Never in the course of my career as a choreographer would I have imaged becoming involved in urban planning. Yet for the last year I have been working with a group of other local organizations and individuals in preparation for the largest rezoning in New York City in 20 years in the neighborhood of Gowanus. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise since the focus of my local artistic work in Brooklyn for nearly 6 years has been around the polluted Gowanus Canal.

The group I’m a member of is the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice and our goal is to transform a post-industrial waste land into a thriving, inclusive and sustainable neighborhood with environmental justice at its core. The coalition is comprised of environmentally focused organizations, like Gowanus Canal Conservancy and 350Brooklyn, on whose Steering Committee I hold a seat, social justice organizations, like Fifth Avenue Committee, Turning the Tide and Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, faith-based organizations, like St. Lydia’s Church and Trellis, and cultural organizations like Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts of New York and Arts and Democracy.

We, as a coalition, recently released our demands of the city in relation to the rezoning at a press conference, reviewed here in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The top three are:

Fix public housing by providing upfront funding for the capital needs of the three public housing developments in the neighborhood – Warren Street Houses, Wyckoff Gardens and Gowanus Houses. People have been living in substandard conditions for years, with mold and lead, failing boilers and hot water systems and more. Part of the wealth generated by the rezoning needs to correct this injustice.
No new Combined Sewage Overflow from the new construction that will be created as a result of the rezoning. As the superfund clean-up of the canal has finally gotten underway, we want to ensure that additional density doesn’t put pollution back in. We want a canal that is safe for humans, supports wildlife, and doesn’t stink.
Create an Environmental Justice Special District that enables the community to oversee and regulate the obligations of developers in the neighborhood both during the rezoning build out and in the following decades. We want to ensure environmental safety and stability.

There are more priorities, but these three demands must be met for us to support any rezoning. You can read about them and support us in our advocacy by signing onto our petition here, aimed at Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose support we need.

Press Conference releasing the demands of Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice

I’ve recently had a heart to heart with myself over where I’m putting my time and why. I want to make a difference in the world, and at the core I’d like to believe we all do. Over the last several years, I’ve been doing a lot of creative envisioning of what a supportive, interconnected, sustainable world looks like through my performance and participatory projects. With the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice, this visioning of the future, I hope, is becoming a reality through collective effort and action.

It’s been a fascinating journey thus far, though really only just begun. It has shown me the power of deep listening, and given me faith in humanity and in the ability to build movements across what most would see as divides. We’ve built bridges and today I can say, I think we’re getting somewhere!

Next week I head back into the studio to begin work on a dance for the grounds of the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida. I’m curious to discover what effect this momentum will bring to the working process and resultant performance. Stay tuned to find out.