Bootyism for OSA

Bootyism is the celebration of booty power. A liberated booty is a liberated being. Who in 2008 doesn't want total freedom? How many of us are tapping into the sacred power of our booties to truly experience our freedom? Bootyism encourages us all to move our bodies for our own healing.

The bootyism campaign evolved from my own journey to self-love. I grew up around old women and young boys who seemed to be the most vocal about my booty. There were always comments about my "baby-making" hips, and how "thick" I was, or how "those pants are pulling." In college I was often the only afrikan person in my dance classes and ballet was torturous. In the mirror, I was one of the only girls with a rounded bottom that never "tucked" under. Surprise...I never got a higher grade than "B" in ballet. But nevertheless I was comfortable with my booty and my body and never missed a chance to booty shake!

I didn't start to consciously think about the booty until a major lovelife upset a few years ago. Same-old story, you know, he was with another woman and her booty was bigger than mine. I couldn't voice my feelings because I was this dance teacher who spent her days encouraging everyone else to feel good about their bodies, trust their unique movement, and celebrate themselves. I felt there was no home for my booty insecurities, so I kept silent and only told my journal. These mounting feelings of inadequacy were getting on my nerves and so I decided to play a game with myself. I pretended like I had this larger-than-life booty. Every time I was at a party or dancing with people, I emphasized booty movement and got others to booty shake with me. And before I knew it, everyone else was commenting on how big my booty was getting! It was great, and then I had this epiphany. My booty hadn't physically gotten so much bigger, but my "booty consciousness" had expanded and grown free of those small-minded fears that I was lacking booty and beauty.

The enthusiasm around booty shaking continued to generate more creativity, self-love, and opportunities to share and create art communally. I decided that the whole world is hungry for more liberating, self-empowering dance and the booty was a grand place to start. Why the booty? The booty is life! Many indigenous cultures around the world have preserved booty-centered dances that celebrate this life-giving region of the body. Think about the Samba of Brazil, a dance that unifies people from all over the nation, and even now the globe. Bootyism elevates a person's awareness of the life-force frequency, and consequently, creativity as well, enabling everyone to access a unique self-power that is the foundation of healthy communities. The booty is power when we claim it as such.

I am on a quest around the world to gather at least 6,000 unique booty moves and I invite everyone to participate in the development of the bootyology. Some dances are for the individual to do, some to do with partners or groups, some to do inside the ocean, some to do for political protest, and some for releasing traumas. I am making house calls to host booty parties, holding "Booty Energy Dance" workshops in different communities, and of course dancing on the street and booty shaking with the public as much as possible. The booty is an omni-source of creative energy and Bootyism is a path to explore all its dimensions. Remember, All booty, is good Booty!


Upcoming Booty Energy Dance Workshops for Women

Friday, June 13, 2008 7:30-9:00pm
Emergence Community Arts Collective
733 Euclid St. NW
Washington, DC 20001
Suggested Donation: $12

RSVP to binahkaye@gmail.com