TED 40 | Understanding gender-based violence in the SBK scene with Dabney Evans

The Empowered Dancers Podcast

1 in 3 women. 1 in 4 men. At work, at the gym, in any social context, gender-based violence is present in our lives and you may not even consider it all that often. But what if you did? What if you stepped onto the dance floor or into your lesson with an understanding of what gender-based violence is, who is at risk of it and the questions you can ask yourself to ensure that you are not making someone else feel threatened or uncomfortable? Let’s find out. Dabney Evans focuses her academic research on gender-based violence and is also a salsa and bachata dancer. This unique combination of skills and experiences allows her to apply her knowledge of gender-based violence to our beloved scene in a way that can help each and every one of us show up in a healthier way for ourselves and for our fellow dancers around us.
What to expect in this episode:
01:03 From Capoeira to Salsa & bachata
04:22 What is gender-based violence?
06:35 Gender-based violence in the SBK scene
09:53 Loss of a community because of assault or harassment
11:16 What are the risk factors? The individual, the community and the structural
13:53 Abused and the abusers: the factors are the same, the gender-identity is the difference
15:43 Interpersonal risk factors
21:34 How dance increases the risk of gender-based violence?
26:43: Consent: Can I touch you?
29:48 Systems of oppression
36:43 Just how common is gender-based violence?
About Dabney Evans
Dabney Evans is an Associate Professor at Emory University in the US and an avid salsa dancer in the SBK community. Her research focuses on gender-based violence and this gives her a unique lens through which she can see the dance community. Not only does Dabney focus on gender-based violence in her work, she also uses survivor-centered design to develop programs to prevent and respond to intimate and interpersonal violence.
Connect with Dabney
https://bsky.app/profile/dabneyevans.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/dabneyevans/

About Bobbie Miles:
Bobbie Miles is a social dancer and empowerment coach in the salsa, bachata, and kizomba scene. Dancing is a happy place for Bobbie, as it is for so many. In order to foster safer dance spaces for all dancers, Bobbie is on a mission to promote more accountability and responsibility surrounding boundaries, consent and safety within the community through education and conversations that matter. Bobbie is a coach and advocate for speaking up, boundary setting, and promoting respect in the dance scene. Through The Empowered Dancers Podcast, she promotes transparency, understanding, and accountability and as a coach and public speaker, she focuses on boundary setting and respect in practice, both on and off the dance floor.
Resources:
Download my 5 Top Tips to boost your confidence on any dance night! https://empowereddancers.com/5tips
Practice saying NO on the dance floor: empowereddancers.com/no
Connect with Bobbie Miles
Follow me on Instagram @theempowereddancerspodcast
https://www.instagram.com/theempowereddancerspodcast
Find me on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/bobbiemilesbailadora
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA8pcAq9lXttVf9w9lDb1bQ?sub_confirmation=1