The Darfur Heroes program is a way for the Save Darfur Coalition to honor individuals and groups who have done inspiring and important work in an effort to end the violence in Sudan.
This November, the Save Darfur Coalition is proud to honor Rebecca Davis, an entrepreneur and activist who has used the arts to bring attention to the genocide in Darfur. Rebecca’s commitment and drive inspired us, and her ballet DARFUR wowed a colleague, who traveled up to Philadelphia for a screening. Earlier this month, we invited Rebecca to speak at the Pledge2Protect conference in our “Imagination as an Advocacy Tool: Bringing the Arts into the Picture” session where she inspired activists of all ages to use their talents at their disposal to promote social change. Next is the story of Rebecca’s involvement, in her own words:
It was 2006 and I kept seeing these horrific photos in the New York Times with bylines reading “Darfur”. I had followed Nicholas Kristof’s articles for quite awhile, but nothing had shocked and depressed me like this. What was this place called Darfur? Why was this happening to these people? As I learned more, I realized genocide isn’t something that happens to “these people”. Instead, it is a root evil that exists in all of us, and consequently, each and every individual has a responsibility to stop it. In my effort to find logic to the madness in Darfur, I picked up a book: The Devil Came on Horseback. As the story unfolded through the eye witness account of U.S Marine Brian Steidle, my curiosity mutated into frustration. I knew I had to do something about this, but what could I do as a 25 year old entrepreneur in Philadelphia? I choreograph ballets and run a dance company…so that’s what I did.
In April 2008, The Rebecca Davis Dance Company premiered the first contemporary ballet about Darfur. Our production, also titled Darfur, conveys the story of The Devil Came on Horseback through movement. It is set to alternative rock music, ranging from 311 to A Perfect Circle. The production has been performed throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and it will premiere at NuDance Festival in NYC in December 2009. The production raises awareness and donates funds from each performance to genocide survivors in Rwanda and Sudan. Learning about this genocide and creating a subsequent ballet is just one small step in affecting our own consciousness about the tragedy of the human condition. Kristof will continue to write, Steidle will continue to show photos, my dancers will continue to perform…now, what will you do?
Rebecca Davis is the Artistic Director of the Rebecca Davis Dance Company.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Tags: ballet, Darfur Heroes, Devil Came on Horseback, Philadelphia, Rebecca Davis
