#shebeats

[souloptics]

Link link link link link! Get to my latest BEAT TAPE on this link : https://audiomack.com/album/baatseba-thesoulqueen/f-i-f-o FIFO , for your listening pleasure. #shebeats #baatsebathesoulqueen #fifo https://www.instagram.com/p/Byrf0RCj7iPcGDtcDbYRMPehJw6mtuuIynM20E0/?igshid=1fcbh7pmbjr8y

[souloptics]

View this post on Instagram

FIFO COMING OUT SOON. #shebeats #FIFO #NightWatch https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx3vWj8DTC29M5u0-vNbfqqQ85IbpTF-oY4DUQ0/?igshid=gnq1lgq14kai

[femmenaturale]

Hey #Beauties, #MUA @lbdbeauty will be in #Cali! #BookHer for your #makeup needs. #SHEBEATS #SHEPAINTS #LAMUA #ATLANTAMUA #NYMUA #LBD #LOOKSBYDIVINITY #BeautyOnPurpose 💄

[faceforwardmn]

SHEdoesitall

The air smelled of sage and girl power. Excitement and encouragement floated around the room, filled with many people. Heads bobbed, feet tapped, people chatted, all eager for the much-anticipated show to begin.

On Thursday, the Fine Line Music Cafe featured SHEbeats, a collective group of women social artists who believe in the empowerment and strength of females. Through dance, music, visual arts and awareness, SHEbeats created a space for female artists to stand on stage and share their art. The show was inclusive to both women and men who are allies to women; anyone there to support was welcome.

In addition to seeing a show produced solely by women (a rare occasion), 10 percent of profits were donated to a local women’s organization. Those with a booth at the event were The Emily Program, The Childbirth Collective and Awakening the Wheels.

Many Face Forward artists and staff are a part of SHEbeats. It’s important to have resilient female roles models, and Face Forward isn’t lacking on that front.

The show started with all the women describing characteristics of a strong, empowered woman. The audience was then told to “imagine you are that woman” and that the evening was for both the performers and us. Throughout the show there was dance, body movement, spoken word, rap, instrument playing and more. Each Face Forward woman moved me. It was inspiring to see each truly expose her talent, so raw and beautiful.

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SHEsings. Shahar Eberzon, an Artist and Community Development Representative for Face Forward, has got some strong pipes. Her strength not only shines through in her singing, but also as a woman. With four men playing instruments on either side of her while she sang, Shahar was not outshined. All eyes were on her. Whether an original or cover, she sang with such candor and grace.

**Click the photo for a video from the show**

SHEspins. Providing entertainment between sets was a Face Forward artist, Simone Steppa DuJour. I know nothing about the art of disc jockeying, but this woman makes me want to learn. A smile permanently glued to her face, Simone seemed carefree and approachable, unlike some big-shot DJ who would never take a request. I felt proud of her, honing a skill so often stereotyped as only for men. She also engages and encourages the crowd by dancing along to her beats.

SHEdances. Alissa Paris, a Face Forward dancer, singer, actress and youth worker (talk about a quadruple threat), showed off her dancing skills during the performance. Alissa, along with Simone and two other women, danced together, their energies all bouncing between them. They formed a circle at one point, with their arms raised, as if to signify strength and unity. I've met Alissa through the Let's Talk Dialogues, where I have been inspired by her, and to see her dance was a whole new experience. Her passion shows through in both.

**Photo from her Facebook page**

SHEmoves. A quiet overcame the crowd as Taja Will, a Face Forward choreographer and dancer, stepped on stage. Through her fluid movements, her arms, legs and body created a story. This story, I think, could be something different for each person. For me, it was a personifying of some sort of spiritual journey every woman takes in her life. Her piece was completely improvised, a remarkable talent. This made it even more powerful, knowing that just the energy from the crowd and whatever was flowing through her mind was what was moving her.

**Photo from her Facebook page**

SHEchanges. Amanda Leaveck, Creative Director at Face Forward, is my boss … and is running a double life. Before Thursday, I had never seen Amanda dance. I am happy to have remedied this. Amanda, along with three other women, the Energy Dance Collective, performed a beautifully choreographed piece. As the light hopscotched across her face, I could tell Amanda was in her element, loving every second of what she was doing. As a woman, I felt inspired by her dance, a sentiment I’m sure many other women in the audience could echo.

**Click the photo for a video from the show**

SHErocks. Headlining this show with the release of her new album “Purify” was Hope Medford, drummer from Medicine For The People. I saw Hope perform at Project Earth and was excited to hear more. Many of the SHEbeats performers gathered on stage to accompany Hope, each playing a different instrument or dancing. It was like a collective chant of “I am woman, hear me roar!” These women included Mayda, Autumn Compton, Mama Crow, Shahar Eberzon and Gretchen Retka. The women even took a small dance break to throw down some moves. Seeing all these women on stage from different nooks of the cities at the same time, all with the purpose of supporting each other and Hope, was amazing. Whether beating the drum or belting out notes, Hope is astounding at her craft. She seems to have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time and is a true role model for women.

What a powerful night to be a woman. And a great night for Face Forward, as so many artists were able to show off their talents. SHEbeats rocked it and reminded me how great being a woman and having strong male allies is. I’m inspired to inspire the way they do.

Written by Sarah Christiaansen

[steakmob]

Poster for our dancing friends.