When you meet Laura, the light of joy sprinkles near her as she talks about her fulfilling journey as a dancer. She started at a very early age and convinced her parents about her dream. The discovery for love a dancing as a toddler took her to competition studios in Mexico. She found her body movement as a way to discover and convey her feelings. “Do what you want to do but have at least a college degree.” This instruction by supportive parents led Laura to Rutgers University. She feels acceptance of artists and conviction about following your passion in the artistic field has more acceptance in the USA than Mexico. Rutgers University gave her an exciting exposure to world dance forms. While she had practiced Belle and intuitively knew the movement of body and flow and how to lend after doing circles, observing her body in the space from within was needed to do it right  in coordination with other dancers.

She also learnt about Bollywood dances, became aware of the story telling in Indian classical dance ‘Kathak’. The rigorous practice to learn for four to five hours every single day after school prepared her for hard work. She looks at dance as a way to express herself, Laura gives credit to this artform for her personality traits. She is proud of being a dancer, choreographer, educator and Vinyasa Yoga trained fitness instructor.

While performance is the key experience for joy and satisfaction as a dancer, she conveys a theme through dance as a choreographer. Laura has been a part of the National Dance Water Project, which started in Florida. A prestigious project aimed at increasing awareness about the value of each and every drop.

She believes that the ‘Whole is just as strong as the sum of its parts’, when this idea is applied to a group dance and the vision of the choreographer, it means finding the right type of dancers for the mood of the dance. Laura explains that like voice, movement is a kind of voice for the dancer, according to her, different textures and rhythms define different dancers. If the project is focusing on delicate movements with very straight forward lines, it should have artis, who complement that need. Laura has worked on projects highlighting the domestic violence issue of women in Mexico. She is very clear in her mind about the difference in the dancing approach of different dancers, she says, as people express themselves differently, some are high pitched, some are low pitched, some talk fast, some talk slower, same with movements, body language of every individual is unique.

It is the choreographer’s job to harness that texture. They need to make sure the movement is complementing the story or theme of the dance. One scenario could be where movements may be created by the choreographer to highlight the music. In another scenario, if the goal is to highlight violence against women in Mexico. She needs specific dancers to compliment the texture needed for the project.

She was a part of the National Dance Water Project, which started in Florida. This project works with different dancers . Awareness for water pollution and essential water. This project is movement specific, texture of movement mimicking the texture of water.

A lot of work ethic came from dance. She is trained to work with discipline and the world of dance has no place for laziness. Laura’s professionalism comes from training in dance, she is a perfectionist. Laura explains, “everything has to be exact and perfect in the group dance with proper, well-practiced synchronization of movements. When she reflects on her love for dancing, she recollects, her being good and consistent at school. The constant movement of her attention from school to homework to dance made her more flexible without losing the intensity of focus on moving forward with zeal. Laura is always hungry to learn more, she feels that this curiosity has helped her in developing the focus and flexibility to keep reinventing herself. She didn’t let covid dampen her spirit. She redesigned her approach to meet and tailored herself as per the covid impacted structure in the art field.

Laura De La Garza Noble shared her understanding of Yoga with practical tips in one of her inspiring Instagram posts, “ Actively engage (not only physically but mentally) in anything and everything you do today. Try and see if that changes the way you approach unassuming or unpleasant tasks in the future.”, the post continues with this profound message, which becomes even more relevant around ‘International Day of Yoga on 21st June’, “ Overcoming obstacles starts with breathing and calming your mind.”

( Heramba Features, New York)

(Ashok Vyas, a well-known TV anchor with ITVGold is a poet and promoter of Indian Culture in multiple creative ways. He is Founder of  Heramba Art and Culture Center, NY. He can be reached at insight4creativity@gmail.com)