Who We Are
What We Do
"Abuse is an ugly story. When I dance, I make it beautiful. Turning ugly into beautiful forces people to listen. They will learn. They will accept, and ultimately, they will help." -Leah Zeiger, Founder
The Sunflower Project uses dance techniques to help heal survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and dating abuse. TSP also uses methods used in film and writing to facilitate a healing space for survivors. TSP takes on different projects in order to achieve this goal, such as the film Untold, the #Demand2BHeard initiative, performances, and Democracy Jams.
The Sunflower Project (TSP) is a multimodal artist organization based in Chicago, IL. Founded by Leah Zeiger, the organization primarily uses dance, with help from film and music, to educate the community about sexual assault, domestic violence, and dating abuse. TSP focusses on young adults, specifically middle school through high school.
Why We Do It
Her sophomore year of high school, Leah met a boy and fell in love. Regardless of her being a headstrong, independent, and intelligent young woman, Leah fell into the boy's trap. He became verbally abusive, then physically, and ultimately sexually. He controlled her life for nine months in their relationship. It took Leah four attempts to break up with the boy, and when she finally did, she hadn't even begun to imagine the horrors that were to follow.The boy began to stalk Leah, through websites like Facebook and fake texting apps. He broke into Leah's house and threatened the safety of her en
tire family. He continued to terrorize Leah and her family until he was put into jail two years later. He was sentenced with two years in prison, but was let out a year early.
In high school, Leah choreographed a dance solo entitled "Unnamed". The solo includes a video projection of herself in the background. This solo was Leah's first step in using dance as a vessel to share the tragedy of abuse she experienced. She discovered that dance was a way to "make an ugly story beautiful", and that began her quest for righting the wrongs done by her abusive ex.