What’s New at the ReImagination Café™

Dear visitors to the ReImagination Café™,

Almost every day, I talk to people who are feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world and anxious about where we’re headed. It feels like certain values that once grounded us – compassion, integrity, a shared sense of purpose – are slipping away. We feel unsettled - unmoored.

I believe one of the most powerful ways we can respond to what’s happening in the world is by using our work as a vehicle for addressing society’s most urgent challenges. At the ReImagination Café™, we’re committed to spotlighting the voices of those who are doing exactly that—people like Jonathan Hollander, our latest guest on the ReImagination Café™ podcast. As the founder of Battery Dance, Jonathan has spent decades using dance to create meaningful change around the world—a mission he began long before “social impact” became part of the broader cultural conversation.

Through their acclaimed Dancing to Connect program, Jonathan and his team have traveled all over the world, serving as cultural ambassadors for the United States, and empowering thousands of young people, often in post-conflict or marginalized regions, to express themselves, build trust, and connect through the universal language of dance.

It was a tremendous honor to speak at length with Jonathan and several of his colleagues, Emad Salem, Robin Cantrell, and Rutkay Özpinar, who are also featured in the episode. Their generous access was essential in helping us create a podcast that we hope honors the depth and impact of this remarkable organization.

My heartfelt thanks to Jonathan and everyone at Battery Dance for entrusting us with the privilege of sharing their incredible story.

Below are a few clips that highlight key moments from Building Connection & Hope Through the Universal Expression of Dance and offer a glimpse of what’s in the full episode, which can be found below the clips.

I hope you are as inspired by these conversations as I am! 

Reimagining always,

Jessica