MY SECOND PROFESSION IS DANCE

One of the news is the government's lack of support for the dance.

Speak¨ Jaime Díaz, 22, one of the most outstanding Colombian dancers abroad, is in Bogotá for the
Nutcracker season, which is presented at the Teatro Colón. I started dancing at the age of 12 - he
says -, I studied at the Anna Pavlova Company, then I won a scholarship to study at the National
School of Havana. Now I am a soloist with the Ballet de Cuba with which I have toured China,
Europe, the United States and Latin America. The truth is that in Colombia nobody can live from
this art, it is not a possible option because there is no support for the dance. That's why I come as
a guest, but I don't live here.¨

An experience like hers, of touring the world's stages with her dance steps, is the dream of many
of the dancers who are now trained in schools such as the ASAB (Bogotá Higher Academy of Arts)
and other institutions. One of the great expectations is to stand on stage - says Jimena Alviar, fifth-
year student of the ASAB's emphasis on contemporary dance. Another is the possibility of
traveling dancing, appearing in many places.

To achieve this, adds Alviar, his vocation companions have to move a lot, even outside the tables.
Normally he says, a dancer does not dedicate himself to just one thing. Some belong to two or
three dance companies. There are people dedicated to teaching or cultural management.

This mobility is a constant in those who choose dance. Along with the university, Alviar has
developed alternative projects. We form groups - he says - to introduce ourselves to the different
calls. With Om Tri we obtained the Pasos del Distrito scholarship (Awarded by the IDCT). It also
won in the Insólitos project, which invited artists to create a choreography in an unconventional
space. Now he participates in Casa rota, montage of his course, directed by the Venezuelan Luis
Viana.

One of his classmates, Vladimir Rodríguez, 28, alternates his study with the development of his
own dance group, Cortokinesis, made up of three people. Before forming it, he had already done
seasons of The look of the ostrich, in Li Explosse, company of Tino Fernández.

The group was born because we didn't want to stay in the execution - says Rodríguez-. We wanted
to move on to creation. We knew that to achieve this we had to launch a choreography laboratory
that would win a call. The result was Camilo Version, which won the Fragmentos award, also from
the IDCT.

It was a way to get real support adds the dancer who will soon be a teacher in performing arts
with an emphasis on contemporary dance. It gave stability to the group because the companies
that are formed are easily diluted, due to lack of economic consistency.