Dance is moving their bodies in order to move. With it at an open atheist faso in colorful costumes in columbia or in mosques on the caribbean coast dones is universal. And with a contemporary Dance Company damaged goods choreographer makes do what is known for creating productions that challenge the status quo. And not afraid to work with pay in the art darkness are things that are. Uncomfortable but im always looking for a kind of transformation or transportation or things are moving things still you know bringing things up so they can kind of. Open up. Yet contemporary dance pushes emotional physical and social limits it makes a political statement without using any way its just great physical exertion whats moving. In the dance world these days we set off to find out starting interest in. The married him choreographer meg steele with invited experts from around the globe to dressed in to attend Dance Congress tons contest 2019 some 500 people from the world of dance came to share experiences and discuss new ideas one to. Mount. Was. Its really important it was great to get back to this conference is really the end specialist that people have different interests but that intimacy can really break barriers that people can really. Meet in intimate settings and feel like theyre being heard and seen. The congress was about the body as well as the mind the Global Exchange of ideas was to give the dancing new impetus to help people make contacts and break down barriers. Something which required full commitment from everyone present and 2 full years of preparation and planning. With the support of the dusit institute where shops and meetings were held in the lead up to the congress of around the globe. We called the tense progress a long lasting affair so actually it started 2 years before with this desire of bringing artists together so we went to different cities and artists in certain cities and brought them together and they ask questions for the shared they dance together they mad kind of an exchange out fast counter with the world of contemporary dance and the journey to 2 countries where artistic selfdetermination still also meets with resistance. Our 1st stop licking the faucet. In the capitol wanted to go we need. Ebooks internationally as a dancer choreographer and Dance Teacher yes hes had to fight for recognition in his homeland. Defense since it was difficult because my parents didnt accept my choice. Or they didnt want me to give up building houses and become a dancer because for them dancing had no future. It was really tough to leave my family. Yeah the thought of more then there were no role models and there wasnt a dancer you could point to and say oh with dance you can be somebody with dance you could build homes and buy big cars there and a reference to a song actually going to get us what youre going to feel most the. Book and also its really tough to live from dancing and burkina faso i have to go elsewhere to do projects elsewhere to earn a living will to. Develop this production together with an artist from the ivory coast a collaboration that wouldnt have been possible without Financial Support from from. The states is littered with trash which symbolizes the chaos of conditions in many african countries. How can they rise above the chaos and free themselves from dependence on the former colonial powers and what role can. These are questions younger african artists ask. People here are afraid to say when things arent working but i see it as my role to contribute something to change that i want to every human being is useful to society i think as an artist i can create a positive change in the world from one positive move. To. The changing things through contemporary dance is far from easy and. Dances like sell a magical grace still face prejudices and discrimination. You dont know what contemporary dance is theyve never seen it yet they criticize it they say the female dancers are prostitutes before non housewives no one wants to marry us and no families are willing to accept us in our society accepted our. Still southern bray risked it all she left her fiance because he couldnt accept to work as a dancer. The single mother owns a living by performing internationally. No no shes slowly also receiving recognition and how. To find it was ready to show. That helped me to convince my family got to speak out now they support me thats why i say to all women its possible with the will. To be. The Choreographic Developments and to let all the termite mound is a hive of activity and looking at. The under small firm enough project which puts Women Center Stage is also based here. Created by the directors of the company. It profiles the work of female dances and choreography. To the audience to ask questions. To question what is right in our society. Improvise in front of us and. The rundown former. 900. 1 the country so many prodemocracy movements and cultural projects. Today the grounds belong to the Choreographic Development center several companies. Its also home to artists in residence workshops and festivals. Unique in west africa it was founded by the new one of the biggest names in contemporary african dogs it is the latest project he works with refugees from. There are lots of refugees here the 1st place an african refugees head is elsewhere in africa europe. People think africans are going to cross the mediterranean and invade europe for thats false lots of african refugees stay within africa. Is. The purpose of the beyond borders project is to go into the camps and get refugees to dance. This allows them to regain control and selfconfidence and to overcome boredom and loneliness. Theyre going to return to the camps with new knowledge with a breath of fresh air and hope. They words deal with issues which affect everyone but from an african perspective. She tries not dance but i chose dance because its a universal language you can communicate transmit emotion and Church Audiences but it using words. As a representative of africas politically active dance scene beyond the neighbors here also to pass in the towns caucus interest in along with dancers from ghana and senegal. Said there were 2 everything revolved around the arts dance above all things but for me it was a bit more than that we were like a family we had meals together dance together and combine different forms of art there. Was a real Human Element to all the activities we did thats what struck me most. Is the 2nd half. Record in america still i got to know make stuart in dresden. I knew her name from before but weve never met that was the 1st time. I danced congress 2019 makes do it is the 1st choreographer to be made artistic director. She hopes to create Lasting Connections collective experience through dance improvisation and perhaps even that utopia of a global community. Connections are real the conversations are grounded and theyre all sharing different experiences together. And its great to be in a social dance class with the term attorney and then be in dialogue. With students its just really i find it really mix and i feel like it has a real promise or another way of to string. Well thats me. So i look at the movements between people im interested in social currency. It can be so simple when we go to meet someone new how do you greet them. How do we navigate social space social interactions and movements. And what causes change what causes people to really mobilize around a certain idea. To get passion about something where they stop being neutral and stop being an observer and kind of when they become empathetic. When theyre like yes im involved im with i come with i support so im really interested in this fragile systems of support. Sharing and learning from one another. Caribbean beats and thats about a ghost teaches compared to an African Music star. I grew to like him more over time. Its the rhythm that surrounded me growing up after all. And today but i mean i can use this very rich dance like which to develop my own steps but i. Realize now that i draw inspiration from those roots and for every day relations and life. Gestures are part of a sign language thats hard to put into words. You could always find your freedom through it or save yourself from something so. There are codes that help you navigate difficult situations. Good. In this sense it seems can create new spaces. Got a port city on colombias northern caribbean coast this is the center has been a unesco World Heritage site since 984. In the 16th century it was the center of slave trade as a result of cultures and they music and dance styles mixed here leading to a vibrant colombian don seen. A better body of us was born in captivity in and studied at the renowned where people today he teaches there himself. Eat at this institutions here students are taught a range of different dance techniques everything from ballet to modern to contemporary dance. There was more. An improvisation exercise but thats about it as a place experimental music while the dancers let the inspiration guide them in creating a new production born out of the moment. Here are betters rehearsing a performance with a student of his from venezuela. They plan to perform the piece in public spaces. That list. To 70 percent of the population of has african roots being white in a predominantly black neighborhood was a. And for me but i mean to survive here i had to adapt to the environment forward so whatever we wanted me. To him this work here in cartagena was a form of Dance Research that. I wanted to really delve into and explore the people of this city but it had more. Room on the name as a doll. But it somehow captures the essence of colombians today or you know in calling. Into simone doubt it puts him on doll stands for your average person in constant need to come up with a way to survive in the cliche not to say less but upwards or whatever to be the monday dances in order to earn a living. But a poor fellow you. Know better but he has made a name for himself experimented with new forms of expression and combining improvisation and classical technique. I think to strengthen artists know where. They come together and they find. Spearss outside of institutions that they find their own initiative that they work on their own their value and their. Connection and how they work with the city i think this is a kind of empowerment for the l. G. B. T. Q. Community for instance. In columbia the clear performance house of 2 palmer as its drawing the audience. It was founded that is coming up in our hearts together with other like minded individuals. Who are. Collective combining voting with the south American Dance morongo but we also do other things we got together in order to go out in the evenings and perform to explore to experiment but for. To get here on the left lot of experimental film. Might move a little bit on to the penny was a professional dancers who would train the done school as much but as luck tomorrow as were top of laboratory for movements to modify and weve expanded the basic rate deal done in fact more expand be some of us are still studying at the Dance Academy but was one of the movement is actually more of a priority from classic training. Fitness and i want to know more you me and. Ill come in for no comment 1st we didnt want to become an artist collective or activist group. Or. That wasnt their intention at all but we just wanted to have fun together some of the stuff that weve been artists for a long time before tomorrows 2. We got together to vogue and have fun when we were. Booker tell columbia sprawling capital has a population of over 1000000 its full of contradictions open and liberal get home to aggressive machismo full of progressive creative projects but also discrimination although the clear arts center house of tipper maurice requires security it provides a safe space for those who come here in the hope of clearwaters others but we create spaces where were safe from hostility the threats with thomas are very proud of what we have achieved in such a short time period and proud of who we are but i must get a safe spaces that weve established are not exclusive for others to guide us but on. Me and the idea is that everything is a. Constant flow not just dance evolving. But also gender fluid gender but at the fluid in our bodies through a fluid in a latin American City fluid and nightlife like in america. You can see that tomorrow as an important have for the scene to connect and run free. I believe the l. G. B. To community of the moves in strongly separated and isolated spaces the most when were together we feel that things are changing but then we go out onto the street and the surroundings stay hostile welcome like a. Bit of a bit of glow because i believe that our approach is a pretty radical. Case from perth or am into theatre companions and activism in music or part of. The. Fancy dance as entertainment i think it can speak about complex issues in the world. Postcolonial. You know the rise of the. Fascism politics history decolonization. The Cultural Center flora and is an independent privately managed institution which supports artists through grants. Manages the dance and performance section every now and artist commutes between new york and her hometown poverty and is especially interested in concepts of vulnerability and strength. Well you you. Can connect with them again im interested in understanding our bodies which are confronted with a harsh reality in colombia in the midst of a political crisis a social crisis an economic crisis as well as an ecological crisis but were not going to his were not going to say im going back to this guy who guy like me says that you know he will get them again our bodies are exposed to all of these things that the i mean especially here in colombia theres also a connection to magical a hidden secret of powers and possibilities of exploring the world. As a simple song want to situation is that theres a lot of aggression that were going to see only with us you know its not easy moving your body through such a metropolis simply go castigating that sharpens your senses or you know it gives you Something Like a 360 degree view. That wasnt a war no 2nd north kid is focusing on that this and doesnt get out and i think there are other perspectives you can take to. For instance to listen mows me to rediscover my body through the city from the pit or air and until its new york will fall in there with all of those calls as if theres a poster on this and im going to put me there a few days to go rediscovering the animal that within but it was a lesson as to what a real world one couple seem to be. Or something or 5 go back to your like my sense of smell. The amount of sense i think about is just incredible or since there was a deal or isnt my sense of smell gives me so much information for me day and then this allows me to perceive the city on a much more encompassing way because that was on the. Body has closed out one of the broad this heightened sensory awareness to dresden and was drawn to old videotapes. She used the congress 2019 as an experimental space and made new connections. To keep going when there is more limited resources or you feel there rather that youre. Not in the center or that people are not appreciating your work or about seeing the work so how to strengthen the collective voice so i think theres a kind of real like that if you would take whats the source of a kind of unguarded our shared our breakthrough thats in this restructuring element of this other kinds of ways of. Bringing. People together and discussing issues and making things more transparent. The dunns congress a long lasting effect a celebration of the body mind and soul and a connection that is sure to leave a mark. Just was on its 21 take a take a moment to dance. The food. The mob. The force is with you young friend of mine. You are not imagine i. Want to ask you are muslim are not all. Still play at the official lightsaber tournament in france and the worlds chennais showing what theyre made up the odds may the force be with them the lomax. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah they come from nigeria to save the world the superhero the comic republic the 1st time for scream i come in here is that look like im also going to miss inspire people to do good not the white people in the bush years but africans getting on me because im highly supervillains everywhere had better watch out the 77 percent. In 60 minutes total. Goal. Is the human race destroying itself. We are moving the basic elements of our existence. Were using too much water and consuming. The bottom order just like. The mob we may think our Water Supplies will last forever. But they. Are. Place when the rain. Starts march 20th and. Play biting like a shock you can find out more about lightsaber fencing events like this one later in the show. L. O. L. Welcome to another fun filled edition of your own max with me your host meghan lee heres a look at what else weve got coming