Summer Night Out in Somerville: See Sunsetters, SomerMovie, and Innovative “Run Like a Girl” Program at Seven Hills Park on August 1

SOMERVILLE – On Thursday, August 1, join us at Seven Hills Park in Davis Square for live entertainment by Somerville youth leading up to this week’s SomerMovie Fest viewing of The Incredibles 2. At 6:30 p.m., catch a unique performance by participants in the Somerville Recreation Department’s “Run Like a Girl” program, a first-of-its kind gender-neutral empowerment program by ANIKAYA Dance Theater and local choreographer Wendy Jehlen. With this performance, Run Like A Girl is making its United States debut following programs in Benin, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Japan and Brazil. The program was held over the last two weeks of July as part of the Somerville Recreation Department’s annual programming in a first-time and hopefully annual partnership with ANIKAYA.

At 7 p.m., catch a special performance of the Somerville Sunsetters, and cap off the evening with the weekly SomerMovie fest screening after dark!

About “Run Like a Girl” and ANIKAYA Dance Theater

Run Like a Girl is a multidisciplinary project that looks at the words and phrases permeating our cultures that chip away at the self-esteem of girls, creating a false image of girls and women as “weak.” Through a workshop series, the program teaches a series of movement activities that explore ways of playing, running, and interacting in stereotypically feminine ways (for example cooperatively, supportively, non-competitively), and collaborators lead open discussions about “like a girl” phrases and what they could mean. The August 1 performance will be a culmination of the two week workshop, during which 17 young Somervillians worked with members of ANIKAYA from Brazil, Benin, and Somerville.

The Somerville series is the first time the Run Like a Girl program has been conducted in the United States. It had previously been held in Benin, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Brazil, and Japan.

About the Sunsetters

The Somerville Sunsetters is a traveling youth performance troupe that performs classic show tunes and modern musicals in Somerville neighborhoods at the request of Somerville residents throughout July and August. The group was originally created and very popular in the 1970’s and 1980’s, and was reinstated by Mayor Joe Curtatone in 2004. The group is comprised of Somerville youth between the ages of 12 and 18, and is currently under the direction of Somerville music teacher Charlie Jabour on behalf of the Somerville Recreation Department.

About the SomerMovie Fest

The City of Somerville’s annual SomerMovie Fest invites all community members to join Somerville CityTV every Thursday night throughout the summer for a free, family-friendly movie in a local park. The 2019 SomerMovie Fest features popular feature film sequels. For a full lineup, visit www.somervillema.gov/fest.