Project Positive: How a West Philly Dance Troupe Gives Back to Its Community

David Dingle (left) and Damon Holley (right) of Project Positive. Image courtesy of Monica Rogozinski/WHYY

Project Positive Breaks to Inspire

Project Positive: Flipping Inspiring

Project Positive is an organization that expresses its message through hip-hop dance. Incorporating workshops, performances, and community partnerships, Project Positive strives to inspire the youth in Philadelphia.

“Hip-hop dancing saved my life when I started at the age of 14,” said Damon Holley, who founded the organization in 2010. “It kept me out of a lot of trouble and kept me focused on my goals. I wanted to create a program where I could inspire the youth in my community to do the same.”

Project Positive interacts with the youth at organization dance workshops. These workshops are open to all ages and include basic and masterclasses, freestyle, and choreography.

“We have hip-hop workshops every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday as of now,” Holley said. All of my guys who work with the organization have toured abroad and taught all over Philadelphia. I went from having five people in a workshop at one time to 30 people. Through social media and word of mouth, it gave us a platform to reach more people.”

Shane Pettway is one of the people that Project Positive has helped along the way. Pettway is a 17-year-old senior at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. He has been a member of Project Positive for the past two years.

“I used to see Project Positive in Love Park all the time and I would show them what I could do,” Pettway said. “My freshman year of high school, I got a chance to sit down and talk with Damon. After that, I started coming to events and doing gigs around the city. It’s been wonderful since.”

Pettway and Holley expressed how Project Positive makes a difference for kids in the inner city.

“Living in a neighborhood, where there are a lot of turf wars, drug problems, and single-parent homes, there are a lot of things to attribute for failure,” Holley said. “When you have something that can release your artistic vision, it can change your perspective on what’s possible. I just want to be the platform for others.”

Many people have seen Project Positive dancers on the SEPTA subway lines in the city showcasing one of their signature acts. The performance involves the dancers using the moving train to perform choreographed hip-hop and break-dance maneuvers.

“I have been arrested for performing on the train,” Holley said. “It was a disorderly conduct charge. I beat the charges but at the end of the day, it was a wake-up call to get more serious about what I was doing with the workshops and put more energy into giving back to the schools.”

Since then, Holley has shaped Project Positive into an organization that plays a visible role in the community.

Jamila Abdur, site supervisor for West Philadelphia’s Christy Recreation Facility, has watched Project Positive grow from an idea into a movement.

“In this neighborhood, it has brought a lot of positivity,” Abdur says. “They bring so much positive energy to the facility and stability for these young kids. It’s crazy that Damon chose that name for the group because the kids are definitely living up to the expectations.”

They focus on perfecting routines for upcoming performances and expanding horizons through dance.

Project Positive – Movers & Makers (2020)

“Project Positive could be anything,” Holley says. “It could be inspiring youth through DJing, through graffiti, playing basketball, doing the dishes or cleaning up trash in your local park. That’s Project Positive. It’s taking out the time from yourself to something positive for someone else.”

Even with the expansion of the organization, Project Positive adheres to the same philosophy they have had since the start. By doing so, they continue to help shape the community of Philadelphia.

“We always say we believe in PEACE – positive energy allows constant elevation,” Holley said. “I want to burn that concept into the minds of everyone around the world. Some people think life is so hard but it’s all about thinking positively. It’s that simple.”

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