Since 2005, the Canadian Dance Assembly (CDA) has issued a message on behalf of the dance community in Canada as part of International Dance Day (IDD) on April 29.
This year’s IDD Ambassador is Montréal-based dance artist and Sinha Danse Artistic Director Roger Sinha. He was invited to share his message about dance’s integral place in the lives of Canadians.
“Dance is what sets us apart and what brings us together. Individually, our unique voice is the authenticity that our bodies can express. Nobody in this entire world, the billions of people, walks the way you walk. Walking is just one expression of movement; there is also falling, jumping, skipping, running, shaking, turning and turning and turning until you spin. I spin my way; you spin yours. It’s who I am and it’s who you are. My individuality, the seeking of my own uniqueness, moulds the themes of my work: Indian, Armenian, Canadian, Québecois, male.
So mould yourself; spin your own tale. Then come together. Dance is the great unifier and so we need it now, as our world seems to be embracing that which sets us apart.
The other is another and he is not my brother.
NO, I say! dance together brothers and sisters.
The more we can celebrate diversity, the more we can be accepting of others.”
Roger Sinha is the artistic director of Sinha Danse, which he founded in 1991. His work merges contemporary dance with classical Indian dance and martial arts, new technologies, digital performance and bharatanatyam, a dance from South India. His many accolades include the Cultural Diversity Prize in Dance co-presented by the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Prix de la danse de Montréal.
Join the Canadian dance community in celebrating International Dance Day on April 29 by sharing your dance-life photo or video. Details here.
Tagged: All, Bharatanatyam, Contemporary, International Dance Day, Uncategorized, Canada , National
