Need Some Inspo? Watch These 8 Great TED Talks Given by Dancers
It’s no surprise that dancers make some of the best TED Talk presenters. Not only are they great performers, but they’ve got unique knowledge to share. And they can dance!
If you’re in need of a midweek boost, look no further than these eight presentations from some incredibly inspiring dance artists.
Prumsodun Ok: Artists are magicians
Founder of Cambodia’s first gay dance company, Prumsodun Ok gives a hybrid dance/speech about Khmer dance and how genocide wiped out 90 percent of its practitioners. But rather than focus only on the devastation, he delivers a message about beauty’s ability to grow anywhere.
Miko Fogarty: It’s never too late to reinvent yourself
Former prodigy Miko Fogarty opens up about her decision to leave the world of ballet, and the courage it takes to listen to your gut and pursue what you actually want.
Michaela DePrince: It’s okay to be different
Dutch National Ballet soloist Michaela DePrince shares her story of growing up as an orphan in Sierra Leone, where she was shunned due to her vitiligo, and talks about how finding ballet helped her discover a sense of self-worth.
Wayne McGregor: Creativity is something you can teach
Choreographer Wayne McGregor is obsessed with technology—first and foremost the technology of the human body. In this presentation, he describes choreography as “physical thinking,” and introduces his creative process to the audience by making a dance from scratch in real-time.
Camille A. Brown: Social dance is an expression that emerges from a community
In this viral video lesson on social dance, presented by TED-Ed, Camille A. Brown talks us through some of the biggest popular dance styles that have emerged from the African-American community throughout history.
Charlie Hodges: Every day starts with space to get better
Sharing his stories of being body shamed over and over again in the dance world, Charlie Hodges talks about how he overcame the challenge of having an atypical dancer’s body to become a professional with Twyla Tharp and L.A. Dance Project, among other companies.
Merritt Moore: Share your energy
A ballet dancer who doubles as a physicist, Merritt Moore explains how her time in the lab has changed her perspective on connecting to an audience—then she shows exactly what she means in a duet with Adam Kirkham from BalletBoyz.
Bill T. Jones: Wait
In 2015, Bill T. Jones teamed up with TED Fellows Joshua Roman and Somi to improvise together as a way of offering the audience the chance to see their creative collaboration in action. They call it, “The Red Circle and the Blue Curtain,” referencing the iconic red TED stage and Isadora Duncan’s iconic blue backdrop. There’s more dancing than talking in this TED talk, but we don’t mind that one bit.
