From Founder and Artistic Director, Giada Matteini:

WADE was born out of love, resilience, and a deep commitment to ending gender-based violence. Its mission is to raise awareness, create programs that help prevent violence, and support survivors through dance and the performing arts as pathways toward healing and empowerment.

The project emerged from my own experience with domestic violence. What many people do not realize is that leaving an abusive relationship does not always end the abuse. Although I found the courage to leave, my former partner continued to harm me for more than six years through false reports to New York City’s child welfare system. He understood that making fabricated allegations against me would allow him to maintain control and inflict fear from a distance. ACS investigators repeatedly came to my home, my son’s school, and questioned family members, neighbors, and teachers. I endured six separate investigations, all of which were ultimately deemed unfounded. My son was never removed from my care, but many survivors in similar situations are not as fortunate. For some, these investigations can lead to the loss of custody, while others remain trapped in abusive environments without the support or resources needed to leave. In these cases, institutional systems can compound the trauma already caused by intimate partner violence.

Dance became the space where I slowly began to reclaim myself. Healing, however, was not immediate or easy. The constant scrutiny and accusations led me to question my own worth and identity as a mother. I lived with severe anxiety and recurring panic attacks for years. The trauma settled deeply into my body, affecting both my emotional and physical health. In search of healing, I devoted years to studying somatic and movement-based practices including meditation, mindfulness, yoga, Qi Gong, Bartenieff Fundamentals, and dance. These practices became essential tools for survival, helping me rebuild a sense of agency, confidence, and connection to myself during one of the most difficult periods of my life.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began and people around the world were asked to shelter in place, I reflected on how fortunate I was to have rebuilt a safe home for myself and my son a decade after leaving abuse. At the same time, countless women, children, and some men were confined in homes with their abusers, facing increased isolation and violence behind closed doors.

WADE was created in response to this reality and to the global rise in violence against women and girls. It is both a personal and collective call to action — a project grounded in the belief that art, movement, and creative expression can foster healing, restore voice, and inspire social responsibility. Through WADE, I hope to offer survivors not only visibility, but also the possibility of connection, strength, and hope.