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What Dance Has Taught Me… Joanna, Eymi, & Milena

By December 9, 2020No Comments

 

 

 

Joanna Poz-Molesky, JUNTOS Founder

My first movement class ended as a disaster: I, too shy to participate, darted out of the class in my silver-stared white tutu. Six months later at age four, however, I desired a new attempt. Years later, I found myself studying dance at the Ailey School, a distinguished institution preparing dancers for professional careers, and shortly thereafter starting my second dance company.  

I didn’t choose dance, dance chose me. I constantly questioned my decision to pursue dance professionally, and yet kept coming back to the same conclusion: dance is my way to communicate with life and how I am able to create change. Dance is my breath, yet it is not my life nor does it define who I am.  It is part of me. Perhaps it is for this reason that dance has given me life-long lessons. 

The deepest lesson I have learned from dance is that in its truest and most genuine form, dance  guides us to authenticity. It empowers the performers, transforms beauty unto the audience, and heals participants. It offers society a breath of fresh air during war, and grants beauty in times of suffering. Dance transcends languages, race, religion, culture, and customs, enabling us as human beings to connect on the most essential level; it is a means for both independence and collaboration.

JUNTOS was born from a belief of movement’s transcendence. Today, it continues to facilitate bonds that take root, despite the inability to be physically united. I am proud of and grateful to the JUNTOS leaders of today that sustain and broaden JUNTOS’ vision, for I believe that hope for our world lies with those that have the ability to transform life into beauty.

Joanna with Eymi in Nagarote

 

 

 

Eymi and Milena (pictured above) have participated in JUNTOSAbroad programming for over several years. We miss them dearly and appreciate all the work our Community Alliance partner Nicaphoto does for Nagarote, Nicaragua. We asked Eymi and Milena from Nicaphoto in Nagarote, Nicaragua what they’ve learned from dance. They shared: 

Eymi: Dance for us is a passion and a way to express ourselves. We have been dancing since we were little: maybe 4 or 5 years old. Dance is a big way to express our strong friendship to one another.

Milena: We’ve known each other since we were little kids, because we live in the same neighborhood. We have been dancing together just as long. We dance at the school in each event and at NicaPhoto. We’ve learned to dance together for events, in school and at Nicaphoto. 

Eymi: When I hear music, I feel an impulse in my body and the need to go and dance. When an event happens, we want to participate and be the first ones dancing. It isn’t because we like the attention, it is how we express our feelings. 

Check out their full video interviews! 


 

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.

GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past seven years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

This December 1st JUNTOS will participate in this global celebration by kicking off a week of giving with sharing photos, videos, virtual performances, and more! JUNTOS believes in the power of dance to improve mental and physical health, creativity and leadership skills, and community building through arts education and dance performance in our Community Alliances in Latin America as well as our high school and college aged Dance Volunteers.

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