Yesterday I went to the Bayview to see a performance by Girlfly, a summer program produced by Flyaway Productions in which approximately 15 teenaged girls work together intensively, learning about aerial or--as was true this year--site specific dance, and create original work that addresses a social topic they identify as being important. The topic they chose this summer was feeling vulnerable and unsafe when they walked down the street. They explored that subject by expressing their own feelings about it and also meeting with adult women who were community leaders to learn about their life experiences and what might be done to better protect young women. They created dance pieces and worked with a filmmaker to create a short film. The performance took place at Quesada Gardens, a beautiful community gardens in Bayview that has been lovingly developed by volunteers. Through their dance the girls demonstrated vulnerability; but, more than that, they demonstrated their physical and emotional strength. I was impressed because the dancing was good and the choreography clearly came from the girls and their ideas: it wasn't imposed on them by adults. This month-long program is free. The director chooses girls who are low-income and who will be dedicated, but they don't need to have previous dance experience. The support for these girls from the neighborhood is very moving: The neighbors came out to cheer them on and someone had hung an enormous banner that read "Welcome Girlfly" out of the window of an apartment.
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- EIN 52-2350570
- (415) 333-8302
- 1068 Bowdoin St San Francisco CA 94134-1802 USA
- flyawayproductions.com
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Arts & Culture, Dance
Mission: Flyaway productions is an apparatus-based dance company that offers performance and dance training to the public. Integrating risk, spectacle and social potency, the company offers dance perfornamces as a medium for female empowerment in the public realm. The dance company was founded in 1996. It strives to cultivate ongoing investigations of women's identity and offers dance performances as a medium for social commentary.
Programs: Performances are used to showcase dance programs that exhibit new and original dance ideas and to introduce artists. Classes and workshops provide an outlet for educating the public and demonstrating the dance technique.