Everything Under The Sun: Integrated Dance: Dance For Everyone

Friday, December 23, 2016

Integrated Dance: Dance For Everyone

Holiday wishes from MeetShareDance. Always make room for dance.

Dance is a wonderful form of self-expression and a forum of creativity. Although most people are used to watching the athletic feats of the dancers in a variety of dance forms, it isn't often that people contemplate those with physical challenges being involved with this art form.

Monika Pozek has been involved in dance for her entire life. While she was living in Argentina, she worked with dancers who were differently-abled and found that dancers who spend most of their time in wheelchairs have some unique opportunities for expression and movement. However, most organizations that provide dance classes have excluded those with physical challenges.

Upon moving back to Europe, in the city of Madrid, Ms. Pozek founded MEETDANCESHARE, an organization that would promote the inclusion of everyone, regardless of ability, into dance and artistic movement. This organization started out by organizing a dance festival every year during a block of four days, the first two years, 2012 and 2013, in Madrid. The idea was to showcase inclusive dance, provide dance and movement workshops, and serve as a venue for networking for individuals interested in including differently-abled individuals in dance.

In 2014, MeetDanceShare took the festival on the road, so to speak, that year being the first in which the festival took place outside of Madrid, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, since Ms. Pozek's original concept was picking a different site every year. Since that year, various sites around the world have been utilized: Dublin, Ireland, in 2015; Helsinki, Finland, this year; and Berlin, Germany, slated for 2017.

Monika explained, "With the festival I want to show the possibilities to be a dancer no matter what abilities or disabilities a person has and there are more and more people with disabilities who want to have an active life and artistic fulfillment."

A dance workshop.

Obviously, the planning for the Berlin festival has already started. At the beginning of this month, MeetDanceShare has issued an open call for dance teachers at the dance workshop festival. Application deadline is January 10, so there is only a short time remaining to apply. The festival is being held August 25 to 26, at UFerStudios. The festival will hold five integrated dance workshops, and includes a dance street parade. Applications can be found on the website.