Conversation of Change with Michael Roberson
January 29th, 2024
4:30-6:00 pm PST | 5:30-7:00 pm MST | 6:30-8:00 pm CST | 7:30-9:00 pm EST |
$0.00 - ‘Pay What You Wish’
Michael Roberson, the Founder of the Haus of Maison-Margiela, is not only a distinguished public health practitioner but also an influential LGBTQ advocate, activist, artist, and curator. His commitment to public health is evident through his involvement in programs such as H.E.A.T - Health & Education Alternatives for Teens.
With two Master's degrees from Union Theological Seminary, Michael is an Adjunct Professor at The New School University and Union Theological Seminary. His academic focus revolves around addressing health disparities within the Black gay and Black/Latino LGBT house ball communities.
As a TED Media Resident, Michael delivered a global talk shedding light on the underground Black/Latino LGBT House/ball ballroom community. His extensive contributions extend to founding The Federation of Ballroom Houses and co-creating the National Black Gay Research Group.
Beyond academia, Michael is a consultant with VICE Media, Ryan Murphy Productions, and Fox Studios. He actively contributes to projects centered around diversity, fostering respect in the workplace, and collaborating on a television series exploring 1980s NYC Ballroom and Club cultures.
More Information about Michael
The Source introduces 'Peace Reflections' - a journey celebrating the roles of Peace and Knowledge in fostering community healing. This echoes the teachings of Queer, Black, and Brown liberative organizing, where communities have been united through principles of Peace, art, and education. We are honored to have Michael Roberson, join us as we explore the Ballroom Scene, recognized as a powerful space of resistance against oppression, driven by love, creativity, and community as transformative forces.
Throughout history, Black Liberative leaders and communities, including iconic figures like MLK Jr. and the legacies of the Ballroom community, have served as havens for marginalized people. 'Peace Reflections' showcases contemporary expressions of peace and fosters exchanges by honoring these legacies and lineages.
Drawing on the ancestral wisdom of Michael Roberson and Elaine Talamaivao (founder of Tala Mai Moana & Co-Visioner of The Source), our goal is to share practices and knowledge useful for cultivating Peace on the journey to create a more healed society.
On January 29th, bring your open(ing) heart to the 'Conversation of Change' with Michael Roberson. The conversation delves into the transformative intersection of art and activism, advocating for a deeper contemplation of the community's relationship to Peace, Joy, and Freedom. The culmination is a question posed by Michael Roberson in 2012 at Ultra Red’s “Sound of Freedom” installation at the Whitney Biennial: What does it mean to be truly human and free?
ACCESSIBILITY
The Source invites guests and soon-to-be loved ones to "COME AS YOU ARE." We are committed to meeting participants where they are. To help us understand your accessibility needs and requests, please communicate them to Gabriel.DancingEarth@gmail.com. Our intention for this space is to honor vulnerability and emotional healing. We kindly ask you to join us in honoring this intention for yourself and the community, setting limits that feel right for you.
CLASS BREAKDOWN (all times in PST)
4:30 PM - Welcomes, Orientation, Intentions, and Grounding Movement
4:45 PM - Community Listening Session with Michael Roberson
5:30 PM - Community Question and Answer Session
5:50 PM - Closing Remarks
BRING
Presence
Curiosity
Questions
A desire for peace both in the self and in the world
Comida
Water bottle
Notebook and pencil/pen
This session will be coming from Ohlone or Tewa homelands, to learn more about some of Dancing Earth's circle and to support the initiatives of matriarchs, please view these links:
Nobody is turned away for lack of funds, and if you can be generous with your resources, please consider doubling your donation to sponsor the participation of someone who can not donate!
DANCING EARTH CREATIONS dynamically activates our mission, to create contemporary dance and related arts through global indigenous and intercultural relationships centered on ecological and cultural diversity for creativity, health, and wellness.
“We gather as individual artists to create experimental yet elemental dances that reflect our rich cultural heritage as contemporary global peoples. We strive to embody the unique essences of cultural perspectives by the creation and renewal of artistic and cultural movement rituals. Ancient and futuristic, our dances are an elemental language of bone and blood memory in motion.” - Founding Director, Rulan Tangen