A Dance for the People
Esther Baker Tarpaga’s performance will showcase NJ Spark’s ability to work as a platform that grants oppressed groups a voice and helps enact change. Esther is a performer and social-justice worker based out of Philadelphia. She is working in collaboration with Todd Wolfson, an associate professor at the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University. Todd Wolfson manages NJ Spark, a media platform aimed at creating content to serve oppressed and silenced communities. The core value of NJ Spark states that “when people come together to re-imagine their communities it can spark real change.” Todd and Esther were brought together by their shared passion for social advocacy, both Esther and Todd hope to showcase the process of advocacy for social issues in our society through the use of media and performance.
Throughout her career, Esther has focused on several areas of social justice work, however feels most passionate about her involvement in “anti-racist work [sic]”, and creating a platform in which white people and people of color can come together to engage in spaces of healing. These spaces are meant to provide minority and oppressed groups an outlet for expression and creativity. Her anti-racist work intersects with the goals of NJ Spark as a platform that creates “media for and with underserved communities”. Throughout her life, Esther has been heavily influenced and inspired by both culture and nature. She spent her undergraduate years studying Anthropology and French. She spent a year in Senegal learning about and engaging with the people and language of the country. Her own personal life inspires her work and passions. She creates her work based around the stories of individuals and their experiences. Her own story has helped shape her career. Coming from an interracial family, her daughter’s mixed-race background helped her gain personal insight into the experiences of People of Color.
Like Todd, Esther recognizes the struggles POC and minority groups face every day. Like the content showcased on NJ Spark, she hopes to develop spaces and platforms incorporating nature and culture to be able to provide a voice to oppressed groups. Along with race and culture, the aspect of nature has played a major role in her upbringing. Coming from a family of biologists in Colorado, Esther spent her childhood appreciating the offerings of nature and uses her appreciation for the outdoors as inspiration for her performances. Esther’s performance is choreographed around the idea of channeling the importance of perspective and people through shared outdoor spaces and a collaboration between differing people and values.
While Todd and Esther have taken different paths to reach their destination, both individuals place a strong emphasis on creating spaces for those who do not have the opportunity to create them for themselves. NJ Spark does this through the content created and published, using multimedia resources to spread important messages and raise awareness for various advocacies. Esther does the same by creating performance pieces and using dance and elements of cross-cultural values and nature to bring to light the voices of the silenced. The collaboration between Todd and Esther will showcase the platforms available for oppressed voices to express their struggles by highlighting the reach and viewership mediums such as NJ Spark provide.
