because when people dance

"through time, through the ages, what endures is mostly art. art seems to be everything humankind leaves to its heirs. whether through buildings or books or paintings. or music or movement. or dance. in that sense, I think of a dance performance the most current, the most up-to-date history lesson as it is in a constant relationship with its most recent past and can only happen in the present. dance also somehow doesn't acknowledge borders in the same way as many other art forms. even when certain styles try to limit themselves or work within a frame, the movement of life, its choreography and its needs for flux take over very quickly, allowing certain styles to mingle with others. everything engages with everything naturally. and dance settles only in the space it really belongs to-- that of the ever-changing present.

I believe that dance may be one of the most honest forms of expression for us to cherish. because when people dance, whether in a ballet performance, a hip hop battle, an underground contemporary show or just in a discotheque cutting loose, there are seldom any lies deployed, any masks worn. people reflect each other constantly but when they dance, perhaps what they reflect most is that moment of honesty. by moving like other people, by moving with other people and by watching them move, we can best feel their emotion, think their thoughts and connect to their energy. it is perhaps then that we can get to know and understand them clearly.

I like to think of a dance performance as a celebration of co-existence, a way to give and make space in time for each other. we tend to forget this but the underlying beauty in a performance is that it is primarily the convergence of a mass of people seated one next to the other, all sharing the same moment. there is nothing private about it. a performance is an extremely social experience. all of us assembled for this ritual which is our bond with the performance, our bond with the same present.

and so, in 2012, I wish everyone lots of dance. not to forget all their problems of 2011 but on the contrary-- to tackle them creatively, to dance around them, to find a way to engage with each other and the world. to engage with life as a part of its never-ending choreography. dance to find honesty. and to transmit, to reflect and to celebrate it."

--sidi larbi cherkaoui


(happy international dance day, friends)