I am both thrilled and emotional to share an important evolution in Dance 4 Peace and our brand identity. The past year was monumental for our organization—we expanded our curriculum to encompass PreK – 12th grade learning objectives, built new product lines including workshops and teacher trainings, grew our international full-time team, engaged thousands of stakeholders across four continents, won awards and secured top-tier media coverage to celebrate our accomplishments. In sum, this year has been larger than Dance 4 Peace.
When sharing our story with potential partners, thought leaders, and funders, we’ve also experienced challenges in articulating the full scope of our vision and approach. We no longer want to feel limited by the assumption that Dance 4 Peace means dance education or an afterschool program – or just something that hippies do. To better position ourselves as a social enterprise that measurably reduces incidents of violence, we knew we had to make a change.
So we went back to the drawing board, and reflected on the thoughts and feelings that our organization conjures now, in 2013, almost three years after we got started. The most common, organization-wide words that expressed our mission today were the following: transformative, expressive, empathetic, global, and connected. Working with a world-class marketing agency, we saw that the name that best inspires these feelings is not Dance 4 Peace. It is Move This World (MTW).
Move This World is comprised of the same innovative, committed global team. We will continue in our mission to transform conflict, violence, and bullying through creative movement. Move This World allows us to more authentically reflect that audacious ambition.
I know this is an emotional change for many. Since 2007, Dance 4 Peace has been my baby, and it has been yours as well. Though this change is bold, we believe that is this identity that will take our global movement to the fullest expression of our vision.
Now, we will do more than move peace. We will MOVE THIS WORLD.
My best,
Sara
Founder & CEO, Dance 4 Peace