Dance Transforms Realities, Clemencia Vargas Says How
In her organization Vive Bailando, Clemencia employs more than 20 women who contribute to the education and training of Colombian girls and boys who join the dream of dancing.
The Woman Post | María Consuelo Caicedo Toro
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The kids firmly believe that they can build their future to the sound of the music that dictates their bodies' language.
In the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, the meaning of the word "dance" is simple and concise: "Execute rhythmic movements with the body, arms, and feet," a definition that on paper does not generate cold or heat, does not produce enthusiasm or echo the sweat, efforts and pleasure that a dancer could generate, the fact of integrating mind and body in an activity that surrounds them, offers them a world of possibilities of expression, transports them and it gives them pleasure.
Clemencia Vargas met her destiny when she arrived in the United States when she was just six years old. Walking down any street, she was surprised by the connection that, through the window of a dance academy, she felt with students who, little ones like her, moved their bodies to the beat of the music, while they followed the instructions of an instructor: “That day I knew that I didn't want to do anything other than dance.”
Although anyone might think that six years is not the age for someone to make decisions about her future, Clemencia understood that in the dance she would find not only herself but also a reason to make her own contributions to the world.
Clemencia Vargas is the daughter of one of the most recognized politicians in Colombia, Germán Vargas Lleras, and great-granddaughter of the president of the country between 1966 and 1970, Carlos Lleras Restrepo, but for her politics is not a matter of the daily agenda nor is it listed in her priorities, her thing is to dance, it's that simple!
Live to dance
The dance has allowed her to generate proposals, give a purpose to her life and permeate that of many young Colombians who have been integrating into the Vive Bailando workshops, an organization through which Clemencia Vargas generates an impact in her native country: Colombia.
Her studies in Finance and Economics in the city of Boston have served as support to carry out Vive Bailando, a cultural project that was born in 2014 and has lived for a while because its reference "is a scientific model that conceptualizes the body and dance as transformation tools.”
Transforming is just what Clemencia and her collaborators do: “Through dance, we have integrated 10.000 young Colombians into leadership and values promotion modules. Dance is an educational tool.” These young people have seen significant changes in their lives in cognitive, physical, mental, and social terms.
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Although for many people dancing is a resource for occasional entertainment, for Clemencia Vargas and her students it is a way to promote values, prevent violence and the use of harmful substances, build life projects, take care of health, earn a living through an activity that brings happiness and satisfaction and contributes to the country. It's enough! Who could ask for more?
Support for women
Vargas supports social programs with the profits that Vive Bailando generates for her and receives donations that allow her to reach young women who, through dance, move away from early pregnancies, domestic violence, and the use of harmful substances and look to the future with hope.
This is how Clemencia Vargas makes the country. In her own words, dance is "liberation and creativity." Clemencia, who has shown her talent in world-class events such as the Superbowl or MTV Latin Video Awards and has opened concerts by artists such as Beyoncé, NSYNC, or Backstreet Boys, wanted to return to her native country after living 16 years in the United States to leave a mark on the communities and Colombian youth in departments such as Meta, Valle del Cauca, Tolima, Antioquia, Chocó, Bolívar and the capital city, Bogotá.
Vive Bailando is a bet in which there are no losers: the forerunner of the idea wins because, through her work, she achieves personal and professional satisfaction and benefits the country and young Colombians positively influenced by the effects that dance has on their lives win.
Ways to find out more about Clemencia Vargas' work: on Instagram @vivebailando and @clemevargas; on vivebailando.net or on Youtube, Vive Bailando.
