Dance the Vote STL Presents ‘Midterms Matter’ on Sept. 24

Dance the Vote STL Presents ‘Midterms Matter’ on Sept. 24

On Saturday, Sept 24 from 12:30-3 pm, Dance the Vote STL will present Midterms Matter, a free, nonpartisan, family friendly, all-inclusive event in front of the Missouri History Museum to promote voter awareness in advance of the general election on Tuesday, November 8.  When DTV first performed for midterms at the museum in 2018, they attracted over 1000 attendees before pivoting to virtual performances during the pandemic. This is their first return to large scale outdoor events.

A highlight of the event will be taking “Missouri’s largest photo to promote the midterms”. People of all ages and political affiliations are invited to participate in this nonpartisan photo.

U.S. Presidential elections are big news worldwide every four years. But what happens in the midterm elections can have just as big an impact on the direction of the country.

“At Midterms Matter, we will energize attendees to participate in the midterms elections and exercise their precious right. Our event also honors National Disability Voter Registration Week and will feature an all-inclusive short community dance to be taught for people of all ages and abilities, including people with disabilities. Everyone is welcome,” said Joan Lipkin, producing artistic director of Dance the Vote.

Confirmed dance companies include St. Louis Academy of Dance, Ashleyliane Dance Company, Grupo Atlantico, Amara Arts, Skystone Dance Ensemble, Resilience Dance Company and others. Local singers including Carmen Garcia and Katie Dunne McGrath and Friends will perform. Speakers include Denise Lieberman of Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, Rev. Darryl Gray of Missouri Faith Voices, Katie Rodriguez Banister of Access-4-All with more to be announced.

Choreographer and co-producer Ashley L. Tate explains, “We will begin with some familiar dances including the Electric Slide and the Wobble and then teach an original, short, inclusive and accessible community dance that can be enjoyed by everyone.  This dance is for all levels and abilities!”

Additional activities will include voter registration and education, information fair with local nonprofits and community groups, kids’ activities, the Bubble Lady, food trucks, a DJ, and more.

“I am passionate about finding ways the Missouri Historical Society can help drive civic engagement,” said Dr. Jody Sowell, President and CEO of the Missouri Historical Society. “We believe public history has the power to strengthen communities. The goal of our exhibits, community tours, and public programming — like the Midterms Matter event — is to help the public make connections between past, present and future. We believe the more you appreciate a place’s past, the more invested you will be in its present and future. MHS is fortunate to play a part in helping the public make these connections and is proud to support Dance the Vote and civic engagement.”

Presented by Dance the Vote St. Louis, a program of That Uppity Theatre Company, and co-sponsored by the Missouri History Museum, St. Louis University, St. Louis ARC, Missouri Faith Voices, NAACP-St Louis County, League of Women Voters – St. Louis, Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council, National Council of Jewish Women STL, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, National Women’s Political Caucus of St Louis, ProgressWomen, Access-MO, Paraquad, Access-4-All LLC, Equity Action Collective LLC, Immigrant Song, Missouri Centers for Independent Living, Missouri Equity Education Partnership, 350 STL, A. Philip Randolph Institute St. Louis Chapter, American Association of University Women St Louis (AAUW),Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice, empower: abilities, The Link, Metropolitan Congregations United, and Conversations for Political Change.

Founded in 2016, Dance the Vote (DTV) is a nonpartisan arts organization that uses the arts to promote voter registration, education and advocacy. Performances have been featured on CBS, the Black Entertainment Network, the Higher Education Channel, American Theatre Magazine, St. Louis Magazine, the St Louis Post-Dispatch and Dance Magazine and seen by several million people.

DTV has received the IDEA Award from MindsEye, What’s Right with the Region from Focus St. Louis and the Moving Democracy Award from St. Louis Magazine as part of the 2021 A-List.

Midterms Matter is funded in part by the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, the Scarlet Feather Fund, and Rev Up!

National Voter Registration Day 9/20 https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org

National Voter Education Week 10/3-10/7    https://votereducationweek.org/

Disability Voting Rights Week 9/16/-22 https://www.aapd.com/advocacy/voting/dvrw/

DancetheVoteStl.org

Facebook.com/DancetheVoteStl

John Lewis Multi-Faith Vigil for Democracy on Saturday, July 17

John Lewis Multi-Faith Vigil for Democracy on Saturday, July 17

Missouri Faith & Voter Advocates Host Vigils Honoring Legacy of John Lewis and Calling on Congress to Affirm the Moral Imperative of the Right to Vote 

On Sat. July 17, 2021, Missouri advocates will host Good Trouble Vigils for Democracy on the one-year anniversary of the death of Rep. John Lewis – joining more than 100 similar vigils happening at the same time around the country – to uplift his legacy and call on Congress to pass critical legislation to realize Rep. Lewis’ vision for a democracy that includes us all. The Missouri Vigils are being spearheaded by faith leaders around the state to uplift the moral imperative of the right to vote in a moment when partisanship is blocking needed action to protect voting rights for all. 

The Missouri John Lewis “Good Trouble” Vigils For Democracy, organized by the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition in collaboration with numerous faith leaders and community partners, will be held in St. Louis, Kansas City, Jefferson City and Springfield on the evening of Sat. July 17.
 
The St. Louis event will include prominent faith leaders in an outdoor vigil at First Unitarian Church followed by a processional with the renowned Red and Black Brass Band to Maryland Plaza in the Central West End, where advocates will sing, dance and engage fellow community members in the call for voting rights. Vigils in Kansas City, Jefferson City and Springfield, lead by faith leaders, local voter advocates and the NAACP, will similarly feature local leaders calling on Congress to take needed action to protect the right to vote by passing the For the People Act – which the late Cong. Lewis authored – and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. 
“Faith leaders have been critical to every historic movement for voting rights and are especially needed in this moment to call out the dignity of all to have a voice in their destinies,” said Denise Lieberman, a voting rights lawyer and Director of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition. The July 17 actions come on the heels of this week’s call to action by the President for Congress to pass needed voting reforms. 

WHAT: ST LOUIS GOOD TROUBLE VIGIL FOR DEMOCRACY
WHO:    Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, Central Reform Congregation, Missouri Faith Voices, Metropolitan Congregations United, First Unitarian Church, Missouri Baptist State Convention, Dance the Vote, St. Louis Area Voting Initiative, Missouri Jobs with Justice, St. Louis Voter Protection Coalition, NAACP, Missouri State Baptist Convention, Indivisible Missouri, Congregation Shaare Emeth and others – including remarks from: Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, Missouri Faith Voices; Rev. Dr. Linden Bowie, Missouri Baptist State Convention; Rabbi Susan Talve, Central Reform Congregation; Rev. Kim Mason, First Unitarian Christian Church; Denise Lieberman, Director of Missouri Voter Protection Coalition; Joan Lipkin, Dance The Vote, among others. 
WHEN:  Sat. July 17, 2021,  6-8pm
WHERE:  6-7pm Vigil with Speakers at First Unitarian Christian Church 5007 Waterman Blvd. , St. Louis, MO 63108,  followed by processional with Red and Black Brass Band to Maryland Plaza. Event will be broadcast live at: https://www.facebook.com/ProtectMissouriVoters

Missouri July 17 John Lewis “Good Trouble” Vigil For Democracy Events include: 

St. Louis Vigil for Democracy
6-8 p.m. Vigil: First Unitarian Church5007 Waterman Blvd., St. Louis MO 63108Followed by processional to Maryland Plaza with Red and Black Brass Band

Kansas City Vigil for Democracy
6-6:45pm 3708 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd. (Cleaver Blvd and Cleveland)Spirit of Freedom Fountain Kansas City, MO 64130

Springfield MO Vigil For Democracy
6:30-8p.m.First Unitarian Universalist Church of Springfield2434 E. Battlefield Rd. Springfield, MO 65084

Jefferson City Vigil for Democracy
8-8:30 p.m. Missouri Veterans Memorial at Missouri Capitol201 W. Capitol AveJefferson City, MO 65101

Dance the Vote to Appear at ‘Deadline for Democracy’ Rally July 1

Dance the Vote to Appear at ‘Deadline for Democracy’ Rally July 1

Because there have been a historic number of anti-voting bills recently introduced at the state level and in some states, passed into law, groups throughout the U.S. are participating in various activities called ‘Deadline for Democracy’ in the next two weeks in support of the For the People Act, now under consideration in Congress, and preserving voting rights.

Missouri has some of the worst voter suppression in the country. 

. A rally downtown St. Louis will take place on Thursday, July 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Kiener Plaza Park, which will feature remarks from Missouri State Rep. Peter Merideth, Dr. Sara Kenzior, Wesley Bell, Denise Lieberman, among others. There will be an ASL interpreter for all speakers.

The rally will open with a community dance led by Ashley L. Tate and Thomas Proctor of Ashleyliane Dance Company called ‘Dancing for Democracy’ for Dance the Vote.

With eight out of ten Americans supporting more access to voting, regardless of party affiliations, Dance the Vote, a non-partisan voting advocacy group, will join with over 30 groups nationwide in the Deadline for Democracy grassroots effort.

In St. Louis, the event is sponsored by the Indivisible Missouri Coalition — includes Indivisible St. Louis, Indivisible Pulaski County, Indivisible Heart of The Ozarks, Indivisible Take Action Now, Indivisible SEMO, Indivisible We Will Persist, Small Deeds Done, Dance The Vote, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, and Ashleyliane Dance Company.

At the state level, there have been 389 bills introduced in 48 states that would restrict a person’s voting access as of May 14, 2021 according to the Brennan Center.

From 6-6:20 pm, DTV will offer a free community dance class called “Dancing for Democracy” led by Ashley L Tate and Thomas Proctor of Ashleyliane Dance Company featuring favorites like the Electric Slide, the Wobble, the Cupid Shuffle and more. Everyone is welcome, regardless of age or dance experience.

This will be followed by several confirmed speakers:  authoritarian scholar, writer and anthropologist Dr Sarah Kendzior, Attorney Denise Lieberman of the non-partisan state wide organization Missouri Voter Protection Coalition and St Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell.  Additional speakers may be added.

Postcards will be available for signing and the St Louis Voter Registration Group will be registering people to vote.

“Missouri has some of the most restrictive legislation in the country, blocking access to our most fundamental democratic right,” said Joan Lipkin, the founder of Dance the Vote. “The For the People Act would end gerrymandering, allow universal access to vote by mail, expand early voting requirements, restore the right to vote for people with felony convictions who have served their time, modernize voter registration systems and institute automatic voter registration. It is essential that it be passed.”

Who:      Dance the Vote, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, Indivisible St Louis

What:     Deadline for Democracy: Rally for S1 For The People Act

Date:      Thursday, July 1

Where:   Kiener Plaza Park

                500 Chestnut St.

                St. Louis, MO 63101

Time:     6-8 PM CDT

Details:   Further Details and RSVP can be found here:                                                                          https://act.indivisible.org/event/local-actions/163030/signup/

About Dance the Vote:

Dance the Vote is a non-partisan project that uses the arts to promote voter awareness and registration. Founded in 2016 by theatre artist and activist Joan Lipkin in collaboration with activist designer Anne Taussig, voter registration specialist Sabrina Tyuse and choreographer Ashley L. Tate, DTV raises public awareness by utilizing dance, video, graphics, music and spoken word.

Programming is based on various themes of the voting experience, including the experiences of African-Americans, women, people with disabilities, college students and immigrants around voting, voting rights, voter suppression, among other themes.  This project brings together local as well as artists nationwide who creatively seek to make a difference by promoting voter awareness and getting eligible voters registered and committed to vote.

In 2016, the project was presented at Vintage Vinyl, St, Louis Black Pride and Left Bank Books, and the 2018 midterm performance at the Missouri History Museum attracted an audience of 1200. The 2020 season was virtual due to Covid-19, with 10 episodes of commissioned pieces from artists around the country, and also included participation in Every Vote Counts: A Celebration of Democracy, the national special on voting produced by CBS and Global Citizen. Dance the Vote also collaborated with Webster University to sponsor a contest for college students using a variety of arts media called “Make Good Trouble: Why John Lewis Inspires Me To Vote’’ for which they awarded cash prizes.

Dance the Vote has received several awards, including an IDEA Award for commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility, a 2021 FOCUS What’s Right With the Region Award for Fostering Creativity for Social Change, an award in the 2021 St. Louis Magazine A List for Moving Democracy, and both a mayoral and aldermanic proclamation declaring Dance The Vote Voter Registration Day in the city of St. Louis.

For more info, contact Joan.Lipkin@gmail.com or see www.dancethevotestl.org

About Ashleyliane Dance Company:

Ashleyliane Dance Company (ADC) is a professional performance organization under the artistic direction of Ashley L. Tate, with a mission to cultivate diverse repertory, create safe educational spaces, and a vision to promote the intersection of dance and social issues.

Since its inception in 2007, ADC has performed at a plethora of major events and private engagements, including but not limited to: the Muny, Fair St. Louis, First Night, Loop in Motion, Dancing in the Street, Casino Queen, Four Seasons Hotel and The

Pageant. ADC has been featured on Fox 2 News,”Best of the STL” on STL TV, Show Me St. Louis, HEC-TV, and the Nine Network and in Alive Magazine and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The company has produced a number of dance concerts at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA), Ivory Theatre, and Missouri History Museum, Edison Theatre, and The Grandel.  They have also been invited to perform at the Dance Chicago Festival, the American College Dance Association Convention, the University of Illinois-Chicago, the Chicago Choreographers’ Carnival, Peridance Capezio Center, TADA! Theater, and Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York City, as well as the 18th St. Arts Center in Santa Monica, California and Gordon Gamm Theater in Boulder, Colorado. 

ADC is a proud resident organization of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation.

About Indivisible:

Indivisible is a movement driven by a vision of a real democracy of, by, and for the people. The Indivisible movement is a network of thousands of local groups and millions of activists across every state working to build an inclusive democracy by fighting for bold, progressive policies and creating lasting grassroots power. 

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Indivisible St. Louis is a grassroots group dedicated to the pursuit of justice, equity, and progress for all. They are a registered chapter of Indivisible (www.indivisibleguide.com) committed to promoting, encouraging, and facilitating constituent contact with members of Congress to help move a progressive agenda forward.

The Rep Commissions Voter Education Videos

The Rep Commissions Voter Education Videos

In an effort to support voter education and participation on November 3, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is developing videos to inform and empower voters. 

In partnership with the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition (MOVPC), a non-partisan statewide network of voter advocates, The Rep commissioned professional artmakers to create short, entertaining videos designed to educate voters. 

“As one of the largest performing arts nonprofits in the state of Missouri, The Rep is more than a venue for great plays – we also exist as a town hall in service of the St. Louis region and beyond,” said Hana S. Sharif, Augustin Family Artistic Director at The Rep. “We are grateful to MOVPC for their advocacy for voters’ rights and are proud to join them in that work.”

The Missouri Absentee Voting Video, written by artist, community organizer and award-winning theatre maker Annalisa Dias, explains all voting options available to Missourians who are unable to vote in person or feel unsafe with in-person voting due to the pandemic. 

“I feel very grateful to have been invited to use storytelling to help catalyze civic processes,” said Dias. “It’s exciting to contribute to helping people understand how to exercise their rights.”

The National Voter Protection Video will be available soon. It examines the Election Protection Hotline, which connects voters with trained lawyers who can answer questions on overcoming obstacles to voting and combating voter intimidation. This video was written by award-winning playwright, film/television writer and educator Steph del Rosso. (del Rosso’s play The Gradient was slated for production in The Rep’s 2020-21 season which was shortened by the pandemic.)

“So often, #Vote campaigns ignore the reality of voter disenfranchisement,” said del Rosso, “blithely demanding participation without recognizing how fraught the process is for many communities. I’m so excited that The Rep is partnering with the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, since fighting voter suppression and connecting voters to tangible resources is a powerful and shame-free organizing strategy.”

“Our goal is to ensure that all eligible voters are able to cast a ballot,” said Denise Lieberman, director and general counsel of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, which coordinates nonpartisan 866-OUR-VOTE Election Protection efforts in the state. “We are grateful to The Rep for commissioning these videos so that voters are armed with the information they need to vote. We must continue to work to ensure every voter is able to access their right to vote freely and without fear.” 

The Missouri Absentee Voting Video is animated by video artist, VJ and designer Kassie M. Sanders, and the National Voter Protection Video is illustrated by Elle Powell.

The Rep believes institutions of creative expression can be uplifting spaces that encourage and engage the community. To further model this renewed commitment to civic engagement, The Rep is making November 3 a paid holiday for its staff, to encourage voting and volunteerism on election day. The Rep has also created a Voter Resources Webpage of Missouri and Illinois voter information. 

Additionally, The Rep is hosting a panel discussion to empower individuals to exercise their fundamental right to vote titled “Breaking Down the Ballot”. This roundtable discussion, moderated by Hana S. Sharif and featuring a bipartisan group of thought leaders, political experts and voting rights advocates, will allow community members to ask questions about critical ballot measures affecting our region. The virtual roundtable is free and open to the public. Visit The Rep’s Facebook page or YouTube channel on October 26 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. to participate. No pre-registration is required.

For more information, visit repstl.org. Receive assistance through the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR VOTE. View the Missouri Absentee Voter Video now.

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ABOUT THE REPERTORY THEATRE ST. LOUIS

The Rep is the St. Louis region’s most honored live professional theatre company. Founded in 1966, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is a fully professional theatrical operation belonging to the League of Resident Theatres, The League of St. Louis Theatres and is a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group, Inc., the national service organization for the not-for-profit professional theatre. www.repstl.org