Stories

Jeen Berting

Netherlands

Dancing into freedom

For my flag, I wanted to explore dance as the ultimate expression of freedom: the freedom to move, to express yourself and to be who you are.

At the beginning of the workshop, one of the participants also described dancing as her strongest feeling of peace and freedom. The connection was immediate.

Together with several women, we went into a separate room and began to dance. I photographed fragments of their movements and used parts of those images to create the flag.

It was an intense and sometimes challenging process—especially because my workshop partner also had to leave halfway through to cook for the entire group!

But perhaps that is what made the experience so real. Peace is not something abstract or perfect. Sometimes it begins simply by moving together, sharing a moment and feeling free in each other’s presence.

To me, peace means being able to be yourself without fear.