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Call Them Out Street Dance Competitions MARINE COEURDASSIER ARTS & CULTURE Marine Coeurdassier is making moves. Based out of Tio'tia:ke (Montreal), Marine is an activist who firmly believes that art has the power to bring about social change. While by day Marine's activism manifests through her work in event and project management, by night it takes a whole new shape: street dancing. An active member of the Montreal street dancing community since 2015, Marine and her partner Pierre organized several unifying community events for the street dance scene. For her Sprout Ideas Fellowship project, Marine envisioned 'Call Them Out', a series of three street dance competitions featuring 2 vs 2 teams specializing in krump, hip-hop, break, popping, and freestyle. "The project will increase the visibility of up-and- coming street dancers and the various styles of street dance. The project aims to strengthen the social, multicultural, and intergenerational roots of Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges borough," Marine explains. The event took place over 3 weekends and featured a 'call-out' style, in which teams chose who they wanted to compete against. While competition was an aspect of the event, inclusivity and non-judgment were at the heart of 'Call Them Out.' "We had a number of young people sign up, and even children and first-timers taking part in a battle for the first time. Several people came to more than one event, which shows that they enjoyed the experience." According to one participant, "It was the first time I'd taken part in a street dance battle, and not the last! The concept allowed me to take the leap and face up to my fear of dancing in public. A wonderful event! I was honoured to be part of it!" Marine's initiative takes action towards the SDGs of Good Health and Well-being (Goal 3) and Reduced Inequalities (Goal 10). "The project focuses on equity, inclusion, and accessibility, with the aim of attracting participants from Montreal's outlying and disadvantaged neighborhoods, particularly Côte-des-Neiges. The "Call Them Out" project responds to the challenge of representing cultural diversity in Montreal's arts and culture scene, by involving young people from diverse ethno-cultural, socio-economic, and other backgrounds." Marine already has visions for the next iteration and future of 'Call Them Out.' "We're planning to reorganize 'Call Them Out' next summer in a crew vs. crew format, with teams of 3 to 5 dancers. We're thinking about which categories/styles we'd like to feature... In the long term, the project will have fostered the personal and professional development of up-and-coming street dancers. It will also have demystified and deconstructed negative stereotypes about street dance and Hip Hop culture, which has more of a spirit of solidarity, mutual aid, respect, sharing and love. In this way, the project will continue to promote health and well-being through artistic practice, music and movement. It will continue to reduce inequalities, because dance is accessible to everyone." For Marine, it seems, social innovation is a (moon)walk in the park. 41 SPROUT IDEAS FELLOWSHIP IMPACT REPORT

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