La primera vez que pasé por B.I.D.E. fue en 2012. Me impresionaba en la misma medida que me encantaba la ronda de las 9 de la mañana, en la que alrededor de 60 personas de 25 países, nos encontrábamos dispuestas a movernos juntas durante el resto del día. Estábamos allí por diferentes y varios motivos, pero con el mismo objetivo: bailar-pensar, bailar-pensar, bailar-pensar,… Y aquel era el lugar adecuado. Tuve la oportunidad de encontrarme con Hanna Pajala-Asseja y su marido músico Blab, Alysa Lynes, Meagan O’Shea, Marta Gálvez, Roser Tutusaus, Eva Yufra. Y recuerdo, sobre todo, una charla personal con Sebastián García-Ferro. Aquella charla marcó muchos de los pasos que he dado hasta hoy en día.⠀

I feel good when I see how the journey of BIDE continues to develop and move around. I consider myself as part of it. Since 2016 I have been trying to join BIDE again a few times and how due to different reasons it hasn’t worked until today. but I know I have left a part of myself in the collective that is BIDE.⠀ “The Prisoners Ritual” laboratory that I lead during BIDE 2016 was a special collective moment. I review it very now and then in my mind and consider it a living process in my own body as well as in other bodies that joined. The human connections that were made during that week are those which have lingered through a sense of support and togetherness.

All experiences were wonderful but it was my first visit to BIDE in Barcelona truly saved my artistic life. I was finding it increasingly difficult to get my work on anywhere and really was on the point of giving up my artistic life. From the minute I arrived there I felt included and respected - everyone in Bide’s team, all were amazing! And all the other participants were engaging and non-ageist. The workshops,the group circle meeting in the mornings, and the actual performance were so good and truly saved my artistic life. I was also very grateful to Sebastian for saying, before our performance, that I was the ‘most experienced’- I wasn’t, I was just the oldest!! All of you have my undying gratitude and I thank you all again for these experiences.

BIDE me parece una importante plataforma para compartir diversas metodologías en los laboratorios que se llevan a cabo. Por mi parte tuve la oportunidad de conocer a bailarines, gestores, coreógrafos sumamente interesantes con los cuales he creado vínculos para continuar generando proyectos. Sin duda BIDE es en encuentro brillante, generoso, lleno de oportunidades para la creación. ⠀

I found BIDE randomly and I am very happy that I did because it has become a moment every year for coming together with an international community of dancers and dance makers. Each year I have met people who have stayed with me and are traveling with me on a professional journey. That’s the beauty of BIDE as it is a meeting point for people to collide or be in parallel with each other. These type situations interest me as we need platforms like this that allow for gathering and are not capitalistic in their approaches. Places were you don’t produce but provide: space, openness, encouragement, experimentation, and so on and so on. The people are the things I would say are most important. I don’t know what laws of attraction are in the place to bring a diversity community of makers and thinkers together but it is working.