Unexpected new friend

When you least expect it, a new friend comes into your life. One of my favorite annual events is the Amelia Island Dance Festival. Executive Director Susie Dodge outdoes herself every year, and this year’s event certainly didn’t disappoint. Little did I know that this year’s festival would bring me a new friend.

The dance festival always offers incredible performances, but offers so much more. Four days are packed with workshops, community events, and educational programs featuring professional, student, and local dance artists. One of the more popular highlights is always Dancing in the Park.

Last year, at a pre-festival event, I had the opportunity to meet many of the visiting dancers. One in particular impressed me with both her enthusiasm and her story. Sofía Forero, originally from Colombia and now living in New York City, was on the island as a featured dancer.

I was charmed by her personality and, later, by her talent. A graduate with honors from The Ailey School, Sofía is an extraordinarily versatile dancer. Her talents include a variety of Latin rhythms as well as more traditional dance disciplines. That versatility has taken her to the world-renowned stages of Delirio and Mulato Cabaret in Cali, her hometown in Colombia. She is not simply a performer. She is also a choreographer and educator, and co-founded Mosaïque Dance Theater with Nicolas Fiery.

Just say “salsa” and she smiles.

Today, she maintains a vibrant performance presence in New York as a Senior Dance Artist with Pajarillo Pinta’o, Tumbaga Dance Company, Ajkun Ballet Theatre, and Accent Dance NYC. Her work moves comfortably between athletic virtuosity and cultural storytelling.

So, after meeting her last year and watching her perform, I was hoping she would be back, and we could reconnect.

Fast forward to this year’s pre-festival reception. As I mixed with the dancers, I asked if Sofía was there. Before I knew it, we were hugging and catching up as though we were old friends.

I attended the Saturday performances, featuring 14 different acts; it was fast-paced and exciting. There was classical ballet, tap dancing, athletic dance, an aerial performance — and much more. Each act was distinctive and entertaining. The 14 acts represented only a small part of the festival. The festival’s performance listings include more than 30 individual artists, companies, and groups participating across its many offerings.

It is great fun getting to know an insider. Attending Saturday night’s performance, I felt like a proud mama — or, more realistically, a proud grandmother. Sofía choreographed a wonderful performance with two other dancers, and watching her on stage was a special treat.

The next day, we had lunch together, and we had so much fun exploring each other’s lives. Sofía shared stories about her family and especially about her “kick-ass” grandmother, who has inspired — and continues to inspire — her. Her grandmother has survived life-threatening cancer, and Sofia is creating a series of dances inspired by her grandmother’s courage and tenacity.

Not surprisingly, Sofía also spent some of her free time exploring Amelia Island. Like so many of the visiting dancers, she discovered the beach and quickly made it one of her favorite places.

That is one of the unexpected gifts of living on an island like ours. People come here for a festival, a performance, a workshop — or simply a few days away — and sometimes, if we are lucky, they leave having made a new friend.

Attending this year’s festival, I knew I would be treated to some wonderful dancing, but I did not anticipate coming away with a new friend. So Sofía and I are staying in touch, and both hope she will be coming back next year.

And if she is, I’ll be there.