This past week in Miami, Morgans Hotel Group hosted Peace Dance Art (PDA), a series of performances choreographed by Natalie Kovacs that were held at the Delano, Shore Club, and Mondrian. Kovacs’ choreography is environmentally-minded – flaunting a connection to the oceans and sandy beaches her dancers perform upon – and so too, is the ice cream churned and packaged by her latest sponsor, Ben & Jerrys. We spoke to CEO Walt Freese about Kovac's work, her eco-pacifism, and the dire state of the planet's seas.
WHITEWALL: There is so much art here to sponsor, there are so many performances. What caught your eye about this particular idea?
WALT FREESE: Ben and Jerry's is a values-led business. For us, being a progressive force for change in the world is as important to us as it is to make money and grow. We're looking for opportunities wherever we go to give back to community. Art is a way to do that.
When we talk about what type of art, we would really like it be reflective of our values. We said, could we incorporate a core Ben and Jerry's value, which is world peace? We talked to Natalie about this, and she was very inspired.
At a very deep level -- Natalie and I had this discussion – and I said, I don't think there can be world peace without a fundamental change in human consciousness. It doesn't happen politically, it has to happens consciously first, which requires transformation at the individual level. So for us and Natalie this felt very much like an organic statement about how we become separated from our environment and other human beings. This is about the healing process, how we reconnect, especially to the ocean, and to each other.
WW: For you as a sponsor, what attracts you to her work, beyond the message of peace and the environment? Anything aesthetically?
WF: Well, the use of the natural environment from which Ben and Jerry's derives its business, and its consistency with our values, and the beauty and spontaneity of her work, and the very fact that it’s going to involve the community. We were founded on this principle of giving back to the community. So, for everybody who shows up, we're donating a dollar to a local environment organization to promote the environmental health of the oceans in Florida.
WW: There's so much important work to be done on the oceans here, too.
WF: Especially with the ocean liners. One of my top passions is diving, and every time I come back from a dive, not just here but anywhere in the world, I seem to be coming back with pieces of plastic in my pocket, and glass, and all kinds of other things. It's sad to see. So I have a personal connection to what we're allowing to happen to our oceans, and the first time Natalie and I saw each other – we had never met – we just hugged each other, no handshake, and said “I love you.”
Photos by Erica Simone.
