Cynthia King is a woman of action.
A dancer and choreographer for over 30 years, Ms King opened Cynthia King Dance Studio in Brooklyn, New York in 2002 and soon after, launched her line of cruelty free ballet slippers. As a Vegan and dedicated animal welfare advocate, Cynthia King takes a hands-on approach through community activism, serving on the board of directors of the New York League of Humane Voters (NYLHV) and lobbying for legislation that protects and improves the lives of animals. Ms King is an ectrepreneur, the mother of two sons, wife of an NYPD officer, and guardian to the household dogs and cats. She teaches classes and directs the dance studio, which operates seven days a week and serves over three hundred dancers. Passion for dance and compassion for animals fuel Cynthia King's life and work.
"Using cruelty free
ballet slippers directly
conserves natural
resources and saves lives," says King. "I
love giving dancers a chance to choose their
shoes responsibly and
compassionately."
King became a vegetarian as a young child, then naturally progressed
to veganism. She made this ethical choice while developing the strength and stamina required to be a professional dancer. Despite the perception
that vegetarians and vegans might be weak due to their "limited" diets,
the list of people making this choice is an impressive one. This year's All-
Star Home-Run Derby winner, Prince Fielder, Olympian Carl Lewis and
Triathlete Brendan Brazier are just a few examples of people for whom
veganism is a help, not a hindrance to exceling in their field.
Recently, vegan actor Natalie Portman insisted on wearing the Cynthia King ballet slippers in a Vogue photo shoot for her film about the world of ballet, "Black Swan". Her diet enabled her to withstand the rigorous training she endured for the film.
Challenged by her student's questions, "which ballet slippers would you
suggest?", Ms King began a journey to find slippers she could recommend
in good conscience in Ballet class. King had been wearing synthetic
slippers she had gotten from an Australian company, which had since
stopped producing them. Surprisingly, King's husband had an easier time
finding a vegan holster than Ms King had finding ballet slippers for her
dancers. "Creating a viable alternative to leather or suede-soled dance
shoes became my mission," she says. After much research, development, trial and error, Cynthia King Vegan Ballet Slippers were born. They are the only 100% vegan ballet slippers available worldwide and they have been met with great enthusiasm in the US and internationally.
The choice to use non-animal derived material to make ballet slippers is an important one. It not only helps save the lives of the animals used in the production of shoes, but also helps to conserve the habitat of many others. Gorillas, chimpanzees, and many other species face deforestation and homelessness every day due to unnecessary destruction of their habitats for livestock production. Waterways around the world continue to suffer lingering effects of pollution from factory farms and tanneries. Even those closed generations ago.
"Using cruelty free ballet slippers directly conserves natural resources and saves lives," says King. "I love giving dancers a chance to choose their shoes responsibly and compassionately."
Special thanks to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary for their hospitality during this photo shoot and their tireless work helping animals in need.
Cynthia King Dance Studio
is located at
1256 Prospect Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11218
www.cynthiakingdance.com
.
The media focuses a great deal of attention on sports players. Much of it positive for their accomplishments within their chosen arena. When the occasional sports idol goes "bad" i.e. Michael Vick, their sports prowess often carries them thru and back into the game and their misdeeds are often forgotten. What the media fails to do is to highlight the good deeds and kind hearts these highly "macho-ized by the fans" men often do. We at Compassionista applaud and support the men that step forward and out of the pack, to show the world that compassionate males can be strong, successful and oh, so manly!
The following is an interview with an acclaimed sports figure who has come forward to speak about his compassionate lifestyle.
4 time NBA Champion John Salley talks Turkey!
COMPASSIONISTA MAGAZINE's purpose is to show people that compassionate living is fun, beautiful and full of Life and Love. To that end, we have brought to you an upbeat version of our philosophy. This is somewhat in response to much of the "gloom and doom" that is connected with Non-Compassionate living, and the sometimes relentless negativity that can overtake anyone involved in anti-cruelty campaigns.
However....we also feel compelled to reveal the dark side of lifestyles that do not take into account the impact that more typical every day living has on our environment and in particular, the animals that inhabit this beautiful planet of which we are stewards. People that have already witnessed and are aware of the horrors of thoughtless exploitation of animals need not bother with the last pages of Compassionista; you are already aware of how disturbing these images are and we feel very strongly you should not be subjected to further stress.
We do not believe in preaching to the choir. For those of you that wish to become more educated about issues involving animals, continue on with the knowledge that we feel this information needs to be passed on.
Nothing can be changed without awareness.
"Thousands of people who say they love animals
sit down once or twice a day to enjoy the flesh of creatures who have been utterly deprived of everything that could make their lives worth living and who endured the awful suffering and the terror of the abbatoirs." - Jane Goodall
click the butterfly
to view film
Our Vision for Compassionista Magazine is to be a community built publication. Like minded people with something to say...ideas to talk about....sustainable, cruelty free products to promote and sell.
We are requesting anyone interested in paticipating to please contact us. We are particularly interested in original articles and photos of people, places, products that promote these ideals.
e-mail us at info_compassionistamagazine.com
We are excited to announce COMPASSIONISTA MAGAZINE is going....Local!
We are "thinking globally and acting locally". Our next issue will be focusing on the South Florida Region; highlighting the issues, people and businesses that support compassionate living in the greater Boca Raton area- our home town! Click button for info on our Boca Raton area issue. Stay tuned for our expansion into more localized regions.
Compassionista noun (kum-pash-uh-nees-ta)
An intelligent, sophisticated, stylish, creative, fun loving individual that knows cruelty free and sustainable choices are not about being deprived, rather it is about expanding their world.
A person looking to make the world a better place thru their choices in what they eat, what they wear, the products they use and who they do business with.
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