Hard work and passion must coexist in dance - Bacău E-Motional Dance Connection, 2015

Alexandru Radu was born in 1988 in Săuceşti, Bacău and is currently studying choreography at the "George Apostu" National College of Art in Bacău. He started to dance at age 11 and since then he has taken part in numerous dance festivals and competitions and won several prizes. The young artist intends to pursue a career as a dancer and choreographer.
 
In May 2015, Alexandru Radu attended the workshop coordinated by Portuguese artists Joana von Mayer Trindade and Bruno Senune. The two were invited as artists in residence through the ArtistNe(s)t programme at the "George Apostu" Cultural Centre during the E-Motional Bacău Dance Connection events, which are part of the E-Motional: re-thinking dance project. Besides Heaven is just a blue disguise of hell - the performance the two dancers presented at the "George Apostu" Cultural Centre in Bacău - they also ran a contemporary dance workshop for several students from the College of Art in Bacău.
 
The European project E-Motional: rethinking dance was developed with financial support from the Culture programme of the European Union and the Ministry of Culture from Romania.
  Alexandru Radu: We had been working for a full day with Joana von Mayer Trindade and Bruno Senune. At the beginning of the workshop, we spent some time in conversation and they told us a few things concerning contemporary dance and the way they perceive it. They also explained us what our main focus should be if we wanted to pursue a career in this field and introduced us to the main features of their methods of work. Following these short discussions, we moved on to physical and practical activities. First, Joana taught us how to warm up properly and then we practised a series of exercises she had previously shown us. Afterwards we were divided into three groups and then each group in turn had to reconstruct a choreography that Bruno had shown us.
 
B.L.: What characteristics did you discover inside yourself as an artist during the workshop - maybe some aspects you were not aware of before this encounter?
R.A.: During the training I discovered that I am naturally endowed with the capacity to adapt my body easily to any form of dance. I also noticed that I was able to assimilate quite fast the vast amount of information they shared with us.
 

B.L.: What were the mental or physical boundaries that you eliminated thanks to this workshop?
R.A.: I realised I can face a very high level of physical effort and I think this is the most significant mental limit I overcame during the workshop, especially since this is a decisive aspect in my career as a dancer.
 
B.L.: Please mention three qualities of Joana and Bruno that you find indispensable for every dance teacher.
R.A.: First of all, what impressed me about Joana and Bruno was their remarkable strength on both physical and psychical levels, as well as their determination, ambition and strong enthusiasm. Last but not least, I have also been touched by their capacity to explain every move in detail in an accessible manner for us. I think these are the essential qualities every dance teacher should have.
 

B.L.: What exactly in their attitude has inspired you the most or opened up new horizons for you?
R.A.: It was their passion for dance and for art in general that inspired me the most. This helped me to realize that no matter how hard you work and train as a dancer, everything is useless unless there is passion as well.
 
B.L.: In what sense has the workshop influenced the relationship between you and your colleagues?
R.A.: This workshop had a positive influence upon the relationship between me and my colleagues, as Joana and Bruno had shown us a lot of exercises that we were supposed to practise in groups. Therefore we had to learn to trust our partners, know our colleagues better and try to inspire each other. All these things created a much stronger connection between us.
 
B.L.: What is the most powerful lesson you have learnt following this encounter?
R.A.: I think the most precious lesson I've learnt owing to this workshop is that in order to succeed in this field - and not only - you have to trust yourself and be ambitious and creative. At the same time, you have to work hard but also love with great passion the things that you do. All these elements are very important in their own way and if there's one single aspect you ignore, you may fail.