From the Associated Press (May 17, 2009):
Brandishing unique bodies, dance troupe triumphs
By HELEN O'NEILL
...All her life, Latsky has been drawn to different bodies and forms. She sees the way someone moves, the shape of their limbs, long before she notices their personality.
The Canadian-born Latsky, whose restless energy makes her seem younger than her 51 years, is best known as a choreographer and one-time principal dancer with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane company. Her skill and stage presence have won national acclaim. But until 2006, when she received an unusual commission to compose a piece for a young woman with no fingers and no lower legs, Latsky had never worked with disabled performers.
What began as a huge leap of faith gradually evolved into a performance, and a troupe.
And a name: "GIMP," Latsky says, "is about shattering perceptions, about provoking people to think, really think, about body image and beauty and disability and dance."
But GIMP has become far more. Over the past two years, it has evolved into a movement, a mission almost, a way of getting the world to look at itself a bit differently. And it has become the story of an unlikely cast of characters drawn together by the choreographer who became their leader almost by accident. Latsky's energy and enthusiasm are infectious. Her toughness is legendary. Dancers say no one pushes them harder, physically and emotionally, forcing them to mine something deep within themselves, to confront their most intimate vulnerabilities and channel them into dance...
Comment Below: I see this as a shining example of Disability Power and Pride! Comment with more...
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