by Jana Astanov
May 24
Last year I saw most of the shows at the ITINERANT festival, Yanis was only two months old and would sleep in his car seat or daddy’s arms wherever we would go. This year at 14 months he is a bit more impatient with performance art so it’s not so obvious to take him to all the shows. Also having been invited to Maira and Miu’s wedding we decide to join as a family instead of heading to Grace Space.
Both Maira and Miu are dancers who run Dance to the People, similar to the Yoga to the People, where they offer donation-based dance classes. Each class is run by a different dance teacher so you can learn different styles. I took a Ballroom Vogue class with them a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it. The classes are at the Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX) dance center every other Wednesday.
The wedding is gorgeous. They turn the ceremony into a moving dance performance and lead us into this ritual of relatedness and union with another. Everyone invited is a dancer, an artist or a musician – a true community of creatives. Maira and Miu look magical in their white dresses and headpieces made from the green wines leaves. They are a radiating ecstatic delight to witness, a true sister love that carries on the power to change the world. They realize their mission of Dance to the People with such integrity. They are known for organizing “trash outings” where they do nothing else but clean up trash in public spaces, as well as environment-aware dance eco-performances.
We have an absolutely fantastic time. Yanis is dancing and enjoying playing with the ladies with such visible glee. I am truly happy I can share those experiences with him, and share with him the world I know, introducing him to my friends, and art. We stay much longer than planned and get back home around 11 pm. Then we put the baby to bed and make music and dance on our rooftop until 1 am.
Visit Dance To The People website: https://www.dancetothepeople.org/
and their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dancetothepeople/
