International Dance Day 2021
Message for Ontario from Natasha Powell

There’s no question that dance has looked and felt different for many people over the past year. Dance lovers who frequented stages, studios, clubs, social events, and dance halls, were forced to abandon their sanctuaries and explore alternative ways for moving, grooving, and bodily expression. This has not been easy – it’s been down right difficult. But in this challenging time, I’ve been reminded how much I’ve taken this art form for granted, and in fact, how essential dancing is to the well-being of our communities. We dance for joy, we dance for health, we dance as protest, and we dance for those who are no longer with us.  And while a pandemic has kept us apart physically, I strongly believe that dance will be the thing to bring us back together. So today, on International Dance Day, I invite you to recall your WHY with dance. I also invite us all to focus on the present moment by grounding our feet, connecting to the rhythm of our heartbeats, connecting to our WHY with dance, and letting the magic of movement flow through our bodies.

Dance moves.

Dance grooves.

Dance is spiritual.

Dance is bliss

 
 
About Natasha Powell
Natasha Powell is a Toronto native who has been working in the dance industry for 17 years. Her soulful approach to movement that transcends genre can be seen and felt in her dancing, choreography, and teachings. In 2016, she founded her Dora-award winning company, HOLLA JAZZ as a forum for developing and presenting artists that work and improvise together, to create harmonious and transformative experiences. The company aims to reinvigorate jazz dance with its sister dances including hip hop and house, as innovative and important vehicles for expression, while showcasing freedom and one’s own identity through the spirit of jazz.
 
Photo by Kendra Epik Photography