DDP Talks To Avatâra Ayuso (Founder & Director)

AWA Dance

Avatâra Ayuso with her company, AVA DANCE. Photo by Lorenzo Hernandez

DDP: Is there someone you credit as a mentor who has helped shape your career?

Avatâra Ayuso: I’ve been fortunate to have several wonderful mentors—both men and women—some formal, some informal, mainly in my choreographic career. They were all incredibly generous, but let me be clear: my mentors did not hand me jobs or choreographic commissions. Instead, they guided me, helping me make the best decisions based on where I was in life. Their insights turned my world upside down, shattered limiting beliefs, and illuminated new possibilities.

Now, I feel a responsibility to give back—to support women of all ages in their own journeys of discovery. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing someone realise their full potential, step into their power, and break through the barriers society places in their way.

Avatâra Ayuso and her mentor, Sue Wyatt. Courtesy of Avatâra Ayuso

DDP: Can you tell us about your charity, AWA DANCE? What inspired you to create it?

Avatâra Ayuso: AWA DANCE is a UK-based charity dedicated to the leadership development of women and teenage girls through dance. We run various programmes, from mentoring professional women in dance to leadership curriculum workshops, some research and even launched the first-ever Girls in Dance Festival.

What motivated me? Frustration. Anger. A deep sense of injustice. I am surrounded by brilliant, driven, talented women and girls—yet society continuously puts obstacles in their way. Their full potential is suppressed, doubted, held back. I refused to stand by and watch. I wanted to act, to create change. AWA DANCE is my answer.

AWA DANCE Mentoring Programme Cohort 2024. Courtesy of AWA DANCE

DDP: Were there moments in your life when you wished you had a mentor but didn’t?

Avatâra Ayuso: Absolutely. When I was a teenager and in my early 20s, I desperately needed a mentor—especially when I was diagnosed with a tumour in my leg and was told I would never dance again. At that time, I felt completely alone, without the guidance of someone who had walked the path before me.

I didn’t have a mentor until my early 30s, and I know how transformative it would have been to have role models earlier in life. Seeing how others navigate their struggles, make decisions, and persist through challenges gives you a confidence boost that parents, teachers, and friends simply cannot.

DDP: What are your thoughts on being a good mentee?

Avatâra Ayuso: A mentee is not just a receiver—they bring value to the relationship too. Some of my most fulfilling mentoring experiences have turned into genuine friendships because the exchange went both ways. A mentee can inspire their mentor as much as they are inspired in return. We are all navigating life, and we all have something to learn from one another.

On a practical level, being a well-organised mentee is essential. If you want productive mentoring sessions, take the initiative—schedule meetings, send emails with bullet points outlining what you want to discuss, and make sure every session has clarity and purpose.

DDP: How can the dance ecosystem improve mentorship?

Avatâra Ayuso: The dance sector needs to wake up to the talent all around us. If we don’t actively support and empower that talent, giving people the confidence to step into their full potential, we will lose voices, perspectives, and artistic innovation that could have reshaped the sector.

I believe in reverse mentoring—younger generations mentoring older ones. We often assume that wisdom flows in one direction, but the reality is we all have something to teach and something to learn. When we open our minds and humble ourselves to listen, the entire ecosystem benefits. Dance will thrive when we value every generation, every voice, and every lived experience.