“Look into each other’s eyes and dance.”
That’s the simple caption on a video shared by choreographer Damian Malvacio that’s capturing people’s hearts. In the clip, we see a gray-haired woman in her golden years dancing with the comparably young Malvacio in an otherwise empty studio.
The duo improvises their movements to a simple, haunting piano solo, letting the music and their silent communication guide their steps. The result is a stirring example of how movement and energy speak in ways words sometimes can’t. Watch:
People see so many different stories in the dance
Art is open to interpretation, and this dance is no exception. As the comments show, this video touches people for different reasons as they see various stories in the movements:
“I can’t tell if this is a mother with her son, a woman reminiscing about an old love, or just a story of dancing through all ages of life, but this truly touched me. So beautiful. Thank you for sharing such tenderness and humanity for us all to witness. ❤️❤️❤️❤️”
“This brought out tears as I watched this beautiful display of the influence that the mothers and sons or grandmothers and grandsons have on each other. I sat here in complete awe of your choreography. Thank you for sharing! 🥹”
“Wow! What a beautiful scene 😃. Full of tenderness, calmness, respect and trust. They care for each other. The movements in slow motion are also full of intimacy. Is it a love couple? Mother and son? People who meet the first time? Doesn’t matter. I think they improvise what means they react really to each other. That makes this scene unique and captivating. Bravo!😃👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼”
“This reminds me of my brother carrying our elderly frail mother up the steps at West Point, and piggyback up the Great Sand Dune of the Outer Banks, so that she could keep up with us and her grandkids… 🥹🥲”
It also shows physical intimacy comes in many forms
So often, the word “intimacy” is used synonymously with sex, but not all physical intimacy is sexual. This dance feels deeply intimate, but in ways that touch on other elements of human connection. People appreciated seeing such pure, sweet expression:
“The fragility and the tenderness in the movement. The exchange between two different souls. How beautiful…”
“Intimacy at its depths. ❤️”
“I’m sobbing. Such beauty. Such care. Such tenderness.”
“This is presence. It’s beautiful.”
“My wish for the world is that we all discover the beauty of movement and intimate connection with others. It’s available to us is we just wake to and look. ❤️”
“I found so many layers of meaning in this, this was more than dance and the thought went far beyond choreography. Incredible. ❤️”
“Wowwwww. Thank you for sharing this beautiful work ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ More of this in the dance world please. Intergenerational dancers. Movement that has meaning. Expressivity. Intention. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼”
Malvacio works with older people in his Yo Bailo program
That viral improvised dance is just one example of what happens in Yo Bailo, Malvacio’s dance program for people over 60. Malvacio explained to Sala Verdi that the Yo Bailo project is all about reclaiming the body, which older people have often put on the back burner during the busy years of their lives spent working and raising a family.
“Reclaiming the body happens through connection,” Malvacio said in an interview translated from Spanish. “Feeling that vessel, this beautiful, wonderful body that houses emotions—and connecting the body with the mind and emotions, and then creating a dance from that.”
No dance experience is required to participate in Yo Bailo. You just need a desire to join a group project that “celebrates movement, age, memory and freedom.”
“It’s more than dance,” states the Yo Bailo website. “It’s a declaration of presence, beauty, and transformation.”
We can see that so clearly in his videos, and there’s more where that came from. You can follow Damian Malvacio on Instagram to see more examples of how dance can be transformative at any age.
