The Dance for Tolerance Initiative (watch video) began as TMF Founder Dr. Marco Stoffel's dream project. During a visit to the Casa Francisco Esperanza in Cali, Colombia, Dr. Stoffel was intrigued and impressed by the organization's efforts to unite youths from two rival neighborhoods in the destitute district of Aqua Blanca. Around thirty teenagers had gotten together to break out of the vicious cycles of violence and revenge with the desire to transform their lives and promote positive social change through the medium of dance.

Dr. Stoffel recognized both their artistic talents and their passionate desire to make a difference within their community, and therefore challenged them to choreograph a piece that would not only represent the concept of "intolerance", but also illuminate ways to overcome it. He then promised the teenagers that his Foundation would finance a trip to New York City where they would be able to perform their dance and participate in workshops on tolerance education through the arts. Dr. Stoffel then got in touch with the EDISCA School in Fortaleza, Brazil as well as Dance Theatre Etcetera in Brooklyn, New York. The idea of uniting the young dancers began to take shape.

The EDISCA School provides education as well as social services to destitute inhabitants of the favelas in Fortaleza, Brazil. EDISCA puts dance education at the center of its pedagogical program in order to raise the students' artistic sensibility and help them express themselves through movement. The school's senior artistic directors choreograph dances on themes that are inspired by the harsh conditions in which the students live in order to stimulate social progress. Their creations address issues such as the working conditions of trash collectors, and the widespread prostitution of young women.

Dance Theatre Etcetera is a community-based performing arts organization that provides arts education programs to local schools, and presents festivals and shows accessible both to local communities in Brooklyn and the public at large. Executive Director Martha Bowers also choreographs and dramaturges large-scale site-specific events that seek to highlight the natural aesthetic of a place while addressing local socio-political issues and celebrating cultural influences. In the fall of 2006, Dr. Stoffel hired Martha Bowers as a consultant to shape and implement the Dance for Tolerance Initiative.

Dance for Tolerance Event 2007
After the groups arrived in New York on May 30th, 2007, the agenda started with an initial meeting between the youth from Brooklyn International High School, EDISCA and the Casa Fransisco Esperanza. Through warm-up exercises and dance swaps, the dancers started to get to know each other and their artistic sensibilities. The groups were then mixed up and divided into smaller story-telling circles. Throughout the week the participants were able to share anecdotes from their lives through translators and body language, and connect their -after all- perhaps not so different experiences as teenagers finding a place in society.

The day of their performance was an extremely hot and humid day. Everyone was tired and in many ways, the difficulties of attempting to collaborate with little time across cultures and languages became apparent. Perhaps this is where all the groups learned the most. It is necessary to understand that it takes real work and patience to overcome differences. The young people and the teachers worked very hard to acknowledge these challenges, struggling with them, and ultimately finding dance to be a common "language" to express their diverse identities. Despite their struggles, the dance groups all had an incredibly successful performance and went home with a greater understanding and respect for their world peers.

Future
The Dance for Tolerance Initiative plans to continue and develop its program to connect youth dance programs from around the world. The Third Millennium Foundation and Dance Theatre Etcetera will work together to continue the project in 2008.