Each dancer was selected through an open call in 2019/2020. These are the main dancers that take part in the Memory Of Water project in 2021 and further in the future.
Dancers
Joanna - Professional performer and dancer from Sweden, now based between Malmö and South Africa.
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WATER -
Water is the element that I connect with the strongest, even though we hold all elements within our body. Water is where I turn for healing and insight. Swimming in the ocean, taking baths and showers, sitting by a waterfall, walking along a river, listen to the rain fall… Water comes in many forms and different intensities and so do we, humans. Water reminds me that I'm not a one way street. I have lots of different characters and qualities that will shine at different times, sometimes calm and peaceful, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud and goofy, sometimes serious, sometimes upset and stormy. Water reminds me to embrace all sides of me and that its ok to not just be one way all the time.
Kamila -Professional performer, dancer and choreographer from Lithuania, based in Vilnius.
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WATER -
I have had a huge connection with the sea since I was a little girl. Every time I would drift apart from it for a longer period, it would bring up a feeling of something missing. So most of the time, when there would be a huge storm outside, I would run out of my summer house, and just stand underneath it, allowing me to feel that cleansing, calming, yet very powerful energy of the water, that I would also feel whilst standing in front of the sea.
All of that I believe played a big part in the way I practice life today and move.
My life and my dance do not go far from each other, I would probably even say, feed off each other every possible way. So, when there are storms in my life, the waves in my dance become chaotic.
Yet, once I find my balance and allow myself to breath, my movement flows like the river.
Of course, as I grew older, I learned more and more each day about the importance of water in all and everything. Within and on the outside. And I am continuing to learn every single day.
Which means, I notice also how much it has been taken for granted, being used and also abused in the most possible ways.
So being a part of this project is a huge opportunity and a blessing. And I believe it will be almost healing in a certain way. For myself, as well as for others. Hopefully raising more and more awareness and reminders for humans to look after the blessings of mother nature.
Dominik -Professional performer, dancer, choreographer and photographer from and based in Poland,
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WATER -
The last symbol that constantly accompanies me is the symbol of the wave. A wave as a
circular cycle in which the water is closer to land, only moments later it returns to the moon. For
me, the wave is a symbol of all the positive
energy that I send into space, and
which will come back to me one day.
Natalia - Professional performer, dancer and visual artists from Poland, based in Madrid
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WATER -
The memory of water
"
To really understand elements that surround and nourish us, we need to explore each time deeper and deeper and for me dance is one of the best ways to do it. Becoming a dancer in “The Memory of Water” is for me a possibility to see clearer – the world, elements, myself and ephemeral connections between them. Yes, I am a dreamer – but I am also a hard worker. I feel deeply connected to the idea of performative possibilities of the soul expressed through the body. Being able to work with the water element is an amazing challenge and a chance for a long, deep exploration. I think it’s a beautiful idea to work with this specific element and be able to form an opinion through the body, really investigate it and share the vision and explorations with the world. I think that everybody has a unique, important voice but it is necessary to work that voice and develop what you want to say and support, otherwise it will never be as clear, as loud and as influencing as it could become. My goal is to release my empowered and confident personal voice and support with it the project I believe in. In my mind “The Memory of Water '' can lead through an extremely important process, that will bring changes we are searching for. Just to finish, I will leave you with one of the quotes I feel very connected with.
“The cure for anything is salt water – tears, sweat or the sea” - Isak Dinesen
Gabriela - Professional performer, dancer, choreographer and dance teacher from Argentina, based in the United Kingdom.
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WATER -
The memory of water
In Myself
Tissues travel in hidden waters
A thick liquid bathes me
I grow
From the navel, I grow
Where I danced for first time
Gestate water seeing me being born.
Old water
Core of existence
Initiatory seed
Nothing before.
It was ice stone,
Carved the rocks
Created the sand,
Quenched the thirst.
Make us one
A single swim
An interconnected invisible net
When I touch the tip of my toe into the ocean
It feels like touching the feet of my others.
GODA - Professional performer, dancer and choreographer from Lithuania, based in the Netherlands
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WATER -
The memory of water
I think there is lots to express, experience, and say about water. It is the element that has the most of different qualities and forms to exist. From an ice to the enormous moving oceans, from the small drop to the humongous waterfall. Each existence of the water has its own quality and different attention points. Water brings a piece and washes away the thoughts, water takes you in without any choice to be left on the coast. We are made out of the water, we have started out existence in the water and we always want to come back no matter how scary or uncomfortable it could be. And, of course, water is our source of living.
Nature is challenging us with heat, unexpected storms and unknown diseases. Water is something that we cannot exist without. I wish to get even more awareness about it and use my creative side in order to explore and talk about this important element. In my creation processes elements take a very huge part. I am extremely interested in the qualities which they are giving and how they contain the essence of existence. The fact that they create and destroy gives clear thoughts about the natural circle of life and ongoing flow which quite often we forget to follow. While creating and dancing, thinking about elements helps to remind this essence to myself and others.
Linnea - Professional dancer, choreographer and teacher from sweden, now based in Stockholm.
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WATER -
The memory of water
Tjaetsie - Vatten - Water
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Water is life and life is water.
I believe I’ve always understood the importance of clean and free water. Of how privileged I’ve been growing up in the north of Sweden, where clean and free water is to find not only in the tap in a seemingly constant flow, but also in the nature around me. Fresh and clean water where I’ve was walking in the forests and mountains with my family, speaking the names of the rivers we crossed, showing our gratitude to them while we drank. How I and grandmother was fishing during all year around and how we were swimming and skiing on it.
My elders were sámis, indigenous people from Sápmi, a land that reaches over northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. In this culture, the connection to nature is very strong. There are eight seasons of the year and the names of the months has a direct connection to the nature, animals, climate or happenings, like for example Tsïengele - January, which means ”the ice-sound-time”. There is also over 200 words for snow, depending what quality it has. The land and water of Sápmi has for a long time been colonized and exploited, by the state of Sweden. Sweden has committed racial oppression towards sámis and been exploiting Sápmi for over 400 years. They have built mines, dammed the water, built hydroelectric and windmills that affects the land, the animals and the people living from it in devastating manners. Water and land that carry sámi names, not because of owning it, but to honor it.
For three summers in a row, Sweden has been warned about too low levels of water, and that we may run out of it. Enormous areas of ”forests" have been burning, areas of pine plantations that covers almost the whole of Sweden. Areas with mono-culture that does not resist fire and breaks down the biodiversity. There is only 4% untouched forest in Sweden, the rest is plantations. And the Baltic Sea is poisoned and dying.
A human being cannot own a land. We are borrowing the land from our future generations. Every choice a person does, he or she needs to think about what impact its gonna make for at least three generations. This is the sámi-way of thinking and this is the relation to nature I’ve learned from my grandmother as a kid. This is why I understand the importance of taking care and leave nothing but footprints on the earth after using it.
I want my children, grandchildren and grand-grandchildren to be able to find a lake in a forest which they can drink from. I wish them the opportunity to fish, watering and grow their vegetables. I wish them not to feel disconnected from the earth, because that is the biggest lie ever. We are the land and we are the water. If the people of the world understood this, there would not be anything called climate crisis.
It breaks my heart knowing the water and land is taking such a huge damage because of economical growth and greed. And therefore I feel very interested in taking part of Be Water. Not only because I believe it will be a stunningly beautiful performance, and not only because I believe it will be a developing period for me as an artist. But also because I feel personally drawn to this theme, wishing to be a carrier of the message that water is life and that we are borrowing it from the coming generations.
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Lili - Professional performer and dancer from the Netherlands, based in Rotterdam.
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WATER -
The memory of water
"The fact that human bodies are made up of about 70% water makes me think that we are water, water lives within us. Just like I feel the moon, its energy around me, especially with the full moon. It’s a circle. It would be beautiful to show people that if we treat our waters better we’ll poison ourselves less. We need to keep our oceans, rivers, lakes clean. We need to stop having plastic waste so much; we should think of new solutions or continue with the solutions that we’ve already started developing so that the animals and coral in the water that are keeping the water clean and alive will also stay alive themselves, and we’ll have better, healthier water to use. If I could participate in a project that shows people how to think differently and opens one’s eyes - even if there are only 2 people in the audience that are inspired or even think of changing their minds and their habits - it would make me feel proud and full of joy.”
Samuli - Professional performer and dancer from Finland, based in Germany.
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WATER -
The memory of water
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In my body I feel especially connected to a fluid and flowy movement quality and I am very inspired to work with water as a physical metaphor or as a qualitative state. As an artists, I'm working on ideas concerning the environment and strategies for sustainability, so the ecological aspects of water-related phenomena are a very topical and artistically relevant issue for me right now.
Erik - Professional dancer from Sweden, based in the Netherlands.
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WATER -
The memory of water
​I come from Sweden where I grew up in a small village very close to the sea and nature. I have a strong interest and connection to Nature and the human body since I grew up enjoying climbing rocks, trees and swimming in the ocean. I enjoy meditation and dancing in order to find ways to express and mimic experiences and fundamentals about our human existence and the world that we are living in, to raise awareness of ourselves and our Nature.
The location of the project - Neringa Island - seems absolutely wonderful. I have been to Lithuania before and I love its countryside. Neringa looks beautiful and to be out there and participate in this creation seems like an amazing opportunity to grow, learn, and become a part of something beautiful and meaningful.
I have always been a nature person and to do something to raise awareness for our environment, related to art and dancing is what I really want to do.
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Tuva - Professional performer and dancer from Norway, based in the United Kingdom
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WATER -
The memory of water
The concept of water, whether it is the ocean, a lake, rain or a river running down the mountain, has always been such an important part of my life. I grew up by the sea and it has inspired me and energised me all through life. There’s this connection and fascination I have with the water that I can’t explain. As a dancer and as an artist there’s so much to find within it and to be inspired by, all the different streams and ways of moving and all the mysteries and complexities it holds. I am also very passionate about animal welfare and environment and it is so important to raise awareness of the impact we have on the ocean with our excessive plastic use and pollution and overfishing and everything in between. I have for a long time wanted to combine my passions and values with dancing and this project is a perfect opportunity. It combines beautiful art, and dancing with nature and environmental awareness. Nature is a part of all of us and it keeps me inspired and grounded and sane, it is my sanctuary and it holds an energy I don’t think anyone can truly explain. It feeds and inspires me as a person, and also as a dancer and an artist. I believe I could contribute to this project with my thoughts, ideas and my passion for this theme. This would be an amazing project for my mind and body as an artist and human.