This NYC-Based Pre-Professional Training Program Is Demanding Action Against Gun Violence
November 8, 2019

New York City–based pre-professional training troupe Z Artists Group, along with dancers from eight professional companies in the city, are joining together to combat gun violence with, “DANCERS DEMAND ACTION,” a performance aligning art with activism at The Joyce Theater, this Monday, November 11, at 7:30 pm.


Dancers from Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, “World of Dance,” MADBOOTS DANCE and more are volunteering their time and talent for the show. A portion of the proceeds will go to Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures to protect people from gun violence.

“Moms Demand Action and Shannon Watts [founder of the gun violence prevention organization] have been on the front lines of the fight for common-sense gun laws for years,” says founder and principal creative of Z Artists Group Joelle Cosentino in a recent press release. “I am proud that the New York City dance community has come together in the legendary Joyce Theater to raise awareness and funds for such an important organization in America.”

This isn’t the first stand Z Artists Group have taken against gun violence. The dancers (who’re primarily high school– and middle school–aged) performed in Mia Michaels’ 2018 dance concept video, Only We Know, a requiem to school shooting victims. According to Cosentino in a recent Dance Teacher interview, activism in general is a major part of the program’s curriculum. “Our kids have to have a charity they are passionate about, and they advocate for it all year long,” she says.

Tickets for Monday’s show can be found at The Joyce website.

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