Skip to main content

We celebrate dance in all its forms, all around the globe. You can read a short reflection about this day writen by Yamila Khodr

It is very complex to write about dance. It is too important to me I guess. All my life-changing-decisions are attached to Dance. Coincidentally 20 years ago (!) I left my beloved Argentina out of lack of possibilities to become a professional dancer.

On one hand we have the “romantic” side of it. We know (and is good to remember) how important is dance as a practice in our daily lives. The cognitive improvement, for mental health (I guess that applies only to non professionals lol), as a spiritual practice, to deeply connect with others, tiktoks, and the list goes on.
I found in google thousands of quotes about the beauty of dance, with pretty images and all.

In the World we live in, I feel it is a courageous act. To dance is like going against the tide and keeping the joy alive. It is my personal kind of Rebellion against the odd, the sadness and fakeness around.
At the same time I consider it a privilege, to feel the freedom in me through the movement. To call “work” what has always been my desire, to express myself and to create through it. It is a big part of my Identity.
On the other hand we have a very fragile artform, that it is not being completely understood as such. That needs proper frames and supports to ensure its existence. Oftentimes people in power and taking decisions are not completely understanding the importance of it. They didn’t experienced it.

 

Shout out to all dance

makers around the

globe dedicating their

lives to this unique

artform.

 

Shout out to all dance makers around the globe dedicating their lives to this unique artform. Dancing through the struggles this work carries with, with an enormous amount of resilient qualities.
Nowadays still working under very low financial conditions or none conditions at all. The pandemic deteriorated the precarious even more.
We need to get more involved, make decisions and protect each other.
We learned to express throughout our bodies AND HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THAT. BUT WE ALSO, NEED TO SPEAK OUT AND ASK QUESTIONS and the dance education should support that aspect as well.

How can we contribute to the dance community? to the new generations of dancers? to create better conditions and kinder working environments?
How can we as dancers, dance makers and creators contribute to a better and wider awareness about our artform? To create new levels of understanding for our audiences?

How many times I had to explain to a random person what a dancer’s job is, what that actually means?

IS THAT A PROPER JOB?
Well it doesn’t feel like work, because it connects us with our inner self and we flow in it. And based on our bank accounts it also doesn’t seem like work because it looks like as if we were unemployed.
So perhaps it’s not a proper job indeed.
Sarcasm aside…

We have a long way to go in order to keep evolving and make sustancial change for better. To Keep on dancing.
For today I wish A DANCE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR DANCE!

Much Love
Yamila.

Leave a Reply