POWRPLNT Is Launching a Series of DJ Workshops on International Women's Day

Brooklyn new media education center POWRPLNT is teaming up with the Intersessions DJ collective, for a series of DJ classes and panels throughout March designed for women, LGBTQ, and gender nonconforming people. Launching on International Women's Day, March 8, it will span eight dates and encompass an intro to DJing on vinyl, software, and CDJ formats, as well as a class on putting together artists' promotional materials.

On the final date of the series, April 1, there will be a panel discussion about themes of community and inclusion in cultural spaces, featuring THUMP's feature editor Michelle Lhooq alongside Hannah Daly HD of Doom Dab records, POWRPLNT founder Angelina Dreem, and more. The panel will be followed by a showcase that is yet to be announced.

"I think the partnership with Intersessions is an affirmation: you are welcome here and you are safe to ask questions, touch, and experiment," Dreem told THUMP over email. "Male privilege is being able to be bad at something and pass as good, women and LGBQT+ folks aren't allotted that lenience and there is a lot of shame around asking questions and being a work in progress. We are holding space for curiosity and failure without shame, which in the world of music mansplaining, is really essential."

Intersessions co-founder Ainsley Willow added: "Curated by women and GNC folks, we aim to promote music through the scope of DJing, and subsequent business in a safe, supportive, and nurturing space," she said. "By providing a platform for women, LGBTQ+ and GNC folks to learn the basics of CDJs, Serato, Vinyl, Ableton, and Photoshop for the purposes of self-promotion, our mission is to combat the patriarchy that dominates the music industry by providing a space for disenfranchised groups to shine and resonate."

Intersessions will celebrate their one-year anniversary later this month in Los Angeles, with a free program on March 18 of performances by teachers and students involved with the workshop. Since being founded, they have done events across North America and Europe, including recent events in Glasgow and Paris.

The first event of the Intersessions residency at POWRPLNT will take place tomorrow, March 8, with the first of four DJ workshops.