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The Body Factory Dances Through Ujima

Danielle Campbell | January 5th, 2023

The Body Factory Dances Through Ujima

Culture & Community  |  Dance  |  Dixwell  |  Arts & Culture  |  Kwanzaa  |  Arts & Anti-racism

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Danielle Campbell Photos. Chaila Gilliams is pictured at the top. 

Drums sang over the room as people drifted towards the sound, forming a circle somewhere near the center. Strangers moved beside each other to the rhythm, knees and shoulders alive. Hands lifted towards the ceiling, stretching their fingers. Friends turned around to glance at each other, and bring new faces into the group. This was the principle of Ujima, celebrated on the third day of Kwanzaa, brought to life.

Last Wednesday, Kwanzaa came to The Body Factory in New Haven’s Dixwell neighborhood, in an evening to lift up both the space and Ujima, the principle of collective work and responsibility. Curated by The Green Peacock Owner Chaila Gilliams and dance and bodywork instructor Earl Ali-Randall, the event doubled as a goodbye to the 182 Dixwell Ave. location, which is part of ConnCORP’s plan to revitalize Dixwell Plaza. 

“We want to have a last hurrah, and what better way to do it [than] with a Kwanzaa celebration and celebrating what we do as we are dancers and fitness instructors,” Gilliams said. “[We’re] wanting to give to our community health, strength, and wellness. So yes, we decided to go out with a bang.” 

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While there are plans for The Body Factory to ultimately be part of ConnCORP’s redevelopment—Gilliams has been a frequent presence at The LAB at ConnCORP—it plans to temporarily relocate for the time being. 

As attendees trickled in, the night started with an opening dance by Gilliams to get into the Kwanzaa community spirit. Then Elder Elaine Peters stepped forward. The founder of the Community Kwanzaa Association out of New Haven and a self-proclaimed sage, Peters began a call to the ancestors.

Nearby sat an altar with a statue of a Haitian woman, a community basket filled with words community members had written, and burning incense. Peters explained to attendees that it is vitally important to call in the ancestors so that they may share space with those in the room. 

“I’m proud of her [Gilliams] …because she’s reaching back to ask how to go forward,” Peters said. “So, I’m just helping her call in the ancestors because that’s what people don’t understand that you need to do first.”

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Top: Elaine Peters leads the conga line. Bottom: Attendees join in the drumming. 

She instructed attendees to shout the names of family members and loved ones that have passed on. At first, people were shy; only a few murmurs drifted through the room. After a few moments, names started the flow. By the end, people were raising their voices to the ceiling, as if the sound might carry through the roof and up towards the sky.  

Once the calls had pierced the air, there was a drum circle by Rhythms from the Heart, a Healing Drum Society headed by Michael Mills. Around Peters and Gilliams, drums sprang to life, heartbeat-like as their steady rhythm filled the air. 

“It’s all about the spirit, celebrating, living from the heartbeat,” Mills said.

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The circle expanded as Mills invited members of the audience to pick up extra instruments and join in. Bells, drums, shakers, and various percussion floated over the space once the attendees added their melodies to the sound. 

“What we're here to do is connect the dots with where your heartbeat’s at because that is your original drum,” Mills said. “Until we recognize that our heart is in control of our being and not our mind, we’re lost.”

As the sound carried, Peters kicked off a conga line that morphed into a community circle. She invited those around it to add their own dance and flair. Young and old joined the circle, with moves that landed squarely with the spirit and sound of the drumbeats. The evening had just begun, and already attendees were moving around the space. 

It laid the groundwork for a long stretch of fitness and movement, including a zumba lesson defined by smiles and occasional bursts of laughter. Gilliams, Ali-Randall and Keisha Robinson all headed their own three dances to high energy, intense and fun music. There were bursts of Latin, Caribbean and African sounds through the speakers. Those dancing got behind the instructors and danced their hearts out  and got their heart rates up. 

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Melissa Rodriguez and Carrie Verrilli are zumba instructors from the Shelton area and heard about this event through a friend. 

“The drums were inspiring. The dance was amazing. A good community service for everybody and the children and it was amazing, and I loved it,” Rodriguez said.

Verrilli came to meet new people, hang with her other zumba instructor friends and learn something new, she said. 

The night ended with shoutouts to those that came to gather in the space for its last big event before moving. Before the night was over, Gilliams said that it won’t be the last time they come together—she envisions a large and intentional community space in the future. Wednesday marked a fitting end to one chapter, and the beginning of another. 

“Everybody just coming together as one, enjoying everything, was just beautiful,” said Teresa Jackson, a friend and student of Gilliams’. “She did a great job. I loved it. I had a great time, and we should do this more often and celebrate each other in the community. And the different cultures."