Dances for Luna
T.S. Warren
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Geneviève Beaulieu adds her classical Indian dance to the fusion
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Artists unite for stricken Ottawa dancer
Born in Toronto to a Mexican mother and Armenian father, Luna Yatsula is a Canadian pioneer of fusion dance who proudly took her fiery blend of flamenco and Middle Eastern dance to audiences and students around the world. At a young age, she shared the stage with some of the Arab world's greatest singers and musicians, operated her own studio in Grenada, Spain, and even appeared in a movie with Omar Sharif.This Saturday, an array of mostly local artists will fuse their talents at Dances for Luna, Dances for Love, an evening of performances to raise funds in aid of the 33-year-old Ottawa dancer, teacher, wife and mother who is battling a rare and aggressive cancer of the adrenal gland.
"Artists in general are very generous," says Yatsula, noting that the dancers come from many cultural backgrounds, from classical Indian dancer Geneviève Beaulieu, to an Egyptian folklore troupe from Hull, to belly-dance superstar Jalilah, who recently moved to Ottawa.
"To me fusion dance is very reflective of Canada, and only in Canada would you get such a diverse group of ethnic artists to come out and support somebody," she says. This despite recalling that, "When I was doing my Flamenco-Arabic shows back in Toronto in the early 1990s, my teachers just thought I was insane."
Diagnosed and operated on in January 2003, Yatsula was given six months to live. Almost two years later, she is surviving, she says, by embracing all aspects of life, from her young child Mehdi to teaching Middle Eastern dance,
when her health permits, at Dance Oasis in Hull.But she admits to feeling a betrayal of the body: "Especially for a dancer because my body has always been my instrument, my way of earning my living, my expression. I live very much in the senses. You know-the dancer is that weirdo you see skipping through the park on a beautiful day."
Proceeds from the evening fundraiser will go towards a trust fund for Yatsula's baby, as well as La Luna Foundation which will give one-time grants to women, particularly artists, suffering from rare cancers or other diseases.
Yatsula plans to talk to the audience, but doesn't yet know if she will dance. "Let's just say, that depends on the cosmos that day."
DANCES FOR LUNA, DANCES FOR LOVE
UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA ALUMNI AUDITORIUM
85 UNIVERSITY AVENUE
SATURDAY OCTOBER 15 AT 8 P.M.
TICKETS: $20 IN ADVANCE; $23.50 AT THE DOOR
INFO: 733-862, LUNAYATSULA@YAHOO.CA
All I can say she is unforgettable,she showed us all what strenght and courage is while battling with the most rare of cancers and yet never gave up and continued her work as an artist and as a humanitarian.
Just an amazing woman she will be missed by many of us.
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Amalia Salaiza_Cassidy
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| Yatsula's story is truly tragic |
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I recently read a family biographical account of Jacqueline du Pre, the famous cellist who died of MS. She could not play her beloved cello, and gradually lost all motor control. Yatsula is heroic for continuing to dance, and support and love it in spite of the pain of loss.
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Karen Mohindra
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{3 votes}
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I must admit that when you read stories like this one, you definitely think that life is not always fair. A pure betrayal of the body, indeed...!
This was, without any doubt, a great opportunity to be introduced to such a good and devoted dancer like Yatsula! And, I hope that this kind of event had achieved great reach in our community.
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Valerie Augier
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{7 votes}
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It's cool to see people of different mixes get into different kinds of activities, be it from their own heritage or not. DAnce is dance. It's entertaining , calming and one of the best ways of self-expression. DAncing tells stories to the audience and gives you a great feeling inside.
This goes to show you that people are so diverse and that we should appreciate everyone's backgrounds, cultures and beliefs.
And to see this woman still go at it even after her illness, makes it more worthwhile.
I wish I knew how to dance...Well, non-club like.
It'd be cool.
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Meghna Patel
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{6 votes}
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