DIAVOLO dancers teach the importance of TRUST
February 7, 2017
Math teacher Anna Felix didn’t know what she wasn’t getting into when she agreed to go on stage with DIAVOLO.
“I volunteered because I didn’t think anyone else would and it sounded like fun,” Felix said. “It was a fun, exhilarating and scary experience.”
Felix and student volunteers went on stage without knowing what they were going to do. Looks of terror swept their faces when they were told that they were going to fall off ladders into the arms of performers, displaying the trust that DIAVOLO’s “TRUST” performance required.
“I liked how every performer was different and they had different techniques like ballet, gymnastics and how one guy used methods of martial arts,” sophomore Alexsia Ishkhanian said.
On Jan. 27, DIAVOLO’s local division of dancers performed “TRUST” for Daniel Pearl Magnet High School students in Birmingham Community Charter High School’s Sally Field Performing Arts Center. “TRUST” is a series of dances that demonstrates the necessity for trust and teamwork.
“The performance showed me how to work as a team and to trust myself,” junior Anthony Freyre said.
Founded in 1992 by Jaques Heim, DIAVOLO’s mission is “to further the transformative style of Architecture in Motion by providing dance performances, training and community programs for all.”
The name DIAVOLO is a combination of the Spanish word “dia,” meaning “day” and Latin word “volo,” meaning “I fly.”
“They said they would be flying and they weren’t really doing that,” sophomore Bella Feinstein said. “They were rolling on the floor. I wasn’t expecting that.”
The organization utilizes a team of dancers, designers, choreographers and engineers to convey how people are affected by the spaces they inhabit as well as to teach life lessons.
“Being a performer is a testament to the importance of this work,” said Director of Marketing Chisa Yamaguchi in a Jan. 25 email. “It’s the vehicle for a voice of society that is a reflection of our lasting culture and legacy as people.”
With the use of acrobatics, an array of props and performers with various abilities, DIAVOLO was able to capture students’ attention and make a lasting impression.
“My favorite performance was the one where they used the door,” Freyre said. “I thought it was interesting and a good way to show their talents.”
