Luz Emma Cañas was a Graduate Fellow in the Department of World Arts and Cultures, U.C.L.A while attaining her master's degree in Dance Movement Therapy. She teaches rehabilitative movement and Kundalini Yoga to seniors for the Department of the Aging and is also a teaching artist in Capoeira Angola for the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute. Currently, she is writing and producing a series of short films for her body positivity program, Boudoir Ballet, that integrates her knowledge of yoga, dance, Pilates and Capoeira.
PAS DE DEUX is the first in a series of short films entitled BEDTIME STORIES celebrating women of color experiencing personal transformation through dance within the privacy of their boudoir. PAS DE DEUX is defined as: 1: a dance or figure for two performers. 2: an intricate relationship or activity involving two parties or things. The literal French translation is a step for two. This story follows Gigi, a free spirited woman, that moves through NYC as a trumpeted “being” accompanies her. During a lunch meeting with a girlfriend, she is called to “dance” by a lover, who ultimately does not follow through on an afternoon tryst. But all is not lost because she discovers that the best dance is danced solo. This story is about self-love and reveling in the ecstasy of one’s own company. And yet, from the interaction between Gigi and her personified cherub, are we ever truly alone?
