If you are planning to dance on Feb 14, 2013, don’t let it be a quiet waltz to the tune of surrender. Instead, swing to the music of rebellion that will be blaring across the world. Yes, rise up and dance with the one billion women who are planning to shake a leg to protest gender violence and rape!

One Billion Rising, as this campaign is called is the brainchild of American playwright and feminist, Eve Ensler, most popular for the hilarious and touching play, The Vagina Monologues. For the past 15 years, Eve has inspired feminists around the world to celebrate V-day on Feb 14. The V in this case is not for Valentine alone, but also for Victory and Vagina.

V-day is a global movement to end violence against women and young girls. This Feb. 14, will mark the 15^th anniversary of this movement, and so it’s a great time for women to get as rebellious as they want! And what better to do than to follow the four main mantras of the campaign: “walk out “of home, school, college, work “rise up” in protest, and “dance” to “demand” the end of violence against all women.

Why dance?  Because, “ To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful and more powerful,” as Agenes DeMille, a legendary dancer and choreographer says on One Billion Rising’s website. The website also lets you sign up for updates, download a toolkit and plan an event with your friends for Feb 14, 2013. You can also see who else has signed up, and join a protest anywhere you like.

Though the campaign protests the unfair violence against women, it also reaches out to men who might want to stand up against the rape culture and make a difference. Male celebrities have already pledged their support. Watch a video testimonial from Robert Redford!

India recently launched the One Billion Rising Campaign in New Delhi, and has won the support of Indian feminists and celebrities. You can read more about it, in this Times of India Article.

ASAP will be joining the men and women out there who want to shake a leg. So will our Youth Champions. We heard about it from Poor Box Production who put together for us a special reading of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologes earlier this month at the West End Hotel in Mumbai.

We believe that denying abortion to women is also a kind of gender violence. Bans on abortion violate women’s right over their bodies, and their right to choose the outcome of their pregnancies.

So follow our blog and our Facebook page for updates on our contribution to One Billion Rising and V-day! For regular updates from ASAP please subscribe to our blog.