Ioana, Dance can set you free

Nr. 10 - 2009 (Ioana)

What happens when passion meets no prejudice? A project can be born, like community dance, which plans to bring together 100 Romanian youngsters, from different social categories, who will learn to dance under the guidance of two famous choreographers and then bring to the stage a show called Firebird on the music of  Igor Stravinski. The first performance of this show will take place as an event of the Festival George Enescu in 2009. The shows will take place on September, 5th, in Bucharest at the National Theater, and then the young artists will perform in Brasov, September 7th, and Sibiu on September 9th.

Partners in this project are the Foundations Concordia, Princess Margarita of Romania, Vodafone, as well as the high school I.L. Caragiale and also the School for hearing impaired children. These institutions will also provide the project part of the youngsters to be involved in the show.

To whom does the project address? To children starting from 11 years old and going up to young people aged 22, with no special physical training, coming from any social category, different schools, highschools or even special institutions (hearing impaired children or with a physical handicap) as well as to humanitarian organizations in Bucharest, Sibiu and Brasov.

How will they reach the performance level? Due to the intensive trainings directed by the two famous choreographers, together with their Romanian colleagues, that will last for five weeks.

What is the objective of this project? To give these young people back to the society, to make them discover themselves, to be aware of their potential, their whishes, to set all their energy free and to learn to use it. Another purpose is to implement such a project in Romania, to make it go on with the support of local involvement. Every community can adjust this project to the local social needs, age, and the selection criteria can be changed. For example, in Hamburg, the project was developed with unemployed people, the most important outcome being that part of the participants could find a job in a short period of time, since they all got a different attitude towards themselves and towards the others, which influenced also the other people’s image about them.

How was the project born? After seeing several shows of the two choreographers, Royston Maldoom from United Kingdom and Josef Eder from Germany, Mrs. Monique Gruber, the wife of the former German ambassador in Romania (2003-2006), through the association especially established in Romania , Jungen Rumänen eine Chance!, has decided to start this project.

Both Royston Maldoom and Josef Eder are the expression of everybody’s dream come true, the dream of being successful in life, of finding our mission. None of the two choreographers had any connection to dance until they were both adults, but, once they discovered dance, they realized that this is their path in life. Is it exactly why they both think that anybody can dance, no matter the age, the physical training, they can also discover they love dance.

In fact, dance apart from having a purpose in itself, has also the objective of bringing people together, of showing them that they have something different to offer the society. It is also a way, for each person taking part, to change his own life, to free himself of all prejudices, to learn to discover and to trust himself.  

One of Royston Maldoom’s mottos is: Give me an imperfect body and I’ll make it perfect through dance.

The basic principle of this project is confidence, as Mr. Maldoom said during the press conference that was organized to promote the project: I give my full trust to the trainees, I am not allowed to doubt the fact that they are capable to be successful. A moment of hesitation from my part and everything fails!. According to Royston Maldoom, every young person is a potential artist, and art, especially dance, are just ways of transforming the young people and, along with them, the society.

The result of this project will be seen also at the level of the group: it will bring discipline to the universe of the young people, they will learn punctuality, tolerance, teamwork, accept different personalities.

Those interested to find out more details or to bring a financial support to this project or to become volunteers in organizing this event can visit www.pasareadefoc.ro or should approach the person coordinating the project in Romania, at alexandra.arnautu@amistad.ro.

Dance  – a way of changing young people and the society

■ Jungen Rumänen eine Chance!– the association has the role of promoting spiritual development in Romania among children and young people from families with small possibilities, to offer them a better chance to be part of the society, all these through involving them into cultural or musical projects

■ Royston Maldoom – born in UK; he started by being a farmer then a choreographer, the initiator and the leader of many dance projects around the world for the past 30 years, starting with 1991, Maldoom has directed many workshops, summer schools and dance festivals, the set up dance communities and he has developed the concept of Community Dance; in 1996 he organized a project involving 100 street children in Ethiopia, where the young artists received, after graduating the classes, the accreditation of dancers, choreographers and teachers from the Middlesex University in London. In 2006 The Queen presented Royston Maldoom with the Order of The British Empire (O.B.E.) from the British Government for Services To Dance. In 2007 he received the German-British Forum Award for his engagement for the British-German relations in London and the prize of the Club der Optimisten in Hamburg. 

■ Josef Eder – born in Germany; he has been a cattle trader, meeting dance and the choreographer James Saunders meant the beginning of his passion for dance, he became an actor and choreographer in Munich, artistic director if the theatre he established in 1994, Two times theater – dance, university teacher, the concept he developed was called Body as Voice. He started working with Royston MAldoom in 2005.

■ Ana Catalina Gubandru – choreographer; graduate of UNATC I.L. Caragiale in 2004, choreography section; since 1998 up to now she has created several shows, also working with famous artists; since 2004, she has been a teacher for several dance schools. She has had a scholarship within the European Project Looping Nimes; she has taken part in the masterclass of community dance led by Royston Maldoom.

■ Irina Roncea – ballerina; founder, together with Cosmin Manolescu, Mihai Mihalcea and Florin Fieroiu of the Contemporary Dance Company Marginalii; graduate of  UNATC  I.L. Caragiale in 1996; scholarship in Paris, workshop Pepinières Européennes pour Jeunes Artistes; she has performed in many shows in Romania and abroad; in 2000, she has become a ballerina for Orion Ballet Company; she has taken part in the masterclass of community dance led by Royston Maldoom.

Author: Catalina Oprea