Community Water Dance by Olga Serdeschni

How can dance be used to inspire water advocacy and connect us more deeply to the

water in the places we live?

This project responds to the ongoing problem of water injustice, particularly the historical and ongoing denial of clean water access to Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, which supplies water to the city of Winnipeg. Students explore the emotional, ecological, and social dimensions of water through dance, storytelling, and collaboration, asking:

What does water mean to us, and

how can movement ripple that meaning into action?

About This Project

Community Water Dance is a creative, movement-based unit designed for high school dance students to connect with local water systems through place-based inquiry, choreography, and advocacy. Inspired by the Global Water Dances movement and informed by texts like Aqueduct by Adele Perry, Writing for Pleasure by Ross Young and Felicity Ferguson, and The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop by Felicia Rose Chavez, the project invites students to choreograph personal water dances on the shores of a local lake. These dances, based on emotional themes such as hope, anger, or renewal, are recorded and accompanied by written reflections.

The project culminates in a collaborative “Ripple Effects” piece that is performed and taught

to a local elementary school class. Together, students and younger learners explore the power of movement to educate, inspire, and call others to action on water protection. This shared experience becomes a form of embodied advocacy where art, land, and learning meet.

Place: Buffalo Point and a local lake (TBD) connected hydrologically to Shoal Lake.

Participants: High school dance students, a visiting elementary class, and the teacher as

facilitator.

Final Output: Videos, photographs, and writing will be shared through a class showcase or

digital gallery to extend the ripple effect beyond the classroom.