Healing Through Movement with Angyil
That night in DC, that is exactly what Angyil did. Her connection to both the music and the eager onlookers earned her the national winning title, and office had the opportunity to sit down with Angyil post-competition to discuss her experiences with dance and how it has impacted her life.
How did it feel to win the finals this past weekend?
It was interesting, simply because I had to qualify first, so I had to battle my way up about 15 rounds. So it was a lot, but at the same time, it felt so good to be around so many dancers I hadn't seen in so long because of the pandemic and everything that was going on. It made me feel extremely grateful; there were a lot of emotions going on. Though I felt tired — for a lot of reasons — I couldn't allow that energy to hold me back.
How did your journey with dancing begin and in what styles did you begin dancing?
So I'd always been dancing — as far as moving when music was turned on — but I went to a performing arts school in Kansas City. I started out with ballet, jazz, and modern, as far as training. I moved to New York as a teenager and I just started dancing even more there [at Alvin Ailey]. But my intentions were to only focus on ballet, jazz, and modern. But then I came across some people — who now are my friends and my family — but they were dancing on the subway and just moving freely. There was no care in the world, which was a lot different from what I was used to at the studio. You have your leotard, there's a uniform, your hair has to be slicked back. There were so many things that I was seeing that were the exact opposite of what I had been used to. So I feel like that contrast impacted me, especially because it already resonated with my soul, as far as the music and as far as the emotions and feelings. I was like, 'What am I doing? I need to fully express myself.' And that's when I made that transition.
Do you think dance has the ability to be a form of personal healing?
Absolutely. I always say dance is like therapy — not to negate therapy because I think that therapy is extremely important, though not everybody can afford that, at the same time. I definitely feel like dance helps as far as therapy. Like maybe I can't afford to go see a therapist, but I need to just kind of release what I have inside of me. These thoughts, these movements that are kind of lying stagnant inside of me — I need to be able to physically express myself and get those things out, you know? So I definitely feel like it's healing, but the beautiful thing that I love about dance is that no matter what career field you're in, everybody loves to watch dance. Even if they feel like they can dance or not, whatever the case is, everybody likes to move because there's healing in movement. Even for the dancers. It's not just for you; it's also healing for the people that are watching you. So it's so beautiful to even [be able to] share those things. And I’m realizing more and more how important that is.
How has the art of dancing helped you grow as a person?
I would say through dance, I understood what romantic love is. I don't know if that sounds crazy or it might sound strange for some people. But, I always loved my family. I've always loved my friends, you know. But I asked myself, could I see myself doing anything else other than dance? And the answer was no. I asked myself why, and it was because of the way that it felt — I was willing to do whatever it took; I made so many sacrifices for it and am willing to make more sacrifices if I need to. And it kind of taught me that that's what love is. Love is sacrificing and putting one's needs over your own. At the time, I only knew how to do that when it came to my family or friends, but I feel like dance definitely showed me a lot when it comes to other parts of my life. Parts that don't have anything to do with dance. It taught me how to open up and be more confident in myself. It taught me how to stand up for people. It taught me how to try to be my best in everything that I do, whether it be dance or not.
Why is it important to you to share your art with the world?
The reason why it's so important to me — it's so funny — because I feel like I've realized why it's so important to me through other people. I remember a doctor coming up to me; I even remember an engineer coming up to me once and telling me that they were inspired [by me] to push harder in their careers. Now these are not dancers at all, but the fact that they felt a strong passion for what I do, and then they want to take that into their passion, was all I needed to know. It made me want to continue and keep going. That recycled gratitude. I feel grateful and it helps me realize that dance is so big. You can inspire so many people and they've inspired me too.
What has been your most cathartic performance to date, if you can think of one?
I'm not sure about one in particular. I feel like I might be building one, potentially, like a theater piece. But I kind of tell people, indirectly or directly — whether that be through movement or verbally — anytime I can help people understand that no matter what they've been through, they don't have to stay there — that is fulfilling for me. It's not easy. Even I have moments where I'm like, 'Don't stand in your own way' or 'Don't allow things that have happened to you to control your future.' That's the same thing that I want to do for people, to let them know that we are not chained to our past. Anytime I'm able to do that, that would probably be my highlight.
Do you practice any other forms of self-expression aside from dance?
Yes, I own a fashion line, so I'm creating clothing. Anything that involves working with my hands. My mom kind of raised me to work with my hands and I feel like I'm able to release a lot through that. I have a lot of thoughts in my mind, so to be able to see those things come into place through using my hands definitely helps me. So whether it be planting a garden or having a clothing line — just creating. I've been getting into filming recently. I've been getting into short films, so kind of trying to make my imagination into a reality.
