Memoir of ConCuerpos Inclusive Dance Company’s European Tour 2026
By David Bernal and Laisvie Ochoa, with voices from all the company’s artists
Project supported by:
- Stichting De Zaier
- Private supporters via We Donate campaign
- Holland Dance Festival
After a long journey of over fifteen hours, and countless prior hours of pre-production work, we finally arrived at Glasgow International Airport in Scotland. Seven dancers set off from Bogotá: David Bernal, Andrea Atuesta, Lorena Lozano, Fabián Mariano, José Mejía, María José Rodríguez, and Laura Toro—four of whom are wheelchair users; along with musician-composer René Moreno and artistic director Diana León. Along the way, two more dancers from the Netherlands joined us: Anneloes van Schuppen and Dennis Massar, as well as general director Laisvie Andrea Ochoa. Thus, the international company of ConCuerpos was finally reunited.
Upon arrival, we split into two buses because the transport system in Scotland enforces a limit of one wheelchair user per bus. This regulatory requirement meant that we often had to take four separate buses—one for each wheelchair user—which delayed our travel on more than one occasion. Even when calling a taxi, some drivers refused to carry two wheelchair users. Still, every now and then a driver appeared who understood the situation and generously, set out to do everything possible to fit the wheelchairs into the car. Little by little, however, we found ways to «hack» the system so we could move around together as the group we were.
The Gathered Together Festival arranged rooms at the Holiday Inn that were perfectly accessible for wheelchair users. The bathrooms were so accessible that, due to the novelty, one of us mistook the emergency cord for the toilet flush, causing a mini-chaos in the hotel when staff thought something had happened to him. He was just taking a shower.
That night we had dinner at an Indian restaurant that was celebrating its first anniversary, so we ended up eating cake, singing «Happy Birthday» in Spanish, and dancing to Colombian popular music. This tradition of singing the birthday song established itself at every restaurant outing throughout the tour: they always ended up giving us extra dishes, and we always ended up singing and dancing.
On the second day, we arrived at the Tramway, a dreamlike venue that was formerly a factory, workshop, and depot for horse-drawn vehicles, and later the operations center for the city’s now-defunct trams. In the 1990s, it was converted into a cultural space. As a result, its facilities are immense and fully accessible, making it not just a venue that meets a legal requirement, but a space that offers a generous, expansive way to include people with and without disabilities. This makes the Tramway a place that provides artists and visitors with a deeply comfortable environment in which to be, create, and share.
There we were joined by Flora Kryger-Hansen, the Danish intern who supported us with, among many other things, the audio description voice for FOCARIS, and who integrated into the company very quickly. That day, the entire group had the opportunity to rehearse the version of FOCARIS we were going to present at the Festival, as well as to meet Szene 2wei and Everybody, two inclusive dance companies from Germany. We also reconnected with Indepen-dance, a resident inclusive dance company in Glasgow, an international benchmark for inclusion, and the organizer of this sixth edition of the Gathered Together Festival.
Reflecting on this encounter, Laura Toro wrote:
«In Glasgow, at the Gathered Together festival, togetherness was truly felt. Every day we gathered there to lead workshops, watch and present artistic works, chat with friends from many parts of the world in the café, among many other things. Being able to dialogue across dance companies and dancers who share similar questions was deeply enriching, because it allows us to push the boundaries of performance a bit further in inclusive dance—and, therefore, in art as a whole.»
On Wednesday, September 2, the festival officially kicked off. We attended the opening event which, following a performance by traditional Scottish bagpipes, brought over 60 people onto the stage in a work titled TIGHTROPE, created by Indepen-dance and Ami Dance Theatre Company. Circus-inspired and built through physical humor, this work reminded us of the wonder and playfulness of life, as well as the multiple possibilities of being and performing on stage for diverse people.
Thursday, September 3, was our performance day. We shared the stage with three other companies: Clifftop Intergenerational Dance Company (Scotland), Szene 2wei (Germany), and Inspire (Scotland). The audience gave us a standing ovation. Several people highlighted the commitment and presence of the dancers on stage; some mentioned that our stage energy was so strong that, had we invited them, they would have eagerly and passionately joined us in dancing. Others simply expressed their emotion with an insistent «Wow!» at our powerful staging, which turned the inner fire of each dancer into a spark to ignite the stage and fan the internal flame of every spectator.
Karen Anderson, Director of Indepen-dance, wrote:
«What is particularly exciting about ConCuerpos’ work is how they fully integrate all dancers into a single ensemble, rather than separating performers with disabilities from those without. Their use of sign language and audio description as integral, creative elements within their performances—alongside live music and movement—is fresh, imaginative, and artistically ambitious. Accessibility is not an add-on to their work; it is embedded at the very heart of their artistic practice. ConCuerpos is a company Colombia should be deeply proud of. Their contribution to inclusive dance goes far beyond their own performances, and their commitment to artistic excellence, accessibility, and collaboration makes them an important voice within the international inclusive dance community.»
The reception was so positive that, during the festival’s meeting with the international delegates, we received immense interest and were invited for one-on-one meetings with representatives from important festivals, including the KIADA Festival (South Korea), the (A)CROSS Festival (Denmark), and the ArtsAbility Festival(South Africa). In the middle of these conversations, Diana was asked a question about our practices around memory, sensory documentation, and editorial publishing: «Why do you do all this if no one is asking you to?» Her response was clear:
«We do it because creating works means creating sensitive knowledge, and it is vital that people with disabilities are part of building that knowledge. We don’t just create dreamlike worlds projected into black boxes. We create reference points for bodies, we build physical techniques, and we discover ways of communicating and moving outside traditional dance standards. We configure new bodily codes.»
This idea resonated throughout the tour: it was not merely about presenting a dance piece, but about sharing an approach to understanding the body, creation, and accessibility.
Thus, the warm reception FOCARIS received at the festival reaffirmed not only our commitment to dance and to generous, horizontal ways of meeting to create, but also to the power of every body to give its best collectively.
Fabián noted:
«This work has brought us to a place where we hold Colombian contemporary dance to the standard of major international festivals, proving that disability opens up an infinity of possibilities for making art.»
On Friday 4th of Septemebr, we had the opportunity to offer two workshops inspired by FOCARIS as part of the Festival program. The first workshop, Dance, Sign Language and Inner Fire, focused on integrating Sign Language and dance, and was led by Lorena Lozano and Dennis Massar. The second, When Fires Meet, was led by David Bernal and José Mejía, focusing on partner work and duets.
Regarding this experience, José wrote:
«Sharing workshop spaces with festival participants allowed us to strengthen and discover the impact of ConCuerpos’ research in relation to the practices and methodologies of the other participating companies. Receiving direct feedback and observing the effect of the material on other bodies deeply nourishes ConCuerpos’ research and expands our perspective toward a multifaceted, global approach.»
On the final day of the Festival, we saw the premiere of the wonderful piece SHADOW LANDS, directed by Marc Brew and choreographed by Eve Mutso, featuring dancers from Indepen-dance. Afterward, we felt that Indepen-dance and ConCuerpos share similar creative explorations: above all, a desire to deepen and broaden the possibilities of artistic expression. In ConCuerpos’ case, an investigation into inner fire; in Indepen-dance’s case, an investigation into family portraits. Crucially, in both approaches, people with disabilities are neither pushed to the sidelines of virtuosic dancers nor placed in a privileged position on stage—which would be equally problematic. Simple and obvious as it may sound, the members of both companies are human beings and artists interested in expressing our perspective on our own lives and the world around us. Some of us have disabilities, others do not. What matters to us is discovering in every participant the strength and enthusiasm to turn dance into a reason to gather and discover new ways of being and doing.
Being at an international inclusive dance festival is a unique experience, not only because of its political importance for people with disabilities, but because our work, questions, and aesthetics can be brought into dialogue with other companies around the world that share the same dedication and professionalism in accessible dance. In a conversation about FOCARIS with a Deaf wheelchair user, the topic arose of how important it is to present the sensuality of diverse bodies on stage; they expressed that this felt deeply necessary to break limiting paradigms. They conveyed this to Diana in Scottish Sign Language, which was translated into English and then into Spanish. That was the essence of the entire festival: an endless chain of translations and interpretations, without ever having to justify why the world needs to be accessible, but rather assuming accessibility as a basic prerequisite for being together and dancing.
We closed our time at the Festival with a traditional Scottish Cèilidh, where the host company shared and taught their traditional dances to all attendees. Guest companies joined in as well, with Colombia standing out for its musical warmth and flavor. Sharing this space with all the festival artists reminded us that dance, beyond choreography and rehearsal, is also about joy; it is an opportunity to learn new movements and enjoy connecting with others who love to move.
Reflecting on the overall experience at the Festival, Laisvie wrote in her notes:
«It was also incredibly special and moving to be back with ConCuerpos at Gathered Together ten years after our first participation in 2016, when we traveled with María José and Andrés Lagos for the first time. Seeing how over these years we have developed an artistic and personal relationship with Karen Anderson and the members of Indepen-dance is fantastic and worthy of celebration. Being able to return every two years with new projects—and now, ten years later, with a new generation of artists and an international company that has grown and deepened its work—was a deeply meaningful moment for me.»
The Netherlands
From Glasgow, we traveled to Amsterdam, Netherlands, staying in a hostel that operated many years ago as a hospital (or perhaps a school) and now welcomes many visitors, including many wheelchair users, thanks to its complete accessibility. However, moving around the city brought us face-to-face with challenges similar to those in Glasgow. In Amsterdam, there is also a limit on how many wheelchair users can travel on a tram simultaneously.
Ultimately, we refused to repeat the Glasgow experience. We were four wheelchair users, and we did not want to accept that an accessibility rule would end up separating us. So we split the group into two, so that each group traveled with two wheelchair users. On some trips, one person even transferred to a regular tram seat to keep the designated wheelchair space free. But then we decided to try something different: we would act as if we didn’t know each other. And something interesting happened. Tram staff usually inform companions that only one wheelchair user is allowed per tram. However, when wheelchair users are autonomous and present themselves as a group of friends, a couple, or simply people traveling together, enforcing that rule seems much harder. Or at least, they didn’t try to enforce it with us. Perhaps because, at that point, the situation no longer looks like a matter of assistance; it is simply people who want to travel together, and telling them they cannot carries a different weight. It no longer sounds like there isn’t enough space for two or three wheelchairs; in a way, it sounds like those people, together, take up too much space. This raises a question that goes beyond the tram: What happens when rules designed to manage access and safety end up dictating who can occupy public space and under what conditions?
Our travel in Amsterdam was mainly back and forth to the Academy of Theatre and Dance. There, we rehearsed the piece DOUBLE SENSE, programed at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival. The piece is directed and performed by Dennis Massar and Issam Zeumouri, with artistic advice from Laisvie. She had proposed involving the other ConCuerpos dancers as support for the duet, given that the performances of Double Sense coincided with the week the company was in Amsterdam and Dennis is a dancer with ConCuerpos Netherlands. Dennis and Issam generously embraced the idea; in their earlier creation process, they had already mapped out ways for the other dancers to support each scene using the Highlighting methodology—a method that was also part of creating FOCARIS, which Laisvie learned from Spanish master Marta Coronado.
Dennis remarked on this collaboration:
«Since I had my project, Double Sense, happening at the same time, it was wonderful to see everyone’s flexibility in ConCuerpos, which made working with the dancers so easy. They were connected and actively engaged, thinking alongside Issam and me. That allowed us to create a great performance in very little time!»
The piece had three performances at the Podium Mozaïek in Amsterdam on September 9 and 10. The company split into two casts so that each group performed on one day, though both casts performed the same choreographies created together. It was a logistical effort requiring efficiency, creativity, and problem-solving to support Dennis and Issam’s duet. The work was grounded in the possibility of communication between a Deaf person and a Blind person meeting through touch, turning contact and dance into a conversation. We performed as the chorus. This exchange was deeply meaningful. David wrote:
«Beyond thoroughly enjoying the staging, I especially recall a moment when we had to split up, and I was assigned to work with two dancers I had no prior experience with. I suddenly realized how exciting it was to be there, creating material jointly with new people in a European dance academy. It was a real challenge—both because of my communication skills in a language not my own, and because of the need to contribute, solve, and offer material that would then be used in the show. That experience allowed me to recognize myself in a new light: as a dancer capable of creating, dialoguing, and contributing in a new context with people I had never worked with before.»
Also at the Academy, Kamee Frieling, the final member of this multinational team of over 14 people, joined us. She participated not only in DOUBLE SENSE, but especially in the version of FOCARIS presented at the legendary Korzo Theatre in The Hague on September 11. It was incredible to see how, in just four days, we restaged the international version of FOCARIS and integrated a new dancer who, thanks to her physical intelligence and open disposition, assimilated the entire piece, including a long choreographic duet, in just a couple of rehearsals.
Kamee remembered it this way:
«From the very beginning, it felt as if I had stepped into a warm bath, and somehow I was invited to jump right in. Thanks to their openness and willingness to welcome me into the work, and to teach me the entire piece in just two days, I immediately felt a sense of trust and belonging. I found myself becoming part of a warm family, where everyone supports and takes care of each other, and is truly there for one another. That created a space where I felt safe enough to trust, experience, explore and fully give myself to the dance. I was deeply touched by the performance and by the strength and space each dancer is given. Every dancer has the opportunity to share their own beautiful solo, while at the same time you can feel how deeply connected everyone is to each other. The sense of community is clearly at the heart of ConCuerpos, without ever losing sight of the work itself.»
It is also worth noting the constant support throughout the week from two Dutch Sign Language interpreters, Anna Mbayo and Danielle Wildenboer, who were there to facilitate communication for Dennis. They integrated into the group in a special way, and it was wonderful to experience accessibility support done right: continuous, handled by two people to prevent fatigue, and fairly compensated by the state. They also helped connect us with Deaf audience members who attended the performances.
This experience was significant for Lorena Lozano:
«Personally, as an artist and performer, meeting colleagues from other latitudes has nourished my ideas about accessibility and raised more questions about the artistic challenges we face on stage—especially when so many languages intersect in our dance. Meeting Sign Language interpreters from other countries and Deaf artists, engaging in dialogue with them, and recognizing that we share paths and challenges allowed me to delve into what the sector needs to properly welcome Deaf people in cultural and artistic contexts in Colombia, and to dream of a network of Deaf and hearing performing-arts interpreters building community together.»
On Thursday, September 10, while Cast 1 performed at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival, Cast 2 traveled to The Hague to lead two workshops inspired by FOCARIS. These were organized in partnership with the Holland Dance Festival, with special support from Irene van Zeeland, who acted as our host and mentor throughout the tour and supported us in every way possible. The workshop Powerful Bodies, aimed at dancer 50 years and plus, began by discovering inner fire through touch, warmth, and an intimate connection with one’s own body. Laura then lit the flame with tropical rhythms; Anneloes shared the movement methodology from her solo, inviting creativity and exploration; and finally Laisvie led the choreography from Lorena’s solo in FOCARIS, turning the session into a big celebration.
The second workshop, Water Body, was designed for young people and adults with and without disabilities, led by Diana León and Fabián Mariano. In this workshop, the connection between the body and water was approached from various angles: we became seaweed, tides, lakes, and schools of fish. The workshop concluded with a creative exercise where participants demonstrated incredible imagination.
Finally, the most anticipated day arrived. The Korzo Theatre in The Hague opened its doors, and we presented FOCARIS with the full international ensemble with which it was created in 2025, thanks to the support of Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo and the Ministry of Culture of Colombia. Nearly a year had passed, and there we were again, recognizing one another and expanding our senses to move with the power and subtlety of fire. We even added Flora’s gentle voice and two more dancers: Kamee and Laisvie, who had stepped as a dancer to resolve a logistical need in Glasgow, and didn’t want to leave the stage again. An hour and twenty minutes flew by, followed by an extended standing ovation from an audience captivated by the energy we shared.
Anneloes described it like this:
“As a shared collective we became one big enormous wave/force of art that led to two ecstatic and thrilling performances and four profound and touching workshops. Just before the show I felt some healthy nerves racing through my body. As soon as we entered the stage the nerves faded away, transforming into a deep surrender and trust. I viscerally knew/felt, that I did not have to do this alone. I knew that might it happen that i felt I would not have enough within me, that that wouldn’t matter, because I would be carried by the group, I would be able to tap into forces that are bigger than one person alone.”
Many audience members cried and came up to speak with us afterward, still visibly moved. We received countless beautiful comments about the unity of the group, our genuine commitment to inclusion and accessibility, and how each performer shone in their own way, showing vulnerability and strength at the same time.
Irene wrote:
«Focaris was an absolute fiery party that got the whole audience excited and showed the highest quality of inclusive dance and universal access with so much joy that it was hard to sit still in your seat. The company focusses on integrating access into the artistic process so that it’s never an afterthought but always at the core of the creation. Sign language and audio description are part of the work as much as choreography and the musical composition.»
René’s live performance on piano and vocals was a standout highlight. Many audience members were enchanted by his presence and the way live music coursed through the work.
René recalled:
«Regarding September 11, 2026, at the Korzo Theatre in The Hague, I can only say it was the most significant day of this entire trip, because it was the first time all of FOCARIS sounded together. Yes, we had already premiered it, but music matures over time, and throughout this year I added new material—like a choral section for the ‘cloud joy’ scene, transitions, details, and new stanzas for the poem written specifically for this tour. So this was the first time I would perform around seven genres across an hour and a half, on the finest piano possible. It was not only great fuel, but felt like Laisvie’s hand on my shoulder saying, ‘your music matters.’ I realized then that every planning detail served not just an operational goal, but an intention to make us feel supported throughout the entire process.»
René and Flora, under Diana’s direction, formed a strong sound team that cared for the work’s audio design—a crucial element that incorporates creative audio description into the soundscape for blind or low-vision audience members.
Diana reflected:
«In the middle of the dress rehearsal, I listened to Flora and the audio description. Usually it’s me sitting there next to René; this time it was her, with her clear, compelling voice. During the final rehearsals we went over every moment. I had to be precise with the cues for each audio entry; I had to show her, in Spanish, the tone and intention behind the voice. Neither of us understood the other’s language, but when we made nonsensical sounds, everything made sense. With impeccable precision, she followed all my directions, caught every cue, and inhabited the audio description universe with her voice. Conviction about staging choices usually comes late for me. In the middle of that rehearsal, it hit me: the audio description of this work is a work of art in itself. What wonderful work we’ve done, I thought.»
That day brought a massive collective effort to fruition in an unforgettable performance made possible by many interconnected hands across two continents. In Laisvie’s words:
«The tour, especially the Netherlands leg, was a way of harvesting many of the seeds and relationships I’ve built on this old continent in support of the collective project that is ConCuerpos. The workshops supported by Holland Dance Festival, and especially Irene offering her own bed; Romany, the Scot who once rang my doorbell unannounced and became Colombian, picking up the company at the airport; the relationship with Damar Lamers and her beautiful ReDiscoverme project, through which we accessed the Amsterdam Dance Academy; my friend Carles supporting María José in the most sensitive, beautiful way; Nicoline, one of the dancers from my piece We Alive, opening her home to seven strangers; Ciran, Karen’s son and our collective boyfriend, traveling from London to The Hague for the weekend; my closest friends attending the show, inviting their networks, and letting the fire of FOCARIS melt their hearts to tears; the participants from my classes at DansCentrum Utrecht and the Good Old Timers attending the workshops and show; my partner Johan supporting us in more ways than I can write down…»
That night will be remembered not only for the performance’s success, but because it served as the occasion for Irene van Zeeland, Suzanne Faber, and Astrid Mayer (the new board) to sign the legal documents officially establishing ConCuerpos Netherlands as a foundation in the Netherlands, a sister organization to Corporación ConCuerpos in Colombia. Cheers and long life to ConCuerpos!
The Beach
On our final day, we visited a beach in The Hague. Although sand is notoriously inaccessible for wheelchair users, we found ways to bathe in the North Sea—even if only our feet touched the water. Some carried the wheelchairs, others carried the wheelchair users, someone found a stool, another brought a chair. In the end, collectively, as always, we answered the question of the mystery of being alive. We had a day of rest after two intense weeks of rehearsals, performances, and logistics. Yet up to the very last minute, even after our mission was accomplished, we never stopped taking care of one another and reaching the sea together. This is what ConCuerpos means. This is what the tour reaffirmed.
In Flora’s words:
“Meeting and touring with the company as an intern, have left me in absolute awe of their uncompromised commitment to each other and to fostering spaces of hope, inclusivity and empowerment. Creating spaces of dance and community as a sanctuary free from judgement and prejudice. A place – whether on stage, in rehearsal or outside the studio where everyone feels celebrated, and everyone can take agency in shaping the collective.”
Diana remembered that last day:
«I am immersed in the waves of a cold sea. In the distance I see David, sitting in the chair we found abandoned on the beach, which we placed there so each friend in a wheelchair could touch the sea. Beside him, José and René share a single sweater, and behind the sand dune, the rest of the team takes in the peace of work well done, enjoying a landscape that fills our eyes. I jump in the waves, grateful for this journey and for the good fortune of not making it alone. I see Lorena and her calm, Majo resting, and Fabi telling jokes. In the middle of the waves, I see us as we look every day in rehearsal in Bogotá, walking together in the dark of night. I see us with love.»
Laisvie also wrote about care:
«It reaffirmed for me that ConCuerpos is not just a company that creates performances: it is a community that builds, cares for, and transforms itself when we are together. Living that in Europe with the whole group reunited was deeply moving and one of the moments I will treasure most from this tour. That capacity to be together, to care for one another, and to find solutions collectively was what sustained us through challenges and kept us moving forward.»
Overall, the tour was a resounding success. We experienced something new every half hour, as René put it, and we feel proud to carry our dance across the world.
As Fabián wrote:
«The company demonstrated that talent and discipline are not measured by conventional or normative bodies, but rather that the diversity of bodies is what shapes the form. It is the different ways of moving that allow unique, unimaginable skills to bloom—skills as powerful as those of any company without dancers with disabilities in its cast.»
To close, the words of María José Rodríguez are perfect:
«I have lived a beautiful adventure. I have danced in places beyond words, with people who make it crystal clear to me why I—a simple woman and wheelchair user—dance and do what I do: to resignify the diverse body.»
More pictures in the following albums:
