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What BWS meant to you as an artist
BWS truly meant to dare go beyond. I started the workshop not calling myself a dancer least of all a singer. Today that is different. I am an actor. I am a dancer. I am a singer. There were days in the workshop when I thought to myself: ‘I can’t do another suzuki squat!’. Not only could I do another squat but I could do another and another and then jump into a Flamenco class and then onto Shakespeare class. The discipline to dare go beyond that has cultivated in me in the workshop. I now take it into my daily practice.
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A moment in a class that inspired you
A moment in class that inspired me was when Natalia said: choose to be happy. It clicked in my body in a way that it didn’t before. You may not always be happy but you can choose to be happy even with the obstacles that lay before you.
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A teacher or workshop that impacted you
Leon’s class on viewpoint and suzuki made a huge impact on me as an artist. Every class he invites you to look and listen deeper and allow art to unravel before us. It was so inspiring to watch him guide us as an ensemble group by enabling us to tune deeper into our instrument and that of the collective. By the end of the workshop we’ve become a powerful ensemble ready to make art.
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Something new you discovered about yourself
I discovered I can dance for hours on end like when I was younger! I was reminded of the flexibility of the mind to dare go beyond. When we’re inspired and called to do something we become unlimited.
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How the community and environment affected your experience
During lunch on the first day of the workshop, we all sat around the lounge area and everyone was going around asking what the other was eating. It was a simple yet very powerful moment where I felt I was at home surrounded by the warmth of the Latin community I grew up with. Throughout the workshop everyone contributed to create an environment where we could share our passions, heal our wounds and celebrate our differences and similarities. It always felt safe and empowering to be surrounded by my colleagues and mentors.
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What you will take with you moving forward
With kindness and love I will always ask myself how can I dare go beyond today? Thank you for creating a home for Latin artists to grow our voices, remember our songs with pride, wake our souls through dance and tell our unique stories wholeheartedly.