The centerpiece of Community Action is a robust program of movement workshops that addresses trauma, launched in 2000 in partnership with Sanctuary for Families. The program has since expanded to include Safe Horizon, Barrier Free Living, Sakhi, Community Health Action of Staten Island among many other New York City organizations. Community Action offers free workshops annually to individuals and families who are on journeys to healthier futures.

The central dynamic of an abusive relationship is one person having power and control over someone else. A collaborative workshop environment, paired with our four-part program model, encourages choice, self-expression, trust-building, and sharing.

Gibney Company members receive specialized training in order to design and facilitate workshops that draw from their artistic practices and address the needs of survivors.

The workshop format is consistent but flexible enough for the dancers to bring their own personalities, areas of expertise, and creativity to the work. Workshops are tailored to the unique needs of each shelter.

Offered during support groups under the supervision of a social worker, workshops underscore clinical themes, address group dynamics, and explore common issues. Ultimately, Community Action workshops offer tools that are applicable to a person’s everyday life.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the NYC Safe Horizon hotline at 1–800-621–HOPE (4673) or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE (7233). Both hotlines operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Four Part Model

Our workshops follow a unique four-part progression that reflects the Company’s artistic process:

1. Look Inside: Reflect. Movement and creativity foster reflection and self-awareness that lead to greater self-confidence.

2. Speak Through Movement: Express. Movement and creativity encourage choice and decision-making. These activities help participants listen to their inner voices, express their feelings, and assert their identities.

3. Work Together: Collaborate. Moving and creating in a group is an enriching experience with valuable social and artistic rewards. Working together validates the experiences of every member of the group and helps to banish feelings of isolation and fear.

4. Take Care™: Dancers share state-of-the-art tools for stress reduction and self-care drawn from extensive training in dance, bodywork, and somatic practices.

Results

96% of clients reported the workshop helped them relieve stress.

96% of clients reported that the workshop improved their physical health and well-being.

100% of clients reported that they would like to participate in another workshop.

The most common emotion reported before the workshop started was ‘sleepy’, followed by ‘nervous’. After the workshop the most common emotions were ‘confident’ and ‘creative’, followed by ‘strong’.

Appropriate for grades 4-12, the program addresses the social emotional health of young people through discourse, resource sharing and a high-quality professional dance performance. Choreographed dances combined with participatory opportunities create a well-rounded educational experience that invites students to witness, and practice, active choices to create and foster healthy relationships throughout every moment and interaction. The dances provide a dynamic point of entry for meaningful dialogue within a safe space. Led by community educators, the program fosters discussion of relevant topics such as signs of bullying, the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, social isolation, boundaries and consent, and technological abuse among many others.

In support of the safety and health of the next generation, this program provides tangible tools, actions and take-aways designed to foster respectful relationships, clear communication and youth leadership. Offered in partnership with Day One and Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, Hands are for Holding® has reached over 34,000 New York City young people in the last five years, across all five boroughs.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October is an internationally recognized time to spread knowledge about the issue of domestic violence and support survivors on their journeys towards healthier futures.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Join Gibney each April for its observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, including participation in Denim Day, a public response to an Italian Supreme Court ruling, which overturned a rape conviction because the victim was wearing tight jeans.