Ages Take Action:
Heidi Duckler Dance is proud to present Ages Take Action, a PSA short film created in collaboration with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center at the MLK Jr. Community Hospital Campus. The score for the film was produced by Los Angeles Unified School District students enrolled in music production classes with Young Producers Group.
The film is a collaborative effort of a long-standing partnership between HDD and the MLK Jr. Community Hospital Campus. As the campus’ current artist in residence, HDD joined with medical providers at the campus, community members in the Watts/Willowbrook area, and HDD teaching artists and dancers to create a fun dance film with important messaging from MLK Jr. staff and providers, such as Chief Medical Officer, Ellen Rothman, M.D., regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Ages Take Action was created to provide both an artistic and personal approach to dissemination of vaccine information because, although there is an abundance of vaccines and resources, many have yet to be vaccinated, indicating the necessity of a new approach to reach them and address their reservations. This project was infused with the ideals of bringing vitality, joy and a renewed sense of community as we exit a time lacking in each, with firm knowledge that the COVID-19 vaccine is our gateway to keeping our community healthy, thriving, and vibrant!
Ages Take Action will be distributed throughout the Watts/Willowbrook community through several free and public community screenings, and throughout the county to serve as an organizational tool toward increasing vaccination rates. At each screening, attendees will view the Ages Take Action video and have the opportunity to hear from and ask questions to a panel composed of medical providers, COVID-19 vaccine recipients, and vaccinated community representatives. The goal is to create a public space for community members’ voices to be heard regarding their vaccination concerns, to increase scientifically-backed and first-hand knowledge of the vaccine and its effects, to assist those needing help navigating where and how to get vaccinated, and to combat the disproportionate effects COVID-19 is having on BIPOC communities.
To date, Ages Take Action: Give the Vaccine a Shot has been screened at Watts Labor Community Action Committee and Watts Coffee House. The initiative has also been selected for inclusion in the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine’s Arts & Creative Placemaking (WE-Making) Repository as a “Promising Practices Case Study”.
