Dance Against
Violence
Dance Against Violence is a project spearheaded by Montréal Danse. Since 2010, we have been offering movement workshops in women’s shelters to assist victims of domestic violence.
Individuals who have survived violence or are dealing with psychological trauma often experience dissociation from their bodies. Words and speech are not always a feasible or sufficient path towards reconnecting with their bodies. We believe that offering a workshop to access the body opens up immense possibilities for expression.
Our mission
To offer movement workshops to individuals made vulnerable by various types of violence, in order to help them reclaim their bodies, regain their confidence, and break their isolation.
Our vision
Acknowledge movement as an essential tool for recovery, empowerment, and well-being, available to people who have experienced violence, regardless of their background.
Our values
- Respect : everyone is welcomed just as they are on that day, with their own experiences, resources, and feelings.
- Attentiveness : we create supportive and safe spaces where the body can express itself without judgment and with creativity.
- Collaboration : we work with psychosocial workers to offer comprehensive support.
Our workshops
Our hour-long workshops, driven by a feminist approach, provide a safe space for participants to get in contact with their bodies. Dance Against Violence (DCV) facilitators welcome participants with many backgrounds and histories, whether it’s for one or multiple workshops. They invite them to pay attention to their sensations and movements, without judgment. This moment of body attention has the potential to (re)build confidence in one’s abilities, to explore one’s own space, and to foster recognition of one’s limits and decision-making powers. It is also a time for connection that helps break the isolation experienced by many participants.
Over nearly 15 years, DCV has a total of …
Who can benefit from our workshops?
DCV mainly targets women from all social and ethnic backgrounds who have experienced various forms of violence: intra-family, sexual, gendered, racial, as well as those affected by homelessness, drug addiction or social isolation.
The workshops are located in shelters, community organizations and women’s centers throughout Montreal, to ensure that our initiatives reach and benefit a diverse audience, especially those with limited access to the wealth of resources available in the city.
For the year 2025-2026, the project has two main objectives: to continue the workshops for women and to develop a workshop component for children. The mother-child workshops carried out in recent years have shown positive effects, notably on the family bond and the children’s self-esteem. So we want to create workshops specifically for them.
Goals
BODY
- Connect with the body and its sensations ;
- Recognize and respect one’s limits ;
- Reclaim one’s body as a safe space.
EXPRESSION
Develop the ability to choose and express oneself in a sensitive and creative way, through body and movement (empowerment process).
COMMUNITY
- Develop a supportive community ;
- Break isolation.
History
Dance Against Violence was established in Montreal by Agora de la Danse, La Dauphinelle women’s shelter, Montréal Danse, and Amélie Dionne-Charest. The project was inspired by the project of the same name created by choreographer Gina Gibney (Gibney Dance) in New York.
Dance Against Violence merges with Montréal Danse to ensure its continuing development.
The Dance Against Violence team adds a mother-child workshop to its activities.
DCV opens in Quebec City in partnership with La Rotonde, a distributor specializing in contemporary dance and cultural mediation.
The program expands its partnerships to offer workshops to benefit a variety of individuals (women, men, adolescents, and young adults) with a range of experiences of violence.
Our team
Our workshops are led by four experienced facilitators :
Rachel Harris
Performer
Elinor Fueter
Performer
Salomé Janan
Performer
Hoor Malas
Choreographer and performer
Board of Directors of Montréal Danse – Danse Against Violence Funding Committee :
- Marc Bertossini – Desjardins Marketing Business Partner
- Charles David Cardinal – Director of Coévol | Design and strategy for companies
Collaborating organizations
Testimonials
Contact
Juliette Clara Bertoldo
Dance Against Violence Coordinator
dcv@montrealdanse.com
Danse contre la violence is a project funded under the Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal between the Ville de Montréal and the Government of Quebec.
