Joy Is Our Resistance
Why We Danced Instead of Shouted: becoming Ambassadors of Joy
Dear Brave Soul, today, as millions marched in the streets, we bopped, grooved, and boogied. From our island near Seattle, we occupied our local Ferry across the Salish Sea to join the main protest. I invited folks from our creative circle; we dance weekly in public, to express what’s in our hearts and connect with community. Here’s a few highlights from our day of Joy!
A Ferry Takeover
Our ferry boat system carries thousands of commuters, tourists and others across the Puget Sound each day. Normally, we’re quiet and keep to ourselves. Not today!
Shifting the Story: from No to YES.
Most signs, chants, and messages at a protest are about “NO.”
We’re Anti. We’re Against. Which is totally legitimate. Our pain and rage are real. But our group loves to offer the energy of Joy, to offset the anger. We share smiles alongside fists. We entice others to celebrate their freedom, by playing and singing songs that offer messages of unity, hope, love, and empowerment.
This form of protest is not frivolous. Joy can be highly effective, engaging, and mobilizing. The English Disco Lovers effectively shut down a British neo-fascist group (English Defense League) with dance activism in 2014.1
How to be an Ambassador for Joy? Be ridiculous. Play the Fool.
My joy-full collaborator
and I are no strangers to performing and playing at festivals and events on the West Coast. Still, it’s yummy to join hands with our local peeps - kids, elders, everyone - sharing joy on this day.Making Friends with Fellow Travelers & Revelers
We’d never met any of these brave souls who shared the dance floor with us!
Energizing the Seattle No Kings March
We walked a mile and a half uphill from the Ferry dock, just in time to catch the very beginning of the No King march.
Dancing to “Can’t Hold Us” by Seattle’s Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Dancing to “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge
What a beautiful way to celebrate Freedom!
Sharing our songs of connection from this little slice of dirt near the sidewalk, we got to see nearly all of the 70,000 souls who marched peacefully in Seattle today. Many danced and sang with us. How uplifting! To share this moment in history - with Joy.
(Thank you to who gets it about Joy, who gets it about playful Trickster energy, and who added Baby Shark to our playlist!)
🗣️ Did you join a protest this week? Or support in other ways? How was your experience? Did it feel creative? Energizing? Joyful?
ALSO: What songs should we add to our playlist?
Thank you for joining me on this adventure! 💗 If you enjoyed this, please let me know, with a heart, a comment, or buy me a dirty chai! It means so much to me.
More to come,
YES YES YES - Dancing instead of Shouting -we need these type of creative, loving ways of protesting.
Couldn't love this more!