In the current national and international atmosphere of heightened division across racial, religious, and ideological lines, violent interactions increasingly become a common, if unwanted, norm and a sense of hopelessness often arises. Through the actions of listening, speaking and walking, The Exchange offers participants a way to consider why violence is so persistent, and how positive change might take place.

The goal of The Exchange is not argument or debate. Instead, using choreographic and conflict engagement tools we invite participants to consider the question:

How do we as individuals affect the level of violence in the world through our thinking and actions?

The participants in The Exchange will be divided into 6 groups, and the groups will rotate through the action stations, experiencing each of the following actions. These actions are all happening simultaneously in the space.

Below we invite you to experience for yourself how the exchange functions, please feel free to try out the actions either alone or with colleagues.
Total time needed to try 5 mins.

Dialogue

In this section, participants will talk in pairs while walking in a pattern through the room. They will alternate the roles of talking and listening as they respond to 6 questions, reflecting on their own beliefs and experiences on the topic of violence.

Listening

In this section, participants are invited to imagine themselves as a number of different people in a series of scenarios that take place just before or just after violent events. Participants listen to a voice that guides them through these situations, while they are asked to open and close their eyes, alternately mapping the stories onto the action in the room in front of them or experiencing them entirely in their mind’s eye.

Statements

In this section, people will be invited to respond to a series of statements using simple arm gestures to indicate yes, no, or maybe. The statements explore the spectrum of violence in our society- from interpersonal to societal.

The Michael Douglas Kollektiv (MDK) has experience in research of collaborative artistic productions and in development of collective participatory methodologies for the creation of their performances. Together with conflict specialist and choreographer Dana Caspersen (USA), MDK produced two public dialogues where choreography and conflict resolution meet: “The Polarity Party” and “The Exchange”, dedicated to the understanding of polarization and hate and the prevention of violence. In these interactive events, there is no performance and no spectators, instead simple actions such as walking, sitting and talking become tools for reflection and interaction as the participants consider: What is our role in the creation or unbuilding of systems of polarization and violence?

Dana Caspersen is conflict engagement specialist, award-winning performing artist, and author. In her work integrating conflict engagement strategies with choreographic methodologies, she has designed and realized teaching, communication, and public dialogue models bringing together thousands of people from diverse communities across the world– from a refugee camp in Berlin to Lincoln Center’s Global Exchange conference in New York City. Her book, Changing the Conversation: The 17 Principles of Conflict Resolution, has been translated into 8 languages and is widely used as a training tool by organizations, schools and individuals worldwide. As a leading collaborator of the choreographer William Forsythe for over 30 years, Caspersen has co-created and performed across the world, primarily with the Ballet Frankfurt and the Forsythe Company. She has received the Bessie Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in the United States and was nominated for the Lawrence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in England.

www.danacaspersen.com