In the beginning, Small Steps on Climate Change was a dance and embodied movement performance intended to inspire Metro Boston to view climate change as an opportunity to create stronger, collaborative, healthier, and more vibrant communities.

In the performance, developed by MAPC Artist-in-Residence Hortense Gerardo and Senior Environmental Planner Darci Schofield, movement artists were to perform a series of separate, diverse, and multi-cultural works on tiny stages: serving as a visual metaphor for human resilience through limited resources.

This spring, just six weeks before opening night, COVID-19 altered the path. In-person events were cancelled for an indefinite period of time. So the team adjusted: dancers filmed themselves practicing at home, reflecting on climate change, COVID, and the nature of resilience. Instead of live performances, the movement artists filmed their final choreography.

Gerardo took the footage and created "Small Steps: Dances of Resilience," a full-length documentary film about overcoming the struggle to create and perform during a global pandemic. The dancers tell their stories of climate, COVID, art, and hope, and, finally, they dance.

This week, that documentary will premiere on YouTube Live at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9, Thursday, Sept. 10, and Friday, Sept. 11. Each screening will be time-limited and all content will be removed between and after each showing. Team members will participate in a live chat on YouTube Premiere on all three nights. After the Friday screening, join the dancers on Zoom for a live Q&A.

Watch the documentary live at the links below!