One Billion Rising

Since I'm trying to branch out what I write about here and include all sorts of things that Zumba lovers will enjoy, today I'm going to talk about a social cause that I think is really important.  It's called One Billion Rising, and it's an effort to wipe out violence women.

Did you know that one in three women worldwide will be beaten or raped in her lifetime?  That adds up to ONE BILLION WOMEN.  That's far too many.  We have to do something about it.  

So, what's One Billion Rising? Here's what the website says:

A global strike
An invitation to dance
A call to men and women to refuse to participate in the status quo until rape and rape culture ends
An act of solidarity, demonstrating to women the commonality of their struggles and their power in numbers
A refusal to accept violence against women and girls as a given

A new time and a new way of being 

That's right! You can rise up against violence by DANCING!  And as Zumba lovers, dancing is what we love to do.  Check out this awesome dance that was choreographed by Debbie Allen (remember "you're gonna start paying...in sweat" from Fame?) just for the cause.  I've been teaching this dance in my classes for a few weeks now.    

You can get involved with One Billion Rising by going to see your local production of "The Vagina Monologues" by Eve Ensler.  If you're at Mizzou, the show is TONIGHT, January 16 at 7:00 in Jesse Auditorium.  Hope to see you there!