Held on October 22, 2014
Featuring Heidi Latsky with an introduction by Dr. Amy Traver, Professor of Sociology at Queensborough Community College, CUNY, and joined by QCC Dance Professors Emily Berry and Aviva Geismar.
Many scholars assert that the Nazi government’s attempts to create an Aryan master race began with and were tested by their early efforts to rid German society of people with disabilities. From the “Law for the Prevention of Progeny with Hereditary Diseases” to “Operation T4,” these efforts aimed for nothing less than the eradication of current and future generations of Germans with mental illnesses, learning disabilities, physical deformities, epilepsy, blindness, and/or deafness. Current estimates indicate that approximately 275,000 individuals with disabilities were murdered under Nazi rule. Consequently, any attempt to understand the history and relevance of the Holocaust must pay special attention to the intersections of race and disability.
During this conversation, Heidi Latsky, founder, artistic director, and choreographer of Heidi Latsky Dance presents excerpts from the GIMP project which integrates and is inclusive of dancers with disabilities. Latsky discusses clips from her critically-acclaimed show “GIMP.” As a show grounded in the performances of dancers with disabilities, “GIMP” stays true to Latsky’s mission to exhibit all bodies as creative expressive instruments and to uphold, rather than fear, embodied differences.
Heidi Latsky holds a BA in Psychology with Honors. One of her recent achievements includes receiving the Martha Hill Dance Fund Mid Career Artist Award. She also received and the Moving Our World Award for Social Justice Advocacy by The IDEAL School of Manhattan. Latsky is a strong advocate for disability rights and is involved in various organizations and mentoring programs. She has also served as an adjudicator and presenter in the dance community.
Emily Berry is a Certified Movement Analyst, and has an MFA in Dance from George Mason University. She also holds Bachelor degrees in Dance Arts, as well as Women's Studies and Political Science from the University of Michigan. Berry teaches Improvisation, Contact Improvisation, Choreography, Foundations of Dance Movement, Dance Workshop, and all levels of Ballet and Modern Dance.
Aviva Geismar is a certified GYROKINESIS and GYROTONIC instructor and has done extensive teaching for bodywork professionals. She holds a BFA from New York University and an MFA from the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin. Geismar teaches Choreography, Improvisation, Dance Workshop, Foundations of Dance Movement, Repertory, and all levels of Ballet and Modern Dance.
Dr. Amy Traver is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Queensborough Community College, CUNY. Her research interests include community college pedagogies and race, ethnicity, gender, and religion in American adoptive families. Dr. Traver has worked towards publication or presentation with students on projects related to gender and disabilities, genocide education, maternal norms and expectations, and New York City infrastructure.
In April 2014, dancers around the world remembered the 1994 Rwandan genocide.