Laureate speech by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, 2021 winner of the Helena Vaz da Silva European Prize for Raising Awareness on Cultural Heritage. The Belgian contemporary dance choreographer – creator of the Rosas company and one of the great European references in contemporary dance – speaks about her relationship with dance and choreography, focusing on what motivates her to work in this artistic field, what this particular medium of expression means to her, and the ways her work can or should address collective problems, such as overpopulation and climate change.
The Helena Vaz da Silva European Prize for Raising Awareness on Cultural Heritage was established in 2013 by the National Culture Centre (CNC) in cooperation with Europa Nostra, the main European heritage organisation represented in Portugal by the CNC, and the Portuguese Press Club. It commemorates the Portuguese journalist, writer, cultural activist and politician Helena Vaz da Silva (1939-2002) and her outstanding contribution to the promotion of cultural heritage and European ideals.
The Prize is awarded annually to an European citizen whose career has been distinguished by the dissemination, defence and promotion of Europe’s cultural heritage, either through literary and musical works or through reports, articles, chronicles, photographs, cartoons, documentaries, fiction films and radio and/or television programmes.
