The Curb Center at Vanderbilt University with Forklift Danceworks   Community Engagement Boot Camps 

A series of hands-on workshops to build understanding of and skills in community-centered engagement  

 Workshop dates

• Sat., Feb 15th from 10 am–4 pm  
• Sat., March 1st from 10 am–4 pm  
• Sat., March 29th from 10 am–4 pm 

Plus additional fieldwork of approximately 5 hours. 

Boot Camps are open to whole Vanderbilt classes as well as individual Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff. Register yourself or your class for the Boot Camps here.  

Workshop Description  

Through both theoretical analysis and practical application, Vanderbilt students will grow their understanding of community-centered engagement which values inclusivity, creativity, listening and authentic relationship building. Through three group workshops and direct practice through field work, students will explore how community-centered engagement can address local issues, spark dialogue, and encourage civic participation. 

More about Forklift Danceworks 

For over 20 years, Forklift Danceworks has created inclusive, one-of-a-kind performance projects that share stories, build understanding, and create community. With a mission to activate communities through a collaborative creative process, Forklift has reached over 50,000 people with free performances that typically feature the people whose work sustains our everyday lives. Additionally, Forklift Danceworks partners with different communities across the world to train local artists and government staff on the unique Forklift collaborative creative process. Through our artistic programming and coaching, Forklift builds capacity for more informed civic dialogue, greater collaboration between individuals, and stronger connections and leadership across communities.  

 More about Community Engagement Boot Camps 

Join artists from Forklift Danceworks as they support participants to learn about and practice Forklift’s unique process of inclusive, community-centered engagement.  

Who might be interested in joining these Boot Camps with Forklift? 

• Those who are interested in experimentation, innovation and exploring new ways to address civic and community based issues. 

• Those who are interested in building relationships outside of the traditional community engagement models 

• Those who are interested in collaboration as a model for building community and  developing civic projects 

• Those that believe that beauty and art can be found within all the spaces we occupy 

• Those who are specifically interested in creating community organizing projects 

• Those who are advocating for specific policies and are looking for new ways to communicate ideas 

More about Forklift’s Practices around Collaborative Performance 

Collaborative, equitable partnerships take work. Forklift has distilled a set of best practices, drawing on what we have learned from our own experiences as well as those from our mentors, fellow artists, and collaborators. We think of these as steps in the process, even though they don’t always follow a clear linear order. Sometimes we stay with one step for a long time, or leave it and come back to it again. Our hope is that these can assist you in your own efforts to build relationships within and across communities. 

1. Be Curious. 
2. Nurture and work with warm connections. 
3. Listen for need, and work to meet it. 
4. Set clear, mutual expectations, and check in over time. 
5. Build Trust. 
6. Listen. 
7. Cultivate attention and record what you notice.  
8. Find the help you need. 
9. Build and get support. 
10. Create together. 
11. Exit the piece, not the relationship.