Dancing on Staten Island

Dearest Journal, Oh! The Adventures of Staten Island!  

It was such a treat to travel to the distant island of Staten. Well, maybe not too distant but we did take a boat! The College of Staten Island was a real change from the concrete isle of Manhattan.  There were green lawns and a water works fountain which I found to be the perfect inspiration for a dance piece.  Azucena, Fanny and me were introduced to CSI’s rowdy student body during our first task – the poster-making workshop.  Students from Acting 201 took no time at all in tackling issues of sexism in Halloween costumes, corrupt police, domestic violence, ebola, and cruelty to animals. Everyone pushed themselves to find clever and insightful ways to express their ideas via visual posters. 

There was so much to say we ran out of time.  Students even proudly posted their work throughout the lobby of the Center of the Arts building where we would perform.

Speaking of which, our performance of Silence is Violence: College of Staten IslandEdition was a smashing success. It was so much fun performing for an engaging and lively Staten Island crowd.  The Williamson Theater is a big beautiful performance space that is perfect for throwing bananas.  We told our favorite jokes about sexism, the wage gap, body image, Taylor Swift, and so much more. The audience reclaimed some female words when they sung their hearts out for our sing-a-long of our hit single, “Lesbian, Vagina, Feminist.” Crystal, the Women’s Center’s intern, broke out from her normal role and joined us on stage for some “improvs” on bystander intervention. After the show, folks stuck around and bought posters and t-shirts, got autographs, and asked questions about standing up against sexism and violence in their own communities. 

The audience was one which exuded enthusiasm and everyone, including myself, felt empowered by the end of it. Exhausted from long day of feministfun we headed home.  So tired, Cena fell asleep on the ferry so we left her there.  Just kidding, we look out for each other and make sure everyone gets home safe and sound.  Thanks so much College of Staten Island for great day! 

Love, Peace, and Dance,

Isadora Duncan