2021 Shula Strassfeld Memorial Scholarship: Che Madyun

Photo by John A. Lacko / Kalamazoo Gazette

As we reflect on the 2021 Organizing with Artists for Change Winter Institute, we want to introduce you to one special participant, Che Madyun, a professor, organizer, and dancer, who was this year’s recipient of the Shula Strassfeld Memorial Scholarship.

Che is an Adjunct Professor at Cambridge College in Boston and Manchester Community College in New Hampshire, teaching across the subjects of theatre, community building, women’s studies, African American Literature, and social justice movements. Che is most known for her community involvement and for being one of the founding board members of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, DSNI. Che consults on engaging residents in community building efforts and is an advocate of resident-led community building processes. Che is also a classically trained dancer who has worked as a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, actress and arts administrator managing performance venues and ticket access programs as well as advocating for arts education in schools. Along with other artists, she has helped write the dance portion of the Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Frameworks and The Boston Public School Arts Curriculum. Che earned her BFA in Dance from Emerson College and a Master of Science in Arts Management from Lesley University.

To support her participation in the 2021 Winter Institute, Che received Dance Exchange’s annual scholarship celebrating Shula Strassfeld, a longtime company member, a loving mother, a devoted friend, and always an advocate that everyone dance as much as possible. The Shula Strassfeld Memorial Scholarship is a full-tuition scholarship awarded each year to a Winter Institute participant whose work and interests mirror Shula's dedication to creative aging and intergenerational exchange. Read below for a conversation between Che and Dance Exchange Communications Manager Amanda Newman.

Amanda: Congratulations on receiving the Shula Scholarship, Che. It’s an honor to award it each year, and we’re glad you were able to join the Winter Institute. Tell us a bit about your experience throughout those two days.

Che in motion during the Winter Institute.

Che: Thanks, Amanda. Attending the Winter Institute at Dance Exchange was exhilarating and thought provoking, as well as physically challenging. At the beginning of the Institute, I was apprehensive about taking African and Flamenco dance classes while sitting in a chair, but it was lots of fun. Maybe I had too much fun because during the 15 minute break, I had to put an ice pack on my back. But it was a great way to get my juices flowing for the remainder of the day. I especially enjoyed sessions when we got to co-choregraph with other participants in breakout rooms. This was a chance to connect and share with others in a more intimate setting.

My first breakout session was with Devin. That was especially meaningful because we both needed to modify what we were creating in different ways. That was a first time experience for me, and I am still processing it. Devin’s openness and freedom to express encourages me to try to be more open and free with my dancing and moving.

Amanda: Any other particularly meaningful or memorable moments?

Che: One thing that is important for me to note is that using text, poetry, and words in general is a new way for me to move and create movement. The only tools I am familiar with are the ones that have been used in Dance On class. While many of those tools were used during the Institute, there were twice as many new ones experienced and learned about. For me, the recipe activity we did with the cooking verbs and “ingredients” for social change embodied the point of using words to generate movement.

During Friday night’s session, several artists showed us the intergenerational work they do. The projects were all different but equally impactful. I loved them all. It also showed me that here, in Boston where I live, there is very little dance/movement-based intergenerational work happening. Now I am thinking about how to make sure this doesn’t remain a missed opportunity here.

Amanda: How long have you been involved with Dance Exchange? And what brought you to us in the first place?

Che: I became involved with Dance Exchange’s virtual Creative Aging (now Dance On) classes in early May of 2020. Finding these classes is one of the positive aspects of the current pandemic. Forced to be home and unable to go to the fitness center to do my mandatory-for-the-rest-of-my-life exercises, my body was crying. So, I searched the web. While searching, I remembered a friend who used to live in Baltimore had told me about Dance Exchange. When I saw there was a program for older people, and that it was on Zoom, I tried it out. Now I am a participant/fan forever.

Amanda: So what’s next for you? What are you carrying with you from your Institute experience?

Che: While I can’t say exactly what is next for me, I can say that I am drawn to the processes I experienced and the work I witnessed during the Institute. Perhaps I will find ways for folks in Boston to have moving and making cross-generational experiences. Maybe start a Dance On type of experience in this area. One thing I do know for sure, as long as Dance Exchange has virtual classes, I will be involved.