Dance& Abolition

What does a world without prisons, police, or carceral punishment look like—and how do we build it?

This interactive workshop invites participants into an exploration of abolition, its roots and branches, first as a political framework, and then as creative and imaginative practice. Grounded in the belief that building a world rooted in care, accountability, community, and refusal to acquiesce to imperial, capitalist, and oppressive system of the (in)justice system(s) requires radical imagination— we turn and connect to Hip Hop through dance, which in its rhythms and improvisation, mirrors our movements towards abolition as a powerful tool for visioning and building new futures.

PART ONE, Facilitated by Furqan Mohamed:
Participants will engage in a mix of guided and group and reflective journaling. This part of the workshop will create space to unpack and outline core abolitionist ideas—drawing from the work of historic organizers, neighbours, thinkers, and artists—and explore how these concepts show up in our everyday lives. Through writing prompts and dialogue, we’ll reflect on questions like: What does safety mean to you? To your kin? What does “justice” really mean? How can we perform acts of abolition in our everyday? What would we need to give up, and make room for? What do we need to be healing from, and what are we moving toward, together?

PART TWO, Facilitated by Kosi C Ese:
Kosi’s workshop titled ‘No Half-Steppin’ is a nod to the infamous Big Daddy Kane ‘Ain’t No Half Steppin’ which makes a case for playfulness in rhyme and adaptability in and around structure within hip-hop. The title also points to staying clear of hesitation informally. A closer reading of Hip-Hop freestyle dance presents the idea that “hip is to be in the know and hop is the movement we create with said knowledge”. 

Participants will engage in guided freestyle exercises to Hip-Hop music and use concepts of play and improvisation to generate conviction in the body. This portion will invite us to reflect on how we move forward and build the abolitionist futures we desire by going backwards to gain the necessary context.