of water, and to provide a model for empowering local communities to take action. In working with local choreographers around the world, we will be drawing on Rudolf Laban and Irmgard Bartenieff's practices with human movement to mirror the universe's dynamic patterns. Each local event will reflect the importance of water to our planet, as seen by the people at that specific location. Movement provides an embodied practice for community-building and new behaviors. Using Laban’s technique of Movement Choirs, the choreographers will work with local environmental experts to bring artists, scientists, and members of the community together in a process that builds ongoing collaborations. Your funding will support the organic, systematic development and staging of sequential world-wide events that can be readily replicated. The activities in Global Water Dances will be simple; address local water issues; accessible to all; and create bonds using time, space and rhythm. The worldwide event, broadcast throughout the day, will invite and move thousands of observers, locally and online, to practice deeper connections with water. Taking responsibility for valuing and protecting water will transfer to other ways of caring for the planet, (carbon footprint, recycling etc).

Describe the current stage of your initiative and your implementation plan over the next three years

In July, 2008, at Schumacher College in England, twelve Laban/Bartenieff trained movement specialists met for three days to address environmental issues, resulting in a commitment to create a world-wide out-door, site-specific event. Other researchers were riveted, by our conversations and performances and motivated to include movement in their own efforts.

We discussed sustainability, viewed Global Site Performance’s Mississippi One River Project*, and embodied environmentally positive everyday activities. Knowing that reducing the carbon footprint is our world’s number one need, still, water dominated our focus because of its capacity to galvanize participation across diverse groups of people. Global Water Dances was born.

Scientists often describe water as “the universal solvent,” a substance whose unique chemistry makes our carbon-based life form possible. Our vision is that water is the underlying substance that unifies us into community and action.

Year one:
 consult with leading experts about local water sources and ecosystems
 network with local art and environmental organizations
 negotiate with local officials establishing appropriate sites
 create website and develop a plan for networking events
 develop outreach plan for broadcast media

Year two:
 select choreographers and musicians for the 15 - 20 sequential events across the globe
 select 10 -100 performers per location
 implement outreach plan to broadcast media
 prepare and rehearse in each location
 conduct events
 evaluate impact of global event, prepare document on lessons learned

Year three:
 continue to build out website as a base for learning and engaging new participants
 repeat Global Water Dances in previous locations and in new locations.

*Mississippi One River Project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2G6hjjbJCc
Schumacher Gathering, July 2008: Part 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K82641BHrNg

Describe how your strategy meets the entry criteria ("What We're Looking For")

Global Water Dances is a bold visionary initiative focused on the critical need for safe drinking water. There are an estimated 5 million deaths per year from polluted water. By 2025, over half the world’s population will be facing water-related problems.

Water is a powerful medium for bringing people together. Flow, the medium of dance/movement, can connect community and water. Participants and viewers of Global Water Dances will learn about the critical role of humans in protecting water supplies. Each event will be anchored in the palpable realities of the local water resource concerns. The broadcast media and internet components will allow people to make the connections between these local issues and global solutions.

Global Water Dances is a model of how to use participatory art-making to raise consciousness about environmental problems and how to bring people together to work on solving these problems.

Describe the qualifications and experience of you and/or your team and your ability to execute your implementation plan

Members of the team have been creating site-specific environmental dances for over 25 years. We are trained in Laban Movement Analysis, the use of movement to express human feelings and create community through an understanding of culture, communication, science, geometry, psychology, and the imagination. We are choreographers, teachers, therapists, activists, and environmentalists.

The use of polyhedra and harmony of nature is basic to our training in Laban Movement Analysis, including the Jitterbug principle.

Marylee Hardenbergh is an internationally respected creator of movement choirs (http://www.globalsiteperformance.org/). Karen Bradley is an observer of movement behaviors of leaders (http://movetowin.com). Martha Eddy presented at the recent SEEDS festival at Earthdance (http://www.earthdance.net/programs/seedsschedule.htm) and has a center in New York City (http://www.wellnesscke.net/). Antja Kennedy choreographed a series of site-specific dances ("Enviro-move-ments") in Berlin on the theme of environmental consciousness. She has studied Permaculture and has a Masters in Movement from Gaia University. Richard Bell has worked for the Worldwatch Institute and other organizations, consulted to foundations and political organizations about social networking. He’s an editor/researcher, and co-author of several articles and books including NUKESPEAK: Nuclear Language, Visions, and Mindsets.