Artist Statement
As a dance maker, my inherent desire to create is rooted in instinct and survival as I attempt to problem solve by chiseling away at ideas and images that interest me. I choose compositional forms to help sculpt my vision. The content and form that is developed during rehearsal is based on the theme of the project and varies from piece to piece. I tend to experiment with different genres, which have included collaborative dance explorations in the field of Theatre, Voice/Music,Film/Video, and Art/Drawing. In addition to the creative play between artistic mediums, my work typically revolves around feminist themes while accessing my ethnic and cultural roots as a Mexican/American citizen to inspire movement material. Conceptually and thematically, I focus on the deconstruction and abstraction of social and political issues through the development of highly physical and idiosyncratic movement material. My work addresses different states and stages of the human condition, specifically narrowing in on gender and race, as well as environmental issues. I aim to highlight and/or amplify particular ideas by drawing out specific qualities in my performers in hopes to initiate a dialogue. Compositionally, I do this by placing certain qualities or qualitative sections side by side in a linear or abstract, collage-like format in order to analyze the differences and similarities. During the rehearsal process, I intertwine theatrical, gestural, and highly physical elements within a structured improvisational setting, while working collaboratively with my dancers to generate more content.
As a storyteller, I see dance more as a thread that interweaves narratives, scenarios, and plots rather than it being the main objective or sole attraction. I am interested in storytelling more than dance for dance sake.
As an artist, I believe that I have a responsibility to use my voice, ask questions and demonstrate different perspectives. Drawn to topics that I struggle with, such as sexism, racism, or climate change, I intuitively attempt to problem solve and assimilate my thoughts in order to have a voice in the conversation. To me, that is the purpose behind the creation of new work. I enjoy pushing the envelope and have come to realize that I feel most alive and engaged when instigating a dialogue, whether that be through dance-making, discussion, improvisation, or education. I believe that art making is most interesting and worthwhile when it seeps into my personal belief system in order to create a sense of growth.
