Juan Eduardo Lopez, with the guest artists Milan Gervais, Emmanuel Jouthe, Audrée Juteau and Katie Ward.

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« We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing »

Bernard Shaw

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This is a unique opportunity to experience an art form as a family, through play and movement.Designed by the Spanish artist Juan Eduardo López, Danza en Familia brings families together in creative fashion by means of role-play, group participation and engagement with others. This activity is for children ages 5 to 12, and the adults of their families: parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters…

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Experiencing Art Together by the Play

Danza en Familia was born following project initiator Juan Eduardo López’s personal experience of a chance meeting with members of the Hadzabe nomadic community in the region of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Since the beginning of the projet, which has been developed in many countries, several artists of national and international fame have been invited to participate in the workshops.

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The use of the game as the main channel of experimentation stimulates not only creativity and imagination, but also participation, group life, solidarity, and affection. There are no goals to achieve, no winner or loser, no obligations. Thus, the sense of shame disappears, as well as the fear of not being up to the task. The only goal is to have fun and participate in the group activity, with absolute freedom to enter or exit the game, or to carry out the activity in this or that way, as the sensitivity of each is respected.

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Everyone without distinction is invited to participate on an equal footing. Adults become children once again, while children learn about themselves by playing with the adults, irrespective  of age, the presence of different generations (children, parents, grandparents…) furthers the emergence of unique forms of participation and creation, far from the so frequent exclusions of our contemporary societies.

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We would be truly delighted to share this experience with you and your children. Do not hesitate to contact us! It is not necessary to be introduced to the dance to participate at Danza en Familia.