In July, Women’s Second Start shelter staff performed a domestic
violence awareness recital for residents from all three of our shelters.
Shelter Director Earla Lloyd, LCSW, uses creative movement performances by
staff to help domestic violence survivors understand, discuss, and heal from
their experiences.
The recital is one way that Lloyd uses creative movement to
help residents heal. Lloyd will discuss this staff performance, as well as
weekly group therapy movement sessions, at the Center’s October Breakfast,
Transforming Lives Through the Arts. We
invite you to join us on Thursday, October 23
rd for breakfast and a
panel discussion about domestic violence and the healing power of art.
The video “La Bella y La Bestia” (Beauty and the Beast) and songs
like Leona Lewis’s “Bleeding Love” and Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter” were used
to tell a story, demonstrating the realities of domestic violence from the
beginning of an abusive relationship through the survivor’s empowerment. This event demonstrated that violence occurs
in all cultures, and that children are victims too.
As the movement pieces showed the emergence of the empowered
survivor, the audience’s mood changed.
Teary eyes were dried and the shelter residents began to cheer on the performers;
the residents recognized their own transformation from victims to survivors in
the dancers’ journey. The recital ended with the audience joining staff on
stage in celebration of freedom from abuse.
Click here for more information about the October Breakfast.
Please join us to learn about domestic violence so you can help raise awarness about this critical issue that affects one out of four women.
