(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The main objective of CDD is to give Dubai residents access to contemporary dance classes from all levels taught by professionally trained and qualified dancers.
Krista Degaetano and her students during a summer dance programme. — KT photo Dhes Handumon
Dubai — Contemporary dance choreographer Krista Degaetano twirls with the grace of a ballet dancer and lurches forward with movements of what could be called a ‘warrior stance’.
When Degaetano came to Dubai in 2010 there was hardly any scope for this particular dance form here. “I’ve been dancing my entire life and contemporary is a dance form that is very close to my heart. I started when I was a toddler and completed my professional education in contemporary in London” said Degaetano in an interview with Khaleej Times.
The owner of Contemporary Dance Dubai (CDD) Degaetano and a few other dance teachers have been educating Dubai residents about contemporary dance.
Dance teacher Krista has a 17-year experience working in theatre and contemporary dance companies. Her style is energetic physical fast and technical at every level pushing students to their limit and beyond. Krista likes to use a wide range of music for her choreographies ranging from dub step commercial and pop to classical and lyrical.
“When I got here in 2010 people didn’t know about (this) dance form and ... it has been very hard to educate people about (it)... because the region itself has never been exposed to anything of this sort” she said.
Over the years CDD has developed into a full blown school offering 16 classes a week for kids teens and adults from beginner to advanced and professional levels.
The main objective of CDD is to give Dubai residents access to contemporary dance classes from all levels taught by professionally trained and qualified dancers. “I want to be able to provide Dubai’s talented dancers with a base ... to train technically and creatively. There are a lot of people who come to Dubai with short term contemporary dance certificates but they are hardly qualified to teach because ... (this dance) form ... takes ages to learn and master” Krista said.
“This particular dance form in itself was developed in the middle 20th century and the beauty of the dance form is that it is constantly evolving and changing as times change.”
Over the summer Krista conducted a dance programme for several students. According to the students who were first time contemporary dancers the dance form takes some time to get used to. Bella A a French national and professional pole dancer said: “Contemporary takes some getting used to. You have to open your body to contemporary dance and even though the swaying movements look very easy it is fundamentally very difficult to move your body with such ease.”
Another student Sina Khanloo said: “Through contemporary dance I’ve ... become very confident and since the first class I knew ... that time with CDD would be ... challenging inspiring and fundamental. Dancing has been my passion since I was young but what I have learnt with CDD is amazing.”
Degaetano said this dance form has a lot of potential and “since Dubai has a very cosmopolitan multi-cultural environment where people are generally receptive to new art forms contemporary will soon become a very important part of Dubai’s dance scene”. Talking about challenges Degaetano said: “One of the main problems we have is in finding the right space to teach (our) students. As of now we rent spaces like Al Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa to teach but CDD will soon have a centre for dance.”
dhanushakhaleejtimes.com
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