Help End Abuse for Life (HEAL) is hosting Lincoln County’s first ever staged mob flash dance at Wingfield Park on Valentine’s Day. Yes, you read that right. Right smack in the middle of winter, on February 14th, hundreds of people will be dancing in one of Ruidoso’s favorite parks as part of the global campaign, “One Billion Rising” – an activist movement to bring global attention to the epidemic of violence against women and girls.
One Billion Rising began as a call-to-action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women, or one billion women, in the world will be beaten or raped during her lifetime.
The idea to host the dance in Ruidoso came from EcoServants Executive Director Stephen Carter during a conversation in which Carter asked HEAL Executive Director Coleen Widell if the Nest was going to sponsor such an event.
DJ Pete Davis has joined up with HEAL to provide some rockin’ music for the flash dance. Music will begin at 12:15pm. At 12:30pm, the theme song “Respect” by Aretha Franklin will be played and the mob flash dance shall begin! HEAL chose the hours 12-1pm so folks can attend during their lunch hour. If anyone with a physical challenge needs a chair for chair dancing, please call Sue Francis at the Nest so HEAL can accommodate.
The flash dance will also be video recorded for use on the HEAL website, Facebook and Twitter accounts and YouTube and Vimeo channels.
Julie Gilliland is the HEAL Board Secretary and also part of the planning committee. She said, “HEAL decided to plan a public dance to celebrate our successes in our mission and to bring attention to this shocking statistic. It just shows how much more there is to do. The Nest’s success is largely due to our community’s involvement so hosting the One Billion Rising mob flash dance just seemed like a fun way to say thank you to Lincoln County.”
While the One Billion Rising movement specifically addresses violence against females, it is important to remember that men and boys can also be victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. According to Widell, “We still see a cultural taboo around discussing assaults on men. There are many reasons why men may be more hesitant to disclose abuse or rape, including society’s definition of masculinity and the idea that men are “tough guys” and can take care of themselves.”
Events are being planned all over the world and thousands of activists, entertainers and organizations have signed on to the One Billion Rising movement, including organizations focusing on women, human rights, labor, economic justice, environmental, faith-based and LGBTQ groups, as well as artists and high profile lawmakers. Among them are Rosario Dawson, Thandie Newton, Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Yoko Ono, Jessica Alba, Anne Hathaway, Donna Karan, Jennifer Lawrence, Dylan McDermott, Robert Redford, Lily Tomlin, Rosie Huntington–Whitely and Zoe Kravitz.
For more information about the One Billing Rising mob flash dance in Ruidoso, please see the event webpage at https://www.facebook.com/events/324826700964792/.