ANIKAYA BIRDS INTENSIVE
DANCE AND CULTURE IMMERSION
ANIKAYA Birds Intensives immerse participants in the movement world of the Birds, ANIKAYA’s Conference of the Birds ensemble. Participants learn the movement vocabulary and approach of five individual Birds, as well as experience the entangling practices that brought these very different artists into one deeply connected flock. Each program is anchored in a place that offers us unique insights into the history of human movement, and that provokes important conversations about our constructions of identity, community, history and the present moment.
ANIKAYA Birds Intensives are for amateur, professional and pre-professional dancers, theater artists, and others interested in experiencing the creation of community across difference through shared movement practice.
Dance and Culture Immersion in Bangalore, India
29 December 2024 –
9 January 2025
Dance and Culture Immersion in Cotonou, Benin
19 – 29 June 2025
TESTIMONIALS
Mohanad (Palestine)
I was able to regain a large part of my energy that I was previously able to use every second in Gaza.
My energy is reignited.
Ehmi (Nigeria)
The ANIKAYA Birds Intensive in Benin has been an experience I can’t speak about in one day or in one minute. I have seen another form of family, another form of love that is so rare. I learned not just about technique and dance, but about life.
Youssouf (Mali)
I am so grateful to have been invited to participate in this intensive in Benin. Learning from all the different teachers was really inspiring. And all the time we spent outside the studio too – visiting Ganvie, Ouidah, learning about history, even eating together and just enjoying our time together.
Amidou (Mali)
I felt deeply connected to all the other dancers, and it was inspiring to share our thoughts and perspectives with everyone. It’s so rare to have a workshop with Deaf and Hearing dancers together that is really accessible. I hope there will be more and more!
Rula (Palestine)
We were a diverse group of people,
from diverse cultures and ethnicities. Each one of us had their own form
of artistry and a distinctive background. We came together and there
was so much love, so much honesty, and an array of strong emotions. I
was able to get to know my body in a different way. I discovered that my
body can move in deeper ways than I am accustomed to.
Chantal (Palestine)
It was one of the most beautiful workshops I have experienced in my life. I felt as though it were a dream. All the people here are so gentle and kind-hearted. They helped me on my dance journey. I gained tons of new skills and met people from America, from Benin, from Germany, and even France. It was a most beautiful experience.
Aditi (US)
Nothing could have prepared me for the sheer beauty that I experienced during this inaugural ANIKAYA Birds Intensive. It was unlike anything I’d imagined it would be. I’m not new to the world of being thrown together with folks I’ve never met and having to work together to achieve a common goal. This was different. This was a magical, palpable, profound caring, from which the ripple effects will create lasting change for good.
