Amplifying Latinx Dancemakers in the Southwest
Erin Donohue and Yvonne Montoya, co-organizers of Dance in the Desert, discuss how the event has been successful in building bridges and relationships across the Latinx dancemaker community in Arizona.
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.
Lusi 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.
Hanna Cormick: “Not What My Body Does, But What My Body Is”
“My work is no longer about what my body produces; it’s not what my body does, but what my body is.” Australian performance artist Hanna Cormick discusses how her artistic practice has become a reclamation of body through radical visibility.
Kazuyo 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.