9: Movement for Joy

‘If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be in your revolution’ is a quote usually attributed to anarchist feminist Emma Goldman. She didn’t say those exact words, but the sentiment was hers. As she wrote in her 1931 autobiography, she loved to dance and rejected the idea that ‘a Cause … should demand the denial of life and joy’ (Shulman, 2001). Decades later, as American diversity, equity and inclusion consultant Verna Myers explained, ‘Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being invited to dance’ (Cho, 2016) – a statement sometimes expanded to ‘being invited to dance as if no one is watching’. In both examples, dance – that is, full body movement – is used to symbolise inclusion and belonging, freedom and joy. This concluding chapter will draw on inspiration from Goldman and Myers to propose new models of human movement that are inclusive, joyful and liberating.