For Laila White, a visual artist and dancer based in Madrid, her most important dance partners are two crutches. She's made a living using disability as part of her art.
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00:00For me, there's no doubt.
00:10Dance is the best thing that could have happened to me.
00:13We carry things inside us that we need to let out.
00:17Dancing gives me the chance to do just that.
00:19For me, dance is total freedom.
00:25Laila White was born in a refugee camp in Algeria.
00:28She contracted polio there, which led to the partial paralysis of her legs.
00:32At the age of eight, she was taken in by a family in Girona, Spain.
00:40I discovered dance during a pretty rough time.
00:43I was bullied at school.
00:45One day, I came home, went to my room, put on some music, and turned off the lights.
00:51It gave me a chance to express everything I was feeling inside, anger, frustration.
00:59In that moment, I realized I was dancing without knowing what dancing was.
01:09The crutches are very important to me.
01:12They don't inspire me.
01:14They're a part of me that I couldn't do without.
01:18They're my best friends.
01:21They're my lovers.
01:23They're my companions.
01:28They're everything.
01:30The only time they don't exist for me is in my dreams.
01:42The self-taught dancer had her first performance in 2014.
01:46Today, she performs on international stages and collaborates with renowned choreographers
01:50from across Europe.
01:52The road to here hasn't been easy, though.
01:54But as time goes on, Laila has begun dancing in increasingly prominent companies.
01:58England was her first artistic home.
02:02England was a very important doorway for me.
02:05That's where my career as a dancer began.
02:08When someone steps into your life and says, trust in your work, you eventually start to
02:13believe it.
02:17But that takes a lot of effort.
02:20It doesn't happen overnight.
02:23It's about gaining self-confidence and embracing the crutches on stage.
02:30In addition to dance, Laila is also a visual artist and photographer.
02:34Through her images, she explores her relationship with her twin sister, who remained in the
02:38refugee camp in Algeria.
02:40As a result, she didn't grow up with her.
02:46Dance and photography are very different forms of expression.
02:51These self-portraits were another refuge for me, and the only way to visualize my twin
02:57sister's existence.
03:00As I got older, I started to wonder, does she look like me?
03:08I think I found her through photography.
03:14Two forms of artistic expression with two crutches and two families.
03:19And with each movement and every photo, Laila White is telling her story.
03:28The borders lie within ourselves, but if you know how to bring what you love to life, there
03:34are no boundaries.
03:36You can dance without crutches, without feet, without fingers.
03:41In the end, all barriers are just in your head.