ABSTRACT
Global Water Dances (GWD) is a multi-national, community oriented dance event that takes place at water-related sites around the world on the same day, biennially. GWD inspires action, leadership and international collaboration for environmental water solutions, using the universal language of dance to empower global communities and leaders. The GWD initiative begins with communication across continents. The primary goals are to affect community-based change regarding attitudes toward and stewardship of local water resources. GWD's lineage a feminist perspective, and uses the corporal self to embody concerns about water. Rudolf Laban, a key influential figure in Marylee Hardenbergh's work, felt strongly that everyone is a dancer. Ecofeminist environmental actions such as those undertaken by GWD aim to subvert the capitalistic and patriarchal setup of a subject-object relationship, where humans are the intended beneficiaries of a commodified Earth. GWD choreographers in China face different challenges in accessing information and making performance with a political message than do the professional choreographers in Europe.
