I have seen first hand how Projeto ViDançar has changed lives of children and families living in one of the most vulnerable and dangerous neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro. A true spark of life and opportunity. 

Through dance and art, Vidançar brings education to children and families in vulnerable neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro and Bahia.

The Associacao de Apoio e Fomento a Economia Criativa is a organization that promotes  artistic, cultural and scientific programs and act in various artistic spheres such as theater, music and dance.

One of the projects that we host is Vidancar initiated by Ellen Serra, a lawyer and cultural producer,  who hired a teacher to give classical ballet lessons to the first 14 students, residents of Complexo do Alemão. Thus Vidançar was born, with the aim of transforming lives through dance. The Vidançar Project was a pioneer in requiring vaccination cards, proof of school enrollment, attendance and the presence of guardians in order to build education as a tool for the students' personal growth.

The project took a life of its own, and by 2011 there were 90 applicants. The space provided by the Nova Brasília Residents' Association became too small. More than 1,000 children and young people have passed through Vidançar in its almost 13 years of existence! Today, there are more than 600 students, residents of communities not only in the Complexo do Alemão, but also Duque de Caxias, Espírito Santo and  in the Bahia, where it serves indigenous communities. In addition to Arts and Culture, Vidançar's pillar is Education, offering classes in ballet, tutoring, audiovisual, storytelling, English, Spanish, chess and singing workshops. Since 2013, Vidançar has been preparing its students for major auditions at the best schools in the country and some internationally. The project has already placed more than 50 students in professional dance centers, including the Bolshoi School; and the Brazilian Dance Conservatory. One of the students who took his first steps in the project é today professional dancer with the Tivoli Ballet Skole in Denmark.

"I was a victim of pedophilia from the age of five to 12. I got pregnant at 16 and became a mother at 17, having to give up my dream of working with the arta. After an attempted femicide, I separated at the age of 23, with a lot of pain to deal with. In 2001 I met my life partner, who gave me two more incredible children! But I also lost my father and fell into a state of depression... in December of that year, a good friend invited me to the Complexo do Alemão. [CPX, one of the largest favelas in Rio de Janeiro] and I never left. In 2005, I started doing voluntary social work and CPX saved my life. In 2006, I graduated in Law and worked as a lawyer for 14 years, alongside my volunteer work in the favela. I became a cultural producer by training and vocation, because the soul of someone who loves culture never gives up! After five years of social work, I realized that it was very important to support children in the area in building dreams and changing lives. My three children inspired me on this path of transformation through art and education and so, in 2010, the Vidançar Project was born. Ballet as a source of cultural knowledge, art, strengthening self-esteem and self-care has become the most beautiful path to this transformation that I wanted so much!" Ellen Serra, lawyer, cultural producer, founder and CEO of the Vidançar Project

Vidançar Women's Network

In 2021, the ViDançar Women's Network was born, a women's empowerment project that brings together sewing workshops and conversation circles, with the guidance of a volunteer social worker. The initiative was born out of attentive listening to the women of Complexo do Alemão, who brought their sons and daughters to the Vidançar Project's dance and education workshops. They said they wanted to "improve their lives", "earn my own money", "get rid of my violent husband", "take care of myself and be beautiful again". The Vidançar team felt the need to create a space to listen to these women that could welcome them. - them, but also a movement of empowerment and strengthening so that together these women can find community solutions to generate income and flee domestic violence.  Many lives have already been transformed by the Network. One of our students was in a serious situation of domestic violence. With the support of the Women's Network, it was possible to get her out of the state, allowing her to have a new life, with her children. Artists Zélia Duncan and Elymar Santos are sponsors of the Network. The Vidançar Women's Network received a donation of semi-professional sewing machines from singer Elymar Santos, who helped the team get the project off the ground. Singer Zélia Duncan, an institutional supporter of the Vidançar Project, also supports the Network and the space where the activities take place has been named the Zélia Duncan Room - Vidançar Women's Network, with the singer's presence at the inauguration of the space!

The project plans to increase its education offerings in the more vulnerable and remote locations it currently operates in Bahia, while also providing basic food security to students. All ViDançar students come from vulnerable communities, but in the Bahia location access to basic services is further diminished by its distance from major cities. For 2024 ViDançar plans to offer monthly basic staples' baskets to each family, hire a full time counselor and teacher dedicated to that locality alone.

Another project for 2024 is to hire teachers who are currently working on a volunteer basis, to guarantee uninterrupted service to children and their mothers.

Projeto Vidançar (AFEC - Associação de Apoio e Fomento à Economia Criativa)

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