Voice of Nature Artivist : Selah Liberty Joy

• Your name…

Selah Liberty Joy

• Tell us a little bit about your background…

I am a bit of a movement junkie. I was originally trained as a classical ballerina, and spent a lot of time in the bright lights and sweat smells of theatre. An injury brought me to yoga and I started to question and explore the spirit of my embodiment. I then flowed into circus and the festival scene and have been working in the entertainment industry since. Through that I got to travel all around South Africa and have performed internationally in Europe, Canada, Namibia, Mauritius, Seychelles and the Azores. I’ve enjoyed pretty much every form of dance from martial arts to bellydance to Flamenco to aerial- and this has enabled me to build a diverse and intimate relationship with my body. Now I love exploring the expression and impact that an emotion, spirit or thought form has on movement, mostly through a deep listening that flows into a creative improvisation.

• Please share one thing you love about the world today …

Innovation! The melding of polarities to create something new and unique. My personal journey at this time is about this beautiful weaving of the individual within the collective – I feel like I am discovering what inter-dependence is, what collaboration can co-create…its the birthing of a new story like the unfurling of the fern.

• Please share one of the things that concern you about the world today…

Misdirected energy.

• How would you describe your art? What is the message you would like people to receive when seeing/hearing/ experiencing your artwork?

The dance is an expression of what is now.

The dance is opening to being fully alive.

The dance is passion and pain and pleasure pouring through.

The dance is a heart song, an offering, a union, a prayer of creation.

The dance is an expression of the joy of being alive, on this Earth, connected to all that is.

• What motivates you to use your art on behalf of nature?

Communion with Nature has always been present in my life. I feel deeply connected to the land, the soil, the mountains, the trees and plants, the animals and fungi, the waters and oceans, the air and the clouds.I feel deeply connected to my fellow humans. It is through the body that we bridge the gap between human and earth consciousness.

• Is there any other area of your life where you are taking action on behalf of our living Earth?

I work with the garden, am conscious of which farmers I am supporting and where my food comes from, plant trees when I can and every day I give gratitude!

• What brings you joy?

Wow, way too many things to mention! Id say its in the small things 🙂