Harassment should NEVER be part of the female experience. So why is it that 71% of women have been subjected to it? It is a horrifying statistic that warrants a reformative look on what needs to be done to protect women and girls from the sexual harassment and violence they face daily.
Heartbreaking as it is, there is hope. It lies in the power of people.
Wonderful Individuals and organisations across the country have made leaps and bounds when it comes to championing women's rights. London-based visual artist Melanie Manchot is one inspiring creative moving the message.
Drawing from the vibrant dance scene of Leeds, its diverse communities and powerful history of female activism, Melanie developed Dance, All Night, Leeds). When night falls, over 10 dance organisations representing a colourful sundry of cultures, styles, and stories will sweep across the city. Synchronised by solidarity and support for women to take up space freely and safely after dark, the dancers will retrace the steps taken by the pioneering women who led the Reclaim the Night march almost 5 decades before.
A culture of blame and shame was rife in 1970's Leeds. Speaking to one of the pioneers of the 1977 Reclaim the Night march, Councillor Al Garthwaite, the Lord Mayor of Leeds recalls, “If a woman were out on her own at night, going or returning from work, study or socialising, and a man attacked or harassed her, it was automatically considered to be HER fault”. Debasing interrogations were targeted at women who came forward with their experience, and slurries of judgement hailed down on women not, as you would expect, the offenders.
It was around the time that harrowing news of a serial killer of women, later unmasked as Peter Sutcliffe, was making the rounds. There was a bitter irony in the guidance issued by officials, who advised that women “not go out at night unless absolutely necessary and only if accompanied by a man you know”. While freedom was capped for women at the first signs of nightfall, no such sanctions existed for men.
Fears, questions, and pleas for change were mounting, and yet it was dismissal that greeted most women. It had to be rage; it was the only hope left to break through the silence.
Women's fight for liberation was not just a story unfolding in Leeds, in fact it was happening across the world. Empowered by
change-seeking women in Germany who, in April 1977, took to the streets to protest violence against women, the Leeds Revolutionary Feminist Group took the opportunity to do the same in their city.
It was not easy to rally support for the march without the immediacy of today's technology. Al Garthwaite tells us how she and the group utilised means available to them to spread the word. She shares, “We spread the word to all those who had ever attended a women's group and asked them to tell their friends and colleagues. Writing to women's centres, and groups, we suggested that feminists across the country hold marches on the same night”. Many were unconvinced, and press releases the group had sent to local media outlets, such as the Yorkshire Evening Post, BBC, and Radio Leeds were overlooked.
Fortunately, the group was persevering, and their long, arduous efforts were not in vain. On November 12th, 1977,
dozens of women took their placards, their voices, and rage right through the streets of Leeds. For hope of a better future for women and girls, they proclaimed their right to reclaim the night.
It had seemed that the march stirred genuine bewilderment amongst the public. Al recalls, “It was so taken for granted that women should stay at home if we wanted to avoid harassment. Challenging that was akin to challenging that we needed air to breathe”. Adding to the mix of reactions was a nauseating display of male intimidation, one that only validated the need for the march. As Al recalls of the night, “Men leaving the Eagle Tavern in North Street lurched towards us as we marched along, shouting ‘off with your knickers' and the like”. Not backing down, the women, braced with flaming torches and a mission that could not be extinguished, were too fierce to face, and so the men shrank back. “It was a good moment”, Al reflects.
That very movement, 46 years ago, lay the groundwork for the future of females, many of whom drew from its strength and courage to demand their voices were heard. Over the decades, Reclaim the Night marches have swept across the U.K. Growing stronger in numbers each time, they refreshingly reflect that progress is being made.
Dance (All Night, Leeds) is set to be an enlivening ode to the perseverance of all those in favour of a safe city for everyone. Joining this joyful act of taking up space after dark with Bulgarian folk dance, hula hooping, and more, SAA-uk are delighted to be transforming the night with Kathak.
The Indian Classical dance is one of storytelling. With long standing roots that began within the sacred walls of temples in North India, it has since evolved as an ode to tradition as well as modernity.
During the colonial period, the intricacies and rich skills of female Kathak dancers were bypassed by the oppressive gaze of sexual objectification. The artform, though
steeped in a rich culture and history, was demonised and forced into decline. The talented women who embodied Kathak were vilified in the same way, with many suffering the devastating loss of their art and livelihood.
As a contemporary practitioner of the classical artform, Kathak dancer and teacher
Jyoti Manral hopes to use her dance to strengthen the message of empowerment at Dance (All Night, Leeds).
Doing away with reductive interpretations that see the female body as everything but her own, Jyoti encourages her students to tell their own stories through their form. She shares, “I teach Kathak because it is a medium that gives my students an opportunity to express their emotions, creativity, and feelings through meaningful movement. When we dance, we strengthen the relationship we have between our bodies. It makes us feel good”.
Bringing that very passion for women's right to physical and emotional freedom alongside over 10 incredible dance organisations, tonight will be a night to remember for all the right reasons.
Written by Dimple D'Cruz, Marketing and Communications Assistant at SAA-uk.
