Feature
Curiosity, culture, career and community We speak to two ISTD members with vastly different experiences to illustrate how important culture is when building and sustaining a healthy dance career.
Diego Marín Diego is an established choreographer, director and dance anthropologist, Artistic Director of Ballet Contemporáneo de Ciudad Hidalgo and Founder and CEO of Diego Marín Creative Studios. He is based in both Mexico and the UK.
I would say resilience is what has sustained my entire career
Growing up in Mexico I grew up in Ciudad Hidalgo (Michoacán, Mexico) and although I have dreamed of working in the creative industries since I was a child, I never imagined that I would work in dance. I started in a student dance competition in high school, and there the Head of Culture of a university motivated me to attend an audition as they were looking for new dancers for their company. Months later, I won a scholarship via the Universidad Latina de América to study for a degree and join their dance group. I learned and performed modern dance for five years, and after graduating, I decided to pursue a career in the dance industry. After university After university, I was fortunate to win a government fund to produce a dance piece, so I founded my studio and company in my hometown. My choreography quickly attracted attention in nearby municipalities, and later in different cities around Mexico. Directing and choreography are my passion but the work that I am the most proud of is Con Espacio Hay Danza,
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a social project that introduced community dance to areas with limited artistic interaction. The aim of the project was to offer spaces to young people to prevent them from falling into the hands of drugs cartels, and consequently led me to give a conference with UNESCO in Mumbai in 2018, as well as award from the Mexican National Youth Institute. Hedónimal, a live performance which made its debut in Mexico City in 2018 and in London in 2022, has been the most successful of my stage productions. Curiously, it is the only one that never received public or private funding to create; rather it is the result of a personal effort that has been driven by people who believe in me. Over time, the production gained interest in local theatres, and later it reached the billboard of one of the most important theatres in Mexico, and was screened at the Theatre Deli in London for a season. My university studies have had a strong influence on my work, and my interdisciplinary training has helped me to see dance beyond the perspective of the performing arts. My teaching methodology, my creativity and my artistic discourse have been enriched by knowledge from fields including anthropology, neuroscience and cultural policy. I would also say that resilience is what has sustained not only this production, but my entire career; making a living from art is no easy task and achieving recognition and international presence demands authenticity, shrewdness and a sense of responsibility.
Dance | Issue 498
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17/03/2023 17:59
