SARA TOSCANO
Dancer. Dance teacher.
Deputy General Secretary of the International Dance Council of UNESCO.
Dance is part of my life.
I have danced in a street in Marrakesh and at a private party in Athens.
I have whirled barefoot in the woods and danced on a red carpet.
I have shared the stage with legendary musicians and danced alone in my room.
I have performed in the ruins of ancient Delphi and on the latest television show.
I have danced in the rain and under a shower of petals.
I have seen the sun rise in the desert and set over the Atlas mountains. The sun king. A dancer.
I have performed for 4-month old babies and danced tango with my great-uncle.
I have taught dance to children filled with dreams, to refugees fleeing the war and to women with whom I didn't share a common language.
I have danced for friends and for ambassadors.
I have danced in outdoor festivals and in a hidden church in Amsterdam.
I have danced. And that alone changed my life.
When I was 20 years old I tried a Belly Dance class. It changed the course of my life. I had just finished my university studies in Advertising but I decided to become a professional Belly Dancer. I moved from Lisbon to Amsterdam where I joined the Baladi Dance Troup directed by the Egyptian choreographer Mahdy Emara. I became a resident dancer at distinguished Arabic restaurants and I studied to become a dance teacher, with a diploma from the Rotterdam's Foundation for the Arts.
Years later I moved to Greece. Amazed by the power of Greek myths and Greek history, I discovered Ancient Greek Dance. With the support of the Dora Stratou Theater I became a researcher. Eventually, I founded the Terpsichore Dance Company, based in Lisbon, and my choreographies were displayed at museums and archaeolgical spaces.
Meanwhile I became a mother. This life changing event directed me to the field of dance-theatre for babies. Since then I have co-produced and created three performances for babies, the last one being still on scene at The Music Library of Megaro Mousikis in Athens.
Many things have influenced my work as a dancer: my academic background in Advertisement; four years working in the field of Human Rights, all the remarkable dance teachers which I had the privilege to work with and last but not least my incredible students, from toddlers to seniors, with whom I have lived this journey through dance.