Sunday Reads #12: Freedoms, compassion and equality
5 July 2020Kevin, our Co-Artistic Director, talks about freedoms, compassion and equality, and why Black Lives Matter.
“Following current events, I was eager to put pen to page and comment on why Black Lives Matter, to me as an artist and to Chameleon as a company.
Chameleon since its inception has always had diversity and inclusion at the core of our mission, we truly believe that dance and movement have the power to transform people’s lives regardless of their background. We have done this in the choreography that we create, the artists we have worked with, and the multitude of different communities both at home and abroad we have engaged with through our learning and participation programmes and projects.
It is impossible for us as a Company not to comment upon Black Lives Matter, the death of George Floyd, police brutality and the difficulties and challenges that face people of colour.
Both Anthony and I are of mixed descent and have both experienced racism as well as less salubrious encounters with law enforcement. The death of George Floyd was outrageous as it was deeply tragic, and unfortunately demonstrates the injustice and experience of many people of colour from around the world.
The movement and subsequent protests are the most recent manifestation of what people of colour have been fighting for generations.
The establishment will never change on its own, each one of our rights and freedoms have been hard fought, the systems of prejudice and systemic racism will never change unless forced too. Now is the time for that change and all our efforts are needed to make it happen.
It is only when those freedoms are obtained that the establishment then adopts the champions of those freedoms as their own.
More action needs to be done in order for people of colour to feel safe, respected and treated with dignity. Chameleon is against all forms of prejudice and discrimination, and supports the Black Lives Matters movement. We promise we will work hard to contribute towards the change that needs to happen whilst celebrating and supporting diversity and inclusion across all our strands of work and activity. Now is the time for the changes to take place once and for all and for prejudice, racism and bigotry to be assigned to the past.
Dance can contribute to this change, the language of movement is universal and can cross borders, cultural differences and reach national and international audiences and participants with potency, honesty and authenticity.
Collaboration, curiosity, respect, tolerance and communication are at the heart of any creative process especially movement and dance. These same qualities are the values that we hope to support and cultivate, as they are ultimately the ideas that lead us to compassion and equality.”
Kevin Edward Turner
Co-Artistic Director, Company Chameleon