Hello and welcome to The Breathing Body Podcast - My name is Flurina and I am your host, and I am so happy that you are here.

In this episode I am talking with dancer, researcher, movement therapist and choreographer Hagit Yakira. Together we embarked on a journey to explore so deep and meaningful questions, is the artistic process ever not healing? Why do we dance? What does freedom mean? And how much freedom can we give and live in any given structure? The end result is a conversation, so raw, pure and humble, it brought tears to my eyes whilst we recorded it and is still moving in and through me. This is the breathing body.

About Hagit Yakira:

Hagit is an award winning Israeli choreographer and director of her own company Hagit Yakira Dance which she founded in 2007. Besides working with professional dancers she leads performance projects for the community and non-professional dancers as well. Alongside her work as a choreographer Hagit is a teacher. She has been developing a personal style and way of teaching and her workshops for professional dancers and the community are constantly in demand around the UK, Europe, Scandinavia and Israel. Hagit received her PhD from Trinity Laban/City University. Her thesis is titled: Relational Autobiographical Choreographies - on a new choreographic practice. At present she is an Associate Professor at the University of Stavanger in Norway. Her approach in general, as well as to the movement research, is based on autobiography, and different physical exploration of emotions; she is being informed by her background as a dance movement therapist alongside her background as a performer and a choreographer.

In this conversation we talked about:

• The intimate relationship between the artistic process and healing and the potency of art to reflect back to us what we otherwise might not see, and call out of us all the voices we forgot to express.

• The balance of structure and freedom in dance teaching and how becoming a dance therapist brought meaning and generosity in Hagit`s life.

• Fear as a channel to guide us home to ourselves and how it opens the space to trust what we love.

• How giving birth and becoming mother of twins "landed something" in Hagit`s live and invited her to land into who she truly is.

This is how you can connect with:

• Visit his webpage: www.hagityakira.com

I hope you enjoy this episode and I am looking forward reading your thoughts and comments.

You can find more about my work on my webpage www.flurinathali.com, or follow me on Instagram @flurina_breathingbody

Love,

Flurina

Credits:

• Intro/outro music – ‘Hymn for Jim’ by Aspyrian: Robin Porter – saxophone, Jack Gillen – guitar, Matt Parkinson – drums, composed by Robin Porter, listen to the full track here.
• Graphic: Annina Thali, for more information click here