Posted By Clore Social Leadership,
19 February 2021
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This #CloreSocialFellowFriday, we sat down with Avatâra Ayuso, a 2020 Emerging Leader: Women and Girls’ Sector programme fellow. Avatâra is the Artistic Director of AVA Dance Company, and founder and Director of the charity AWA DANCE. She is passionate about celebrating women in the social sector.
Can you give us a little bit of background information about your organisation?
I'm the founder and director of a very new charity called AWA DANCE which stands for Advancing Women's Aspirations with Dance. The charity was founded at the very beginning of 2020, with the idea that dance can be a tool to empower our leadership practice.
The charity is very young, so it had to immediately adapt to the challenges presented by COVID. That ended up being a good thing, because it forced us to innovate, and it's been very exciting to see how the organisation fits into this different world straight away. At the moment, we’re running a mentoring programme for women, as well as bootcamps for both women and girls. We also work with schools to run workshops and activities that build confidence, physical wellbeing, and self-expression.
It’s been a busy first year! Could you touch a little more on your COVID response and the challenges that you’ve faced?
Dance is a physical activity that requires physical resources, so not being able to gather was the first challenge. However, rather than letting that be a roadblock, we realised that dance is also about wellbeing, so during a pandemic we need dance more than ever. We moved everything online right away, and hosted lots of workshops to support women and girls in the sector. One of the biggest challenges we’ve faced has been a lack of funding. At times, we had to start doing things on a voluntary basis, and acknowledge that we would get paid later on. But, this has also created a network of women and girls who are there to support each other. Before COVID, I think that network would have been much more difficult to build.
What does the next chapter look like for you?
The next chapter has already started! We’ve got online leadership bootcamps this month using dance as the core, and we also have our Women in Dance Awards, which are both very new and exciting. With both of these events, rather than having a Zoom webinar, we’re going to provide different digital tools to interact with. For example, during the workshops we’re going to use a virtual reality platform, and for the Women in Dance awards we’re going to use a gala-style networking platform. We’re hoping to use this technology to really engage with our participants and beneficiaries in a very interactive and participatory way. We also want to focus (even more!) on inclusivity in 2021, and make sure that everyone who engages with our charity is aware that we welcome anyone who identifies as a woman without question.
What inspired you to pursue leadership development with Clore Social Leadership?
Over the last five years, I've been doing some investing in my leadership development. In the beginning, I was leading an independent dance company, but I knew that I wanted to build something bigger than myself with impact beyond the dance sector. By the time I came across Clore Social, I knew that I wanted to grow a charity, so I had a big new responsibility, and I needed the tools to push my charity, my vision, my team to another level. As soon as I saw the Emerging Leader: Women and Girls Programme, I knew it was a perfect match in terms of content and timing.
What are the tools from the programme that you’ve found the most useful?
There are so many things already that I have applied in terms of the way I work, how I communicate, and how I empower my team. The sessions on feminist leadership were a real highlight. As a cohort, we actually asked for more sessions on feminist leadership theory, and Clore Social was incredible in adapting to our needs. Now, that theory is the umbrella that encompasses the charity, as well as my personal and professional life, so that’s been an incredible revelation.
Another thing that I’ve gained is a peer network of women. I never thought that I would be able to make such strong friendships online. Thanks to the fellowship programme, I now have friends who are experts in their fields and bring many different perspectives to the table, which is very, very enriching.
Looking forward, what are your hopes for the future?
I hope that all of the fantastic women in the world and in the social sector keep on connecting with each other, learning from each other, and encouraging each other. Women in the social sector all deserve to be celebrated, and I hope there is more of that celebration in 2021 and beyond.
AWA DANCE charity is running a Women in Dance Online Leadership Bootcamp on 26, 27 and 28 February.
They are also hosting the Women in Dance Awards online on 26 March, which is the first award ceremony to specifically celebrate women in the UK dance sector.
You can find Avatâra on Twitter at @AVADanceCompany
If you would like to be featured for a #CloreSocialFellowFriday, send us an email at info@cloresocialleadership.org.uk
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Posted 20 February 2021