Dance plays an integral role in Andy Da Veiga's expression and
perceptions of beauty. From choreographing performances in front
of his family as a child to showcasing his work in front of
millions, Andy's love for dance has shaped his life into a
dynamic piece of art. When thinking about what he creates, he
emphasizes the beauty in movement. "It is the way of expressing
oneself with the body and how several different individuals
will, together, create a harmony around the dance," he said.
Beauty is rooted in Andy's work with his private dance company.
He oversees a wide range of dancers and finds ways to weave
diverging movements into a central, harmonized piece. For Andy,
differences in styles or ideas between others give beauty life.
Beauty, in every shape or form, evokes the feeling of awe and
reflection in his mind. "It can be many different things, and
it's something that will touch us in all instances, and that
will make us take time to stop and look at it," he said.
He finds himself most alive and in tune with beauty on stage.
Performing on stage is the culmination of hours spent creating
and refining raw emotion. He works tirelessly to translate the
abstract into movement, constantly editing and rehearsing, to
the point where the moves feel like an extension of his physical
self. When the audience finally witnesses and conjures feelings
of their own, "It's like a little bubble that makes it really
the most expressive and gratifying moment," Andy said. Being
among the audience is also where Andy finds beauty outside of
his own creation. He finds just as much inspiration sitting in
front of the stage as he does on it, witnessing the talents of
engineers, directors, and designers come together to create an
infinitely moving piece with limited space and time. The
connection between audience and performers is a part of what
makes dance a living art, Andy believes. "All the passion and
energy you're giving, they're also giving back to you," he said
about the relationship between the two.
For Andy, beauty exists solely through life. It's built up from
nothing, like blank pages that slowly fill with the writer's
self, bound together to create a book. Without a life to build
on, beauty would remain unseen, non-existent. "It's the
principle of starting from nothing and choosing everything we
can do, to reach a point of beauty in our life," he said. Just
as dance is the translation of emotion to action, beauty is an
extension of one's being.
Andy believes that life is filled with beauty when we embrace
what we regard as beautiful. He believes that to have the
courage to be happy and do what we want, be with people we love,
and do the work we love. Andy loves to dance and believes
teaching it is a way to ingrain his legacy. One day, he wishes
people could say, "That's an Andy Da Veiga move."