In this first article, I share with you how the concept of Les Rondes was born.
I created Les Rondes - meditative dance sessions - at the end of 2020. As I drew on my experience as a dancer, teacher and choreographer, this brand new dance concept combining both free flowing and structured dance, is the fruit of a lifetime of work.
Dance carries many benefits, it is an art that liberates. Whether at a professional level or at an amateur level, it asks us to excel ourselves, to push the limits while being in tune with our body. I love this subtle exercise of tuning my body and my mind. It allows me to experience magical moments and to be in the zone.
Of course, dancing professionally requires discipline. I was trained in one of the biggest dance schools in New York where I danced intensively every day. It was an incredible experience. However, following this training, my body and my mind needed a break from the disciplinary aspect of dance, which is why, as a choreographer, I constantly seek to create pleasure in dancing and not only to create aesthetic forms and “performance”.
Les Rondes was therefore born from the desire to share my knowledge in a time when bodies and minds were forced to be immobilised. We - as human beings - are made to be in movement, to feel, to touch and be together. This is why it was crucial for me to create an experience for everyone's mental and physical health, especially at this time.
I also launched Les Rondes because I am convinced that we all know how to dance - even if it sometimes our education and our experience do not allow us to believe it. In a way, the robin hood of dance that lies dormant in me created a space to make dance, its learning and its benefits accessible to all. After all, as the famous and wonderful choreographer Alvin Ailey put it perfectly, “dance comes from the people, it must return to the people”.
Today in 2022, I am very happy to resume my professional activities. I am back in the studios, touring and teaching in person. It is a great joy. And I hope that Les Rondes will continue to support as many people as it could and help us grow through dance. In this constant changing world, which moves so fast, after these last two years that have turned us upside down, I see the power of dance to accompany us to keep our balance and to help us grow personally. I hope that by (re)discovering Les Rondes, you will be touch as much as they have helped me to move forward and develop my art in the recent years.
Discover Les Rondes here: https://www.gwenrakotovaocompany.org/lesrondes
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