Nastija Fijolič: “Judge Me as A Dancer, Not as A Wheelchair Dancer”
“I love to compete in para dance even though I know I will not win because I know they will judge me as a dancer, not as a wheelchair dancer.” Slovenian para dancer Nastija Fijolič shares some of her frustrations with aspects of para dance sport but why it is ultimately her home and community.
Read articleLusi Insiati: “To Be Accepted as We Are”
“My dream is for my disability friends to access any type of dance and that we can be accepted as we are.” Lusi Insiati, a dancer in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, shares her experience finding and pursuing dance through the inclusive dance troupe Nalitari.
Read articleKazuyo Morita: “We Need Role Models”
“We need role models in this field so there’s somebody who other disabled people can copy or aspire to be, but I don’t think that’s possible unless more dancers come into this field. I personally think it’s very important to establish the status of disabled dancers and train more disabled dancers.” Kazuyo Morita, a dancer and actress from Osaka, Japan, shares how crucial role models are to motivating people with disabilities to try dance.
Read articleThe Discussing Disability in Dance Book is Published!
“Breadth of Bodies: Discussing Disability in Dance” is published and available for purchase! This book has been five years in the making and we are honored to share it with our community.
Read articleExploring How Performance is Experienced
Jess Curtis, an award-winning choreographer, performer, and scholar based in San Francisco and Berlin, shares how his career took a turn when he accepted a job in an interdisciplinary nouveau cirque company in France, and how he later established himself in Berlin while still running his company Jess Curtis/Gravity in the Bay Area.
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