When most people think of NFTs, they think of visual art. Beatriz Castañeda is changing this perception. Castañeda is a dancer from Santiago, Chile who is bringing performing arts to the NFT space. Art buyers traditionally have focused on visual art, but now with the technology of blockchain, they are able to collect dance — at least this is what Castañeda is betting on.
Along with music and drama, dance is considered a performance art that traditionally can only be fully appreciated by a live audience. With NFTs however, Castañeda and her partner Nicolás Gatica are changing how dance can be experienced. Typically people buy tickets to see a dance show or dance paired with music. Dance enthusiasts buy an IRL experience. With blockchain technology, people can buy dance as objects of art. This is exciting: Never before has dance been given the platform to be seen as collectibles, furthermore an asset.
Beatriz began dancing when she was a young girl entering competitions and participating in dance presentations. At age 15 she grew more serious and enrolled in the Academia Power Peralta dance studio in Santiago, Chile. Inspired by Michael Jackson’s music and powerful moves, Castañeda gravitated to dance techniques like tutting and popping. Today she defines her style as minimalist contemporary.
She has traveled nationally and internationally with a variety of dance crews including Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Argentina. From 2019 until the beginning of 2022, Castañeda danced with Chilean-American singer songwriter Paloma Mami. Now, her career has transitioned from the physical into the digital. In May 2021, Castañeda and her partner Gatica started CryptoMoves and sold their first NFT piece, entitled 1+1=1. Both Castañeda and Gatica consider themselves first-wave NFT dancers.
CryptoMoves creates fifteen-to-sixty second audio visual works focusing on movement. Its past two collections, The Human HOX Gene and Connections, have sold out on Foundation. The Human HOX Gene is an audiovisual dance NFT collection about human genetics defining the shape of the human body. Connections is a raw-toned production with themes of minimalistic movements and social connections. The choreography was filmed in the backdrop of different bus stops in Santiago de Chile.
The art world has changed. For the first time, NFTs are allowing art collectors and artists to rethink the boundaries of dance. NFTs are giving artists new possibilities of being seen, and audiences new ways of seeing it. At NFT NYC 2022, Castañeda and Gatica had the chance to talk about their journey into NFT space. They partnered with the dance and wellness organization Forbidden Fruit and curated moveMINT: The Experience, the first-ever physical NFT gallery dedicated 100% to dance. The duo promoted their work and spoke pointedly on how blockchain technology helps dancers achieve artistic independence. NFTs give dancers full creative freedom and, at the same time, provide a new medium to sell work to a worldwide audience. Art buyers who want to invest in dance can work directly with the artist with no agency or a third-party in between.
Even though the market is slower at the moment, Castañeda keeps creating. Art and community motivate her more than money. She and Gatica plan to travel to Japan to network and produce more dance material. In the long term, she wants to educate others about NFT dance art. CryptoMoves already hosts zoom sessions focusing on dance innovation, technology, and the market. There is only a small niche of dance NFT artists out there, but it is growing. The strategy is to bring more dancers into the ecosystem, forge new landscapes, and make dance NFTs an even bigger movement.
Amanda Hyslop (aka MizzuzB) is a writer in Web 3 exploring the intersections of culture X finance X technology. She is an avid NFT collector and advocate for women building on the blockchain.
This article and all the information in it does not constitute financial advice. If you don’t want to invest money or time in Web3, you don’t have to. As always: Do your own research.
