Liberation Academy 4.0
SEPTEMBER 2025 - AUGUST 2026
LIBERATION ACADEMY 4.0
“I’ve attended Liberation Academy’s free workshops that are open to the public for the last two years. For me, it’s been so much more than learning different dance styles — it’s been in recognizing that so many dances today stem from Black histories and cultures, and elevating the teachers at the heart of conveying these movements and experiences. Dance is one of the most fundamental and universal ways of communication, and Liberation Academy’s work is so central to cultivating a stronger, better, and more inclusive community.”
“As a Black woman, I knew that so many dance styles were taken from us but I’d commonly be the only Black person in certain classes. Now I feel supported to learn not only the techniques of dance but the history as well.”
“The directors and instructors took time to understand where each student was and from there they all guided us to improve and pushed us over our limits.”
ABOUT THE LIBERATION ACADEMY
Presented by Dance Mission Theater and funded in part by the SF Arts Commission
Directed and curated by Sarah Crowell, Kara Mack and Bongo Sidibe
Questions? Email sarahcrowell65@gmail.com or info@dancemission.com.
The Liberation Academy was conceived to restore the intellectual scholarship, spiritual wisdom and creative richness which resides historically in the collective oral and underground traditions in Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.
The Liberation Academy:
- asserts that Black and other artists/creatives of color exist as architects of wisdom and world building
- dismantles the idea that if it’s not written down, it’s not real
- reclaims the idea of scholarship and wisdom
- seeks to decolonize ideas and bodies
- uplifts Black and other artists/creatives of color across time as crucial to social justice movements
- sees dance as a metaphor for navigating the world
- sees rhythm and movement as a metaphor for coming into synch with one another
LIBERATION ACADEMY 4.0
Liberation Academy 4.0 offers two tracks:
- A series of WORKSHOPS for all dancers taught by dancers, choreographers and dance historians rooted in African and Afrian Diaspora traditions
- A free INTENSIVE EXPERIENCE open to dance artists to give tools and a platform to create and produce powerful performance work. The intensive experience is by AUDITION ONLY. Audition happens on Saturday, September 6 2025 at Dance Mission Theater.
Questions? Please email Sarah Crowell at sarahcrowell65@gmail.com.
Liberation Academy News and Updates
