Breakin’ it Down and Building it Back Up: Timberland and Chosen Dance Revamp Philadelphia
On Saturday, October 1, the Community Builders Tour (CBT), sponsored by Timberland, and the residents of Kensington united to revitalize the community. Chosen Dance Company, a Philadelphia-based dance troupe, performed a choreographed Hip Hop dance evolution.
(PRWEB) October 19, 2005 -- “The Badlands” is the nickname that most Kensington residents use to refer to their North Philadelphia neighborhood. At one time Philadelphia’s most prosperous industrial district, Kensington now has the highest concentration of poverty in Pennsylvania. On Saturday, October 1, the Community Builders Tour (CBT), sponsored by Timberland, and the residents of Kensington united to revitalize the community. Chosen Dance Company, a Philadelphia-based dance troupe, performed a choreographed Hip Hop dance evolution. The positive anti-drug, anti-violence message conveyed by Chosen’s performance was an influential and powerful way to commemorate the consecration of Kensington’s new beginning.
The 250 residents and volunteers worked to rebuild McPherson Square, one of the city’s landmarks, which features a Carnegie Free Library. Some of their tasks included building a safe playground for children, landscaping the park and restoring the exterior of the library. To celebrate this event, CBT and Timberland selected Chosen Dance to perform at the community celebration. Chosen’s main mission is to use dance as a means of expression to spread positive community messages. Chosen dance members are comprised of urban Philadelphia students who have experienced similar inner-city pressures as the Kensington youth. An established professional dance team, Chosen has also performed on MTV and BET.
Chosen’s dedication to community respect, love and peace is mirrored by Timberland’s own commitment to corporate social responsibility. “We believe that everything we do has an impact on the communities in which we live and work,” says Timberland’s President and CEO, Jeffrey Swartz. “As a responsible corporate citizen, we must actively and positively engage in those communities and inspire others to do the same.” Together, Chosen, Timberland and CBT have positively impacted the lives of the residents of Kensington. The district of Kensington is known as a “Badland” of violence and drugs. However, through community restoration and a message of hope for youth, Kensington now has an opportunity to reclaim its neighborhood.
About Timberland:
Timberland (NYSE: TBL) is a global leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories for consumers who value the outdoors and their time in it. Timberland® products are sold worldwide through leading department and specialty stores as well as Timberland® retail stores. Timberland’s dedication to making quality products is matched by the company’s commitment to “doing well and doing good" -- forging powerful partnerships among employees, consumers and service partners to transform the communities in which they live and work. To learn more about Timberland, please visit www.timberland.com. For more information about Timberland’s commitment to corporate social responsibility, including a searchable database of thousands of volunteer opportunities, please visit www.timberlandserve.com.
About Chosen Dance Company:
Chosen Dance Company uses Hip Hop dance to create entertaining and educational performances suitable for theater, schools, film, and live entertainment, while maintaining the individuality that defines Hip Hop. Chosen Dance Company’s goals are the validation of Hip Hop dance as a true art form and the accessibility of Hip Hop to audiences regardless of age, ethnicity, or gender. Chosen believes that it can take Hip Hop dance beyond its traditional boundaries while preserving its purity. For more information on Chosen Dance, please visit www.chosendance.com.
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