CONTRA-TIEMPO | Urban Latin Dance Theater

CONTRA-TIEMPO is dedicated to transforming the world through dance. One of our most effective and powerful tools is our dynamic work with youth. In our shows, we use Salsa to intertwine our words, movements, video, and music to express the complexity of resistance and struggle for Latinos and communities of color in the U.S. Part of our mission is creating dialogue and greater understanding across populations, in particular around issues of resistance and power. We are dedicated to the growth and development of more self reflective and engaged young artists.

We cater our workshop, master class or residency to your needs and interests as a unique learning community. We have an elementary, middle and high school curriculum, and have worked with K - 12th grade. In all of our work with youth we use Salsa, Afro-Cuban, Hip Hop technique, dance fundamentals, including the principles of leading and following, improvising in pairs, groups, and small learning communities. For younger students we work with concepts of independence, dependence and interdependence - exploring these concepts physically. In our technical workshops and residencies we pull from the Rueda (Cuban Salsa) and work with students around concepts of 'compassionate partnering' and movement metaphor. In our choreographic workshops, students will create movement studies designed to engage and push audiences to explore new ideas about dance partnering and working as community.

Core Competencies
Communication, Critical Thinking and Information Competency, Problem-Solving, Global Awareness, Personal Responsibility and Professional Development, Physical Wellness

You can choose one or both of our current touring pieces:
AGAINST THE TIMES. This piece has been toured all over Latin America and continues to be the company's signature work where the term Urban Latin Dance Theater was originally created! Salsa is a dance form that is rooted in Cuban and Puerto Rican cultural tradition. It is laden with social and political contradictions; a dance of resistance. Salsa is an improvisational form that is created and recreated with every new combination of people that dance it; a dance of change. Born from the fusion of African and Spanish musical influences, it was originally created as a cultural voice and form of expression for working class people; a dance of the times. Salsa has always been a patriarchal dance form, in that men are leaders and women are followers. In more recent times, the over the top, disempowering representations of women have gotten more extreme, especially in styles that have been popularized by ballroom dancing and Hollywood films. The cast of contra-tiempo will flip the script on who leads who... Together they will move resistance from being adversarial to being the fundamental key for communication and empowerment between partners and for a people. (This piece is appropriate for all ages)

"I Dream America" is a 40-minute movement opera, which primarily seeks to engage the tensions, commonalities, strains and histories between the Black and Latino communities. Traversing the political landscape of immigration and Hurricane Katrina, "I Dream America" will investigate compassion and peace and paint a disarming and thought-provoking critique of contemporary life and injustice. (This piece is appropriate for Middle School and High School audiences)

Contact Ana Maria Alvarez at info@contra-tiempo.org for dates, prices and availability.

“What an incredible sight to see over 300 teenagers completely engaged for over and hour and a half! The choreography was brilliant, the dancing was incredible and your interaction with the students was exemplary.” - Emily Mahon, Skirball Cultural Center

“Your pieces were provocative and an interruption of expectations regarding dance. As an immigrant myself, and a student of immigration themes, visions and communities, I am deeply grateful for your work.” – Jacqueline Barrios Ramirez, 11th Grade Teacher

"The artist has the ability to take the viewer out of our comfort zone by experimenting with the unexpected and in this case it's the choreographer….The choreographer plays with our emotion causing us feel an array of feelings: compassion, disappointment, angry, fear….Ana Maria Alvarez uses the "give and take" motion of salsa, the symbolism of a rope, and over aggression leading to chaos to show the determination of a group all trying to reach the same goal." Excerpt from Explication Essay, 16 years old.

" The most "American" aspect of the play was the diversity! There were so many cultures, heritages, and elasticities entwined with each other, and that is what America really is: diverse. colorful." -Post performance comment, X.M., 16 years old.

“what you guys did today just changed my perspective on dancing and overall the world. I have to say its the best thing i've ever seen, thank you!”
– J.M. 14 year old

Our master classes have been taught all over the world, and continue to be a way for us to share our work and our creative process more intimately with students of all ages and levels. We have shared our master classes with professional dancers in Cuba, with senior citizens in Culver City, with college students in Decatur, GA, and hundreds of community members of all ages in the Bronx, among others. We cater our workshops and master to the needs and interests of each unique learning community. In all of our teaching work we use Salsa, Afro-Cuban, Hip Hop technique and dance fundamentals, including the principles of leading and following, improvising in pairs, groups, and small learning communities. We pull from the Rueda (Cuban Salsa) and work with students around concepts of 'compassionate partnering' and movement metaphor. In our choreographic workshops, students will create movement studies designed to engage and push audiences to explore new ideas about dance partnering and working as community. Our work will leave participants inspired, productive, engaged, communicating better and with barriers broken down!

CONTRA-TIEMPO master classes and workshops are designed to:
• Inspire participants to engage fully with one another
• Break down barriers to create a more open organization/community
• Align to a common goal, mission or vision.
• Improve Communications through accurate feedback and the positive use of resistance
• Accelerate Productivity by motivating staff and getting them to listen to each physically
• Local classes by CT Artists

YOU CHOOSE! We have drop in classes, one time workshops, six week intensive workshops and offer private lessons - Salsa, Street Jazz, Urban Latin Fusion, HIP HOP, Rueda and more! it is our committment to share our knowledge and love of dance with you!

• FREE SALSA SUNDAYS
CONTRA-TIEMPO Salsa Class, Live Drumming and Jam session
The LAST Sunday of every month in June, July and August 2010
12noon-1:30 PM
All ages, singles and couples welcome
Helms Bakery Complex, Culver City
For more information contact shayna@contra-tiempo.org
Funded by Culver City's Department of Cultural Affairs and the Puffin Foundation

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• June 19th-June 26th, 2010
Rueda/Rumba Intensive with Ana Maria & Cesar
Mendocino Folklore Camp
Dance & Music Workshops
Click here for more information
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Cuba Cultural Exchange
Part of CONTRA-TIEMPO’s mission is to use dance to build community, facilitate dialogue and move people to imagine what is possible in the world. This year the company will take our third delegation of artists to Cuba in order to facilitate dialogue between the cultural workers of both nations. Come with us! The next trip is planned for December 2010-January 2011.

A 14 day professional development tour for artsists. CONTRA-TIEMPO will work with two world renowned Cuba dance companies: Narcisco Medina Danza Contemporania en La Habana and Cutumba Baile Foklorico de Santiago de Cuba Take daily master classes with amazing Cuban Master artists and with the company in Rumba, Afro-Cuba Foklorico (Gaga, Macuta etc), Casino, Rueda and Salsa on the CONTRA-TIEMPO, Son and Cuban Contemporary Dance. We are organizing the tour though an organization called GLOBAL EXCHANGE (PLEASE LINK TO http://www.globalexchange.org/,) whose mission is to empower locally and connect globally to create a just and sustainable world. Global Exchange takes a holistic approach to creating change. With 20 years working for international human rights, they realize that in order to advance social, environmental and economic justice we must transform the global economy from profit centered to people centered, from currency to community.

The trip costs $3700 (plus airfare to Cancun) - this includes almost everything - all travel, legal visas, hotel, two meals a day, translator, master classes etc. It doesn't include tipping.