefits from 10 to 20 workshops a year. Since 2010, more than 250 workshops have been given for a turnout of 1080 individual participations. Our next goal is to reach at least 400 participations of women and children in workshops every year, by the year 2019.

At first incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2011, Dance Against Violence legally merged with Montréal Danse in 2015. Reputed, engaged in its community, the company has taken the lead of the cause. It is now in charge of its logistical and artistic coordination, which allows both the stabilization and the growth of the project. Nevertheless, L’Agora de la danse and the shelters remain crucial partners.

Testimony of Gina Gibney on Dance Against Violence

“I am proud that Montréal Danse was the first dance company to adopt our program model and develop a dedicated program in service of survivors in Montreal.  In fact, it would be difficult to imagine a better-suited group of artists to do so!  The dancers of this extraordinary company are mature, gifted and caring human beings.  Their deep understanding of the power of movement and creativity, coupled with compassion and generosity, have contributed to the inevitable success of their efforts. 

We tend to think of those who have experienced domestic violence as victims, but in fact they are truly survivors.  Our work does not endeavor to reenact trauma, rather it is about their strengths and aspirations:  Where would you like to go next?  What is the best that could happen? Who do you admire?  Why?  What is something you do well?  What are you proud of?  What could be a little better?  What is the next first step?  What is something you like about yourself?

Dance is a creative art form.  Creativity is about restoration, growth, positive advancement and affirmation.  These are the basic impulses of healing.”

Amélie Dionne-Charest
President of Dance Against Violence, Amélie is a lawyer specialized in medical law.  She befriends Gina Gibney in 2007 and is enthralled by the idea of offering dance workshops to women who are survivors of domestic violence.  She decides to import the idea to Québec.

Montréal Danse

A reputed creation company and a platform for choreographic development, Montréal Danse has been committed for three decades to producing powerful, singular and fascinating pieces of contemporary dance and nourishing creativity through innovative processes. The company plays an important role in the development of choreographic careers in its reputed creative workshops and labs, where means are given to creators to fully interrogate, develop and strengthen their visions and skills, supported by our experienced performers and our Artistic Director. Through its generosity and involvement, Montréal Danse expands the definition of a dance company and the impact it can have in the community and with numerous choreographers.

Agora de la Danse

Catalyst for creation. Agora de la danse was the first permanent venue in Quebec devoted specifically to contemporary dance, and has been at the forefront of new dance creation and presentation for more than 25 years. In addition to offering a public performance venue for dance, Agora also co-produces avant-garde dance projects and provides long-term support for choreographers. It has been a mobilizing force for artists such as Hélène Blackburn, Danièle Desnoyers, Paul-André Fortier, Lucie Grégoire, José Navas, Crystal Pite, Isabelle Van Grimde, George Stamos and Virginie Brunelle. Since 2017, Agora de la danse has embarked on a new chapter of its existence, settling into its new home in the Wilder Building in the heart of Montreal’s entertainment district.

La Dauphinelle

La Dauphinelle is a non-profit organization whose mission is to offer women, and their children, who are in difficulty and who are survivors of domestic violence a safe refuge and psychosocial support to enable them to regain control of their lives.

According to the Fédération française de Danse :

Contemporary dance transgresses. Born in Europe and the United States after the Second World War, it stems from modern dance which appeared in Germany and the United States. It jostles with the reference codes of the “ideal body” by proposing a body of work that is rich and without limits. The current choreographers have permanently instilled new poetic “references”. They are able to combine their compositional work with theatre, literature, architecture, plastic arts or the circus

Since Dance Against Violence merged with Montréal Danse, its governance is by Montréal Danse and its Board of Directors. Le Cercle des femmes DCV, a group of influential women engaged in supporting the cause, is currently in creation.
 
Heartfelt thanks to the generous individuals who presided upon the foundation of Dance Against Violence and its evolution over the years, and who continue to keep watch over the cause: Amélie Dionne-Charest, Kathy Casey, Francine Bernier, Sabrina Lemeltier, Véronique Bastien, Danny Lew, Gina Gibney and Florence Junca-Adenot.