CELEBRATING SELF-EXPRESSION THROUGH THE FUSION OF YOGA AND DANCE WITH OKURUT GEORGE

In this captivating interview with Okurut George, we get a glimpse into his experience and identity—one that is forged in the realms of yoga and dance. With more than a decade of practice, George dedicates much of his time to teaching the youth in his local community of Uganda. George works with hundreds of kids, developing the mindset and skills to maintain inner peace. He has choreographed amazing children’s dance performances in partnership with Mission Uganda and other similarly aligned organizations. Dance and yoga are a core part of George’s identity, and he loves to share these incredible forms of self-expression with others.

Throughout this discussion, we delve into the power of self-expression, channeled through yoga and dance. George shares his personal journey and highlights the transformative role these disciplines have played in his life and the lives of those he’s inspired. We cover the wider implications of self-expression through yoga and dance, exploring how these practices can foster inclusivity, build community, and transcend language and cultural barriers, enabling individuals from diverse backgrounds to connect and understand one another on a profoundly human level.

As we embark on this enlightening conversation with George, we explore the deep impact that yoga and dance can have on individuals and communities, and reveal the unspoken language of the heart and soul.

Can you tell us a little more about your personal journey, and what led you to discover dance and yoga?

My journey started with breakdancing in 2012 during my ordinary level vacation in Kampala. It’s from here that I started moving out and got some skills in breakdance. When the time came for me to return to school for advanced level of studies, my luck ran out; I could not further my education because my family didn’t have the money.

I branched off and opted to pursue a vocation skill training program at Kalongo Technical Institute where I attained certification in brick laying and concrete practice (BCP) Craft 1. This would imply enrolling for craft II level certification but still the issue of money stood in my way. I resorted to petty onsite construction work as a builder and/or porter on a perday wage list. While I enjoyed my job and forecasted a better future, I felt abused at times because of the long hours of work and two dollars per day (about ten-twelve dollars per week).

I pondered on my life and livelihood. Being born in the turbulent times of LRA rebellion, I had lost some of my childhood friends to abduction and/ or death. My mum brought us to live in Kampala and tried to find a way to survive. I did odd jobs until I landed on a group of youth in their evening moments engaged in dance. I loved it and knew I could blend with it. The first week was a huddle as I tried to practice with them but as time went on, I started enjoying it. I realized it kept me busy and preoccupied, with fewer thoughts on my mind. It’s from here that I truly started enjoying my dance moves. Being a little naïve, I did not know that I experienced depression and anxiety at times, but through dance I overcame it.

While in Jinja, I reconnected with my dad who was never comfortable with my need to dance. He thought I hadn’t attained skills that would help me make ends meet, and according to him, I spent a lot of useless time on dance. I was on and off the streets till I made the decision to come settle with my mum back in Kampala. It’s from here that I discovered yoga.

As luck would have it, I met Biibo Tag who helped mentor me in yoga. I also met a Swedish lady working on her documentary film in Kitgum that had some background in Lindy Hop. Knowing that I loved yoga, she told me she was going to give me something that would change my life. She showed me a video of Frankie Manning, a famous African American Lindy Hop dancer and a video about Herräng Dance Camp, a Lindy Hop Event in a very small village called Herräng in Sweden.

How has this outlet of selfexpression improved your personal health and well-being?

First of all, I had a car accident when I was young. Through yoga training, I managed to align my body while releasing the impact of stress caused by the traumatic experience. Through dance, I have been able to express my innermost feelings and gain confidence. The most visible impact of my expression through this art and the community around me has been the continued support I got that has enabled a number of children to get the opportunity to go back to school. Many children have earned a future and have reasons to dance more because they have hope for an education.

In my community, many know me as a yoga teacher and refer to me as Musomesa—a local dialect word that means “teacher”. I urge those who look up to me to be self-disciplined and respect all people around them regardless of their background. I choose to be myself and to never pretend. Positive attitudes and strong minds give us a reason to rise even more.

Can you describe how it feels to possess such powerful tools as dance and yoga, and to enjoy the gift of sharing them with others?

Dance and yoga is part of me and that is what I am known for. When I am dancing or doing yoga it gives me happiness and I feel complete. And even through dance, I feel happier in my community because I have seen a united force of people working for a common good.

I can attest to the fact that an outreach to a group of mothers helped them know more about their body, health, and well-being through yoga.

From the experience and feedback I got from working with various women’s groups, I realized there were other souls out there that needed healing, so I started working inside prison services. It was my ultimate goal to help them battle any aspect of depression, stress, and anxiety through yoga.

Finding stillness in motion is truly an art. How do you teach youth in environments sometimes perceived as negative (like child prisons and war-torn regions) to hold hope in peace and love?

Children in all these communities have experienced at least one form of violence that has exposed them to trauma. In slums and prison, it’s even worse and support services are seriously lacking. In my outreach camps, I teach them how to refocus their lives while taking a deep breath. Breathing is so natural and heartwarming, I did the same in my troubled times and using my lived experience, many have found their pathway to recovery. While Covid-19 took a toll on the entire world, in the slums of Nsambya, located in the outskirt of Kampala city, many families carried the burden of dealing with the virus; they did not know what to do given children remained at home. My yoga training session came in handy as a formal way of teaching children about basic survival tactics using dance as a pathway to recovery and happy living.

With my knowledge and my friends, we brought all the children together under the Heart of Dance African Rhythms dance group. Two hundred children in the last three have gained so much knowledge about themselves and how they can love each other. The community came closer together, and now fifty children have gotten scholarships to further their studies. With this, their dreams, professional goals, and aspirations are close at heart.

Inspired by our actions, many parents/guardians are now freely sending in their children to help transform their lifelong dreams. I am so happy that they can now hold hope in peace and love coming from our meditation and yoga sessions— especially my deliberate lessons on how to find inner and outer peace.

Are there any specific examples when you’ve experienced the kindling of a flame, or have been inspired by your students? How does this make you feel?

The time when I felt the flame burning in me was at the peak of Covid when I went on a dancing spree with the children. While the world had come to a standstill, we held the children together in the slums to retain their peace as a community through dance and yoga. In the subsequent month, I got a call from the American embassy and they wanted me to make a choreography with my children to perform Lindy Hop and hip hop for the celebration of two hundred and forty-five years of independence. They gave me all the songs and I had four weeks to do four songs, but, due to Covid regulations, they reduced the time from four weeks to one and half weeks. That was a bit challenging, but my students inspired me!

As the New Encyclopedia beautifully explains, “In Africa, dance is a means of marking life experiences, encouraging abundant crops, honoring kings and queens, celebrating weddings, marking rites of passage, and other ceremonial occasions. Dance is also done purely for enjoyment. Ritual dance, including many dances utilizing masks, is a way of achieving communication with the gods.” Can you elaborate on the important role of dance from your own personal experiences?

In my own experience, dance is self-expression. In my tribe, we have over sixteen dances: Larakaraka, a courtship dance; Otole, a war dance; and Bwola, a dance for royals, for example. It’s an expression and mode of communication that units masses regardless of age, sex, and religion. ymore info:

As a warrior of peace and love, how do you approach each and every day?

I look at peace and love from a different angle. A human being is a single unit in society and the world. To approach peace in my everyday life situation, I have always thought of finding “inner peace” as part of my wider role and responsibility in society. Making peace with yourself simply means respecting the peace and spaces of other people. It might be tough, but with meditation, you will always win. Think before you act and your day will flow. Every day I make sure I share my love with the children because they are angels. They have innocent souls and with their smiles every day, I can share more joy with other people.

How can communities and people around the world turn to dance as a way to resolve conflicts?

Dance brings everybody together and doesn’t segregate. To me, dance can be one way to solve conflicts, especially in social dancing—we connect to each other. You might dance with someone you might not know, or someone you might hate, but we still connect to each other through the dance. I do believe that everyone knows how to dance but some are just shy and they need to be led to do it. Then we shall have peaceful communities and everyone will be able to face their own fears, be strong, and transform their own lives and communities.

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