Image: Celebrity Series
To close out The Traka Interviews series, we had the pleasure of speaking with Ellice Patterson, Director of Abilities Dance. Since 2017, Ellice and Abilities have been creating work with a focus on uplifting BIPOC, disabled voices. To learn more about Ellice and her perspective on creating work through a lens of community and healing, read below!
My name is Ellice Patterson. I am the founder and Executive/Artistic Director of Abilities Dance. I approach the healing of collective trauma by first acknowledging the trauma, and educating people on the trauma. There’s a lot of people who are unaware of ableism and especially intersectional ableism for those of us who live with multiple marginalized identities. So that’s the first step is just awareness, and representation, and it’s shaped by the traditions and communities I come from by being a BIPOC and disabled led organization between myself and Andrew who is the director of music. And we both identify as BIPOC and disabled folks, so we both carry the deep understanding of deaf and disabled culture to our work because that is our community. We’re coming from that community, and our decisions are informed by that community.
I envision collective healing by acknowledging that we are here. And that we’re hurting. And we demand access, or justice, or the liberation really for everyone. Now. And it includes doing that work to get there. Because from awareness then comes advocacy, and from advocacy comes acknowledging the new understanding of how to best support everyone. And it looks like joy, it looks like access, it looks like a breath of fresh air.
Some things that could help the dance community do this work is by acknowledging the disabled artists that are here in the city. Some do not, some think that is not a part of their work and so they will refuse to do their events in ADA compliant spaces, or have ASL interpreters or whatever the access barrier might be. So they can make that access. ANd not just for the audience side, but for the artist and administrative side as well. To have folks in positions of leadership so it can better inform your practice.
Image: Pete Sutton Photography
And one healing or movement practice I would suggest is just taking a moment to take a breath and feel grounded in whatever way that means for you in the moment, on the floor, in a deep plie, just taking that time to be still and grounded.
To stay up to date on Abilities’ performances, please follow @abilitiesdanceboston and @elliceonpointe on instagram!