Voices del Camino: [Formerly] Undocumented and [Now] Unafraid

On the series: Voices del Camino is our series of stories and reflections from the company, while on tour. El camino, in Spanish, literally means "the road"; but el camino is also the journey that we're on towards witnessing, creating, and sharing the beauty and complexity of humanity, and towards transforming our world through love and movement.

Bentonville, AR | [Formerly] Undocumented and [Now] Unafraid, by Isis Avalos

We performed Agua Furiosa at the incredibly beautiful Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, as part of their series, “The Art American Dance”.  The performance itself was in a very intimate setting that was practically floating over water (very fitting for Agua's theme!).   

Isis (standing on a bucket) as Caliban 2 in Agua Furiosa

After the performance we had our post- show Q&A.  A man sitting in the second row with his children beside him asked the first question, and it was directed towards me. He said he noticed that my character (Caliban 2) was going through turmoil, and he saw glimpses of water, but he also wanted to know if there were other stories connected to this character.  Ana Maria passed the microphone to me and I all of the sudden felt nervous—not because of the idea of speaking, but because of WHAT I was going to speak about. 

I introduced myself by stating that I was an undocumented child brought into the U.S. by my parents when I was 7 years old, and because of that, there was a direct connection between ‘the wall’ of buckets and the pedestal that my character stands on.  I mentioned how, ironically, when Ana Maria originally created this piece just two years ago, the phrase of ‘building a wall’ was not as big of a topic of conversation in America as it is now. And since I, like many others brought to the U.S. as young children, identify as Americans because we were raised here, we are now fighting against this wall just as Caliban 2 is in Agua Furiosa.  

Isis in front of an exhibit about undocumented immigrants at "Nuevolution" at the Levine Museum of the New South in Birmingham (another stop on our tour)

In that moment I felt bold and proud to have said that publicly and in a way that the audience could connect to Caliban 2 but also to MY humanity as a Mexican-American immigrant.  Once the Q&A was finished I had a group of young women come up to me and thank for me sharing my story about being undocumented. I thanked them for accepting my story because it validates my existence in this country (internally, I felt touched and was choking up). I stared at them smiling and they stared right back at me. It’s those moments when you get quiet and you both understand the connection – no words are needed. That is humanity. This was the last show of Agua Furiosa in 2016. The year started off by me not mentioning my once-undocumented status, but now that IS how I introduce myself. 

I realized that who I am, has everything to do with the way I dance and why I dance.  Agua Furiosa is politically (environmentally- racially) driven and it is also very personal. I think it is necessary now more than ever to be ‘a voice’ for those who have similar stories to mine in order to give permission for others to share theirs.  I am thankful to be given the platform to be unafraid to tell my story. 

Isis, as featured on the Proud Mexicans site. #WeAreProudMexicans

Voices del Camino: Claiming My Knowledge

On the series: Voices del Camino is our series of stories and reflections from the company, while on tour. El camino, in Spanish, literally means "the road"; but el camino is also the journey that we're on towards witnessing, creating, and sharing the beauty and complexity of humanity, and towards transforming our world through love and movement.

Amherst, MA | Claiming My Knowledge, by Chris Cuenza

Our performance at University of Massachusetts, Amherst was a short but sweet experience.  The actual show went well, and when the floor opened up for questions afterwards, I saw numerous hands instantly shoot up. I could tell that the company members were excited to get the mic and give a little insight into themselves and the work. 

But it wasn’t until I saw the small group of youth being given a short backstage tour by our Tour Manager, Nathan, when I got to engage a little bit more. I happened to be walking around backstage, when Nathan invited me in to talk about about the newest work the company is creating, “joyUS.” The group was a very open-minded and interested in what I was saying, which was really cool. And then, at the end of the tour, as we were all saying goodbye, one young man came up to me and said, “Thank you for the knowledge.” 

Now, people have given me their thanks before, but there was something about this phrase coming out of this young man’s mouth that stuck with me a little different. First and foremost, I didn't finish college, but I am extremely passionate about art, dance and performing arts. I never formally studied dance or hip-hop, I just learned as I progressed in my career. When the young man said, “Thank you for the knowledge,” it made me feel really proud of how far this artist’s path has taken me. 

So, I say to you, my young brotha in the red Jordan long sleeve, “I thank YOU for listening and for being part of my journey.” 

Voices del Camino: When the personal becomes the artistic becomes the personal again...

On the series: Voices del Camino is our series of stories and reflections from the company, while on tour. El camino, in Spanish, literally means "the road"; but el camino is also the journey that we're on towards witnessing, creating, and sharing the beauty and complexity of humanity, and towards transforming our world through love and movement.

Bentonville, AR | When the Personal Becomes the Artistic Becomes the Personal Again..., by Bianca Medina

During our performance at the Art of American Dance festival at the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Arkansas, I had the honor of dancing the character role of Caliban 3. Caliban 3 (one of 4 Calibans in Agua Furiosa) is a militant revolutionary trying to navigate how to fight for justice, but on that path ends up losing control and abusing power. Caliban 3 is originally danced by a male, so as understudy, I had to quickly understand what I was taking on, as a female Caliban 3. Now, this is a whole other blog post in itself, but what it means for Caliban 3 to be a woman, a woman leader, during this country's current state of affairs is something bigger than I can fully express right now. But as an artist, that is something I have to continuously do in each role I perform—truly understand and embody what my statement is on the stage.

My character literally runs herself dead at the end. So, it was a true emotional roller coaster during that experience, to say the least. But that's the beauty of art--it transforms us, personally and collectively.

It's a powerful ride when your artistic life, personal life, and the life of this big world around us come together. And speaking of art bridging life and life bridging art…  

I studied visual art heavily throughout my life, and spent so many years walking through museums, analyzing art and art history. I also studied dance history heavily as a dance major in college, reading lots of books, doing research, and writing papers on the pioneers of dance.

After we performed in Arkansas, we were able to walk through "The Art of American Dance" exhibit. On the walls were paintings, photos, videos, artifacts, set pieces, and costumes worn by some of the most significant pioneers of dance - Katherine Dunham, Martha Graham, and Merce Cunningham. The exhibit also brought up conversations around the political birth of social dance forms like Jazz and Hip Hop, the depiction of cultural & racial inequality in the rise of dance, and how many of the pioneers in Modern dance were women. 

Personally, that exhibit walk-through truly felt like a bridging of my visual art & dance history, years of education in museums, years of study in the books, in the studio, and on the stage - all in one night. It was a beautiful little remembering that my life has always been so interwoven with art. It’s what has kept me going, striving, malleable, discovering, and wanting more out of life.

To be a company member in CONTRA-TIEMPO and to be associated with this exhibit as a live performing dance company representing American Dance in this country right now is an honor. Being a part of this during this specific time where the creation and performance of art is crucial to the connection and social change moving forward in this country, is a mighty grateful, humbly proud, “Ay! Dios mio, pinch me!” moment in my career as a professional dancer.

#ArtTransforms #ArtOfChange #Artivist #DanceYourTruth #AguaFuriosa  

On Mentoring and Being Mentored

On Mentoring and Being Mentored, by Ana María Alvarez

Whenever I'm asked to speak on panels or at conferences, as a “mid-career” or “established” artist and an “expert” in the field, I always get a little tinge of "imposter syndrome'. My father always told me that curiosity about life and a hunger to grow were things that you should never lose as long as you live. I’ve taken that to heart, and so I always feel like there is so much more work to be done, so many more things to learn, so many more ways that I need to grow and expand as an artist and human being. In that way, I still very much feel like I’m at the beginning stages of my career as a choreographer. 

I finally got to meet my mentor, Liz Lerman!! 

That being said, I know there are things that I can share and contribute to help others in their journeys through life, and I know that many younger artists and activists consider me to be a mentor. 

How I reconcile this feeling is that I never show up with an answer. I always show up and simply listen. I listen to what gets another person curious and interested; I focus on being really atuned to what it seems gets them excited. And then I ask questions and respond to what I’m hearing. This practice of listening before contributing has shown up in a lot of areas of my life—with my dancers (during company and individual check ins), in my classes (assessing prior knowledge and finding out what they are excited to get out of the experience), in my marriage (it's a great practice in partnership, though admittedly, some days I do better than others :-)... 

The practice is rooted in and inspired by Liz Lerman's “Critical Response Process” (CRP). CRP is an inquiry-based feedback system that’s been in use for over twenty years, and has been embraced by people in the art field, in science, in education, and beyond. It’s hugely valuable in all kinds of creative endeavors and collaborative relationships for folks of all ages. It’s a critical communication skill.  And Liz Lerman, who I consider to be a true “expert” and established artist has been a huge inspiration and guide for my creative and community engagement throughout my career, being a mentor without us ever having spoken or met (I even give her book Hiking the Horizontal as a gift to friends and colleagues at least a few times every year!!). 

So, imagine my absolute excitement when I was reviewing the schedule for our upcoming tour to Tempe, AZ and heard that Liz Lerman was now teaching at Arizona State University at Tempe! I immediately called our presenter at ASU and asked if it might be possible to set up a time to have a meal or meeting with her. It was a bold move, but I figured it was now or never. I always believe life (the Universe) happens the way you create it and believe it to be, and I've been “creating” for years to meet Liz! Michael, our presenter, said it wouldn’t be a problem, and so on a warm November morning I found myself waiting at a diner to meet this incredible artist and mentor! 

Liz holds my baby boy, Luca. :-)

When she walked in I knew immediately we were going to be friends; she has such a warmth and light surrounding her. We talked and laughed for an hour that passed way too quickly, and at the end of the meeting, when Luca (my baby boy who was 2.5 months old) woke up, she even held and loved on him! 

Liz came to our Agua Furiosa show and offered to connect again. She then gave me the gift of all gifts—she went through the Critical Response Process with me in talking about "Agua Furiosa”! It's been an amazing opportunity for me to see places where I am 'stuck' and get answers to burning questions that I wasn't sure who to ask or how to answer. This whole experience has made me so much more thankful for her Liz and her work, and also so clear that I am a better mentor because of the incredible mentors and powerful leaders (mostly women) that I've had in my life. 

Here’s to continuing to mentor and be mentored! 

Receiving the NEFA National Dance Project Award!

We've been sitting on this tid-bit of info for a few weeks, but now we can finally announce... CONTRA-TIEMPO has received the prestigious New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project grant--for the second year in a row! We are honored to be named alongside a cohort of other extraordinarily brilliant dance companies. This two-year grant will help support development of our next evening-length work, joyUS.joyUS takes on the idea of joy as the ultimate expression of resistance, using social dance forms of people of color in this country as the root.

The work will be developed as part of the Movement to Movements project we're building in South LA with the Community Coalition. We look forward to sharing the JOY with you, as it develops!