{"id":41762,"date":"2018-03-23T15:55:12","date_gmt":"2018-03-23T21:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=41762"},"modified":"2018-03-23T18:03:44","modified_gmt":"2018-03-24T00:03:44","slug":"artivism-sophia-rabinovitz-uses-dance-to-express-social-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/artivism-sophia-rabinovitz-uses-dance-to-express-social-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Artivism: Sophia Rabinovitz uses dance to express social issues"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">By DEAN M. SHAPIRO, <em>Special to the CCJN<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Coming to New Orleans from her home in Amherst, Massachusetts with stopovers in Philadelphia and London, Sophia Rabinovitz landed in the Crescent City about two years ago and quickly immersed herself in the local dance community.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_41765\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-Tai-Teamer-Elle-Ciccarone-Lynn-Forney.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41765\" class=\"wp-image-41765 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-Tai-Teamer-Elle-Ciccarone-Lynn-Forney-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-Tai-Teamer-Elle-Ciccarone-Lynn-Forney-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-Tai-Teamer-Elle-Ciccarone-Lynn-Forney-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-Tai-Teamer-Elle-Ciccarone-Lynn-Forney-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-Tai-Teamer-Elle-Ciccarone-Lynn-Forney.jpg 1242w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41765\" class=\"wp-image-41765 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-Tai-Teamer-Elle-Ciccarone-Lynn-Forney-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-Tai-Teamer-Elle-Ciccarone-Lynn-Forney-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-Tai-Teamer-Elle-Ciccarone-Lynn-Forney-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-Tai-Teamer-Elle-Ciccarone-Lynn-Forney-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-Tai-Teamer-Elle-Ciccarone-Lynn-Forney.jpg 1242w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-41765\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artivism presents &#8220;(Un)titled&#8221; on Saturday night. (Photo by Chana Rose Rabinovitz)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">As the founder and artistic director of the year-old Artivism Dance Theatre and resident choreographer for The Art Klub, Rabinovitz and her eight-member company (including herself) will be staging a dance performance at the Art Klub, 1941 Arts Street (at North Johnson) on Saturday, March 24 at 8 p.m. The performance, titled \u201cOpen Ended,\u201d is the opening act in a three-hour fundraiser for the company that will also include food, live music, a silent auction and more.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Rabinovitz will be featured in two of the evening\u2019s five dances, the first being a duet with company member Lynn Forney, and the other being an ensemble piece choreographed by another company member, Elle Ciccarone. Two of the pieces are new works being premiered; the others were performed at various times last year.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">The company\u2019s name, \u201cArtivism,\u201d is a combination of two words that have significant meaning for Sophia: \u201cart\u201d and the last two syllables of the word \u201cactivism.\u201d As she explains, \u201cIt is art as a means of displaying activism,\u201d something Sophia feels very strongly about.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_41766\" style=\"width: 304px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Sophia-Dietzel-Sophia-Rabinovitz-Elle-Ciccarone.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41766\" class=\"wp-image-41766 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Sophia-Dietzel-Sophia-Rabinovitz-Elle-Ciccarone-294x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"294\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Sophia-Dietzel-Sophia-Rabinovitz-Elle-Ciccarone-294x300.jpg 294w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Sophia-Dietzel-Sophia-Rabinovitz-Elle-Ciccarone-768x784.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Sophia-Dietzel-Sophia-Rabinovitz-Elle-Ciccarone-1003x1024.jpg 1003w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Sophia-Dietzel-Sophia-Rabinovitz-Elle-Ciccarone.jpg 1400w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 294px) 100vw, 294px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 294px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 294\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41766\" class=\"wp-image-41766 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Sophia-Dietzel-Sophia-Rabinovitz-Elle-Ciccarone-294x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"294\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Sophia-Dietzel-Sophia-Rabinovitz-Elle-Ciccarone-294x300.jpg 294w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Sophia-Dietzel-Sophia-Rabinovitz-Elle-Ciccarone-768x784.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Sophia-Dietzel-Sophia-Rabinovitz-Elle-Ciccarone-1003x1024.jpg 1003w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Sophia-Dietzel-Sophia-Rabinovitz-Elle-Ciccarone.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 294px) 100vw, 294px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-41766\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sophie Rabinovitz is featured in this piece. (Photo by Chana Rose Rabinovitz)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">My history of activism and my studies in world cultures have inspired me to use my art form as a catalyst for dialogue about social justice issues,\u201d she explained. \u201cI believe that art, and dance specifically, has the potential to speak to significant world matters in a way that words often cannot capture.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Since high school I\u2019ve always been very interested in how social justice issues can be discussed through art,\u201d Sophia continued. \u201cI produced and directed \u2018The Vagina Monologues\u2019 and was very into theatre in terms of activism. I became more open to the idea of that being a possibility in dance as I got older.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Artivism has gained notice in arts circles. The company was nominated for a Big Easy Classical Arts Award in the category of \u201cOutstanding Dance Presentation (Short)\u201d for its 2017 performance of \u201c(Un)Caged\u201d at the Art Klub.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Sophia\u2019s interest in the performing arts and her activism can be largely attributed to the home environment of her youth. Raised in what she called an observant Reconstructionist Jewish household in the university town of Amherst, Massachusetts by college-educated parents who kept kosher, she was exposed to culture and social issues at a young age. In addition to attending regular services on Saturdays, Hebrew school on Sundays, Reconstructionist summer camp and observance of holy days, Sophia began taking dance lessons at the age of six.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_41763\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41763\" class=\"wp-image-41763 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41763\" class=\"wp-image-41763 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Derwin-May-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-41763\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Derwin May in performance. (Photo by Chana Rose Rabinovitz)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">I started with ballet and really didn\u2019t like it too much,\u201d she admitted. \u201cIt was too rigid. I was a very active kid. I wanted to run around and move and it was just too confining for me. So I stopped dancing after doing ballet for a few years, then started again when I was around 10 or 11 with jazz and modern and different movements where I was able to be a little bit more free.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Eventually Sophia found her way back to ballet because, as she explained, \u201cIt has its foundations in European dance.\u201d She freely acknowledges the importance of being classically trained in dance as a precursor to developing more contemporary styles.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Location also played a key role in the development of Sophia\u2019s cultural and social awareness. As the home of the University of Massachusetts\u2019 flagship campus and two other colleges, Amherst was a culturally and intellectually thriving mid-sized city. \u201cThere was definitely a great arts scene there,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">In addition, Amherst was in close proximity to the internationally renowned Jacob\u2019s Pillow Summer Dance Festival and only a few hours from Boston where Sophia and her family frequently attended theatrical performances. Occasionally they would go into New York to see Broadway shows.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">My parents were very aware of the arts and interested in dance and theatre and all of that,\u201d Sophia said. \u201cThey opened my eyes to it at a very young age, which was really wonderful.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Sophia\u2019s youth was also filled with exciting trips to foreign countries. \u201cMy parents were always really big on traveling, so I went to a lot of places when I was younger,\u201d she said. \u201cThat was always more the priority than other things. I didn\u2019t grow up with lots of fancy clothes or furniture but financial leisure for us wasn\u2019t about buying things. It was about traveling to new places and having experiences.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Following her high school graduation, Sophia went on to attend Philadelphia\u2019s Temple University where she received her BFA in Dance and a BA in Cultural Anthropology. From there it was on to London for three years where she earned her Master\u2019s in Dance Anthropology\/Dance Cultures from the nearby University of Surrey.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Her next and last stop after that was New Orleans.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_41764\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Daniel-Jones-Gabrielle-Slack.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41764\" class=\"wp-image-41764 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Daniel-Jones-Gabrielle-Slack-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Daniel-Jones-Gabrielle-Slack-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Daniel-Jones-Gabrielle-Slack-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Daniel-Jones-Gabrielle-Slack-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Daniel-Jones-Gabrielle-Slack.jpg 1700w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41764\" class=\"wp-image-41764 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Daniel-Jones-Gabrielle-Slack-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Daniel-Jones-Gabrielle-Slack-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Daniel-Jones-Gabrielle-Slack-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Daniel-Jones-Gabrielle-Slack-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ADT-Untitled-Daniel-Jones-Gabrielle-Slack.jpg 1700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-41764\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artivism presents its fundraiser tomorrow night, Saturday, March 24. (Photo by Chana Rose Rabinovitz)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">My sister (Chana Rose Rabinovitz) had been living in New Orleans for about four years and I had visited her there,\u201d Sophia recounted. \u201cI really loved it. It\u2019s a great city. I said to myself, \u2018Let\u2019s give it a try\u2019 and so here I am.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Prior to her arrival Sophia Rabinovitz was already testing the waters, seeking job opportunities. \u201cI started emailing people before I got here: yoga studios, fitness places and dance studios, trying to network with some of the dance people here.\u201d Not long after her arrival, a fortuitous meeting with Reese Johanson at a party helped set her on her present course.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">When I met Reese she told me she was opening a venue called the Art Klub and she expressed interest in a dance company I had started in London,\u201d Rabinovitz said. \u201cShe checked out my work and liked it and offered me the residency there. I didn\u2019t have any dancers yet so I had to get some, but it all just fell into place and it was amazing.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Putting out a call, Rabinovitz scheduled two auditions and a good number of hopeful dancers showed up. Three of the dancers in Artivism are still with her from her first audition and the rest of her cast was filled primarily through word of mouth.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">In terms of dance, my work is very theatrical; very athletic,\u201d Sophia explained. \u201cIt\u2019s a fusion between my contemporary training and my hip hop training. I\u2019ve dabbled in a lot of different styles, so there are certain influences that come in here and there, but it\u2019s mostly contemporary and hip hop. I\u2019m really interested in pushing the body to do new feats of strength and new challenges.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">So now, after having time to settle into New Orleans and get a feel for its cultural awareness, how is Rabinovitz finding it to be? \u201cI think it\u2019s amazing,\u201d she responds. \u201cReally wonderful. There is a very wonderful emphasis on the arts here that\u2019s really great. There is a very tight-knit dance community, which has both positives and negatives. Everybody knows everybody and it works both ways but it\u2019s mostly good. I\u2019m really enjoying it here.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">As for long- and short-term goals, she wants to reach out more to the community and bring dance instruction and education to local schools, incarceration facilities and juvenile detention centers.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">I am trying to establish a youth mentoring program,\u201d she explained. \u201cIdeally, teenage and high school age youths who are integrated into the company would have a mentor who they can work with specifically in terms of what is it like to be a professional dancer. How can you make this a sustainable career and what are the important techniques and tools for performance and for growing as an artist to build those relationships? Those are the questions I hope we can answer for them.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">And, consistent with her personal activism and concern for social justice, Sophia is attempting to work out participation arrangements with officials of several organizations devoted to helping prepare inmates and recently released inmates for civilian life. Some of these organizations sponsor music and writing workshops but do not, at present, offer dance programs.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">I\u2019m looking to start doing creative process workshops to show how movement can be used to express and tell a story, particularly a story that is very challenging. Physicalizing somebody else\u2019s experience in order to spread understanding,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">So how does she stay in shape? \u201cYoga,\u201d is Rabinovitz\u2019s immediate answer. \u201cI am also a personal trainer, so I literally work out for a living. I need to stay in shape to do what I do.\u201d Her home base is Triumph Fitness on Jefferson Highway adjacent to the Elmwood Industrial Park.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Overall, Rabinovitz is positive about the potential impact of what she does and she is determinedly fixed on specific goals. \u201cFor me it\u2019s about starting a conversation,\u201d she said. \u201cI very much want to create work that\u2019s transparent and easily understood by anyone. Someone who doesn\u2019t have an education in the arts or doesn\u2019t often go to concert performances can come to an Artivism show, understand what is going on, and start a discussion about the issues addressed. That\u2019s the goal for my work.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>To learn more about Artivism and to make reservations for the fundraiser\/performance Saturday night go to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.artivismdancetheatre.com\/\">www.artivismdancetheatre.com<\/a>. You can contact Sophia Rabinovitz at <a href=\"mailto:artivismdancetheatre@gmail.com\">artivismdancetheatre@gmail.com<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/span><i> <\/i><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>or visit Artivism on their Facebook page<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Artivism%3A%20Sophia%20Rabinovitz%20uses%20dance%20to%20express%20social%20issues\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":41765,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[9248,8790,8795,8788],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41762"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41762"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41872,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41762\/revisions\/41872"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}