By Jos Mckain
Edited by Yu Bai
8. July 2023
In an exhilarating fusion of movement and sound, LatinX transported its audience into a realm where the dogs of war stood sentinel, their presence permeating the space with an electric charge. The atmosphere was laden with an ethereal tension, like lithium in the air, juxtaposed against the ever-present melody of a bird's song, a testament to the resilient spirit that defied the chaos.
Amidst the turmoil, questions of colonization and identity emerged. Liquid snake analogs slithered surreptitiously, a metaphor for covert agendas, while a voice resounded with arrhythmic polyphony, embodying the discord of an ever-changing world. Yet, amidst the chaos, a sense of somatic solidarity emerged, inviting the audience to explore the ties between the North and South hemispheres.
As dancers moved under the weight of tradition, seeking direction in a rapidly evolving world, their feet connected with the ground, each step akin to water rolling off a surface. The groove pulsated from the heart, compelling bodies to jump and sway, an ode to the innate human instinct to find joy amidst adversity. With a swoop, the dancers connected with the earth, the ground meeting them under the pale light's gentle embrace.
The uncanny haunting call of the flute resonated through the performance, a plea to safeguard what is cherished: a call to care, to rise, and to be carried away by the ocean's vastness. The fog machine's mist enshrouded the scene, akin to a modern-day pieta, mourning for what was lost in the ever-present, a solitary figure on the floor.
An undercurrent of political turmoil coursed through the dance, tracing a trajectory from the Cold War to covert actions. A hidden-faced creature emerged, embodying the enigma of power. From the flora, the muses emerged, embodying creativity's resilience. The true puppet master, the DJ, stood revealed, a deity of sound and rhythm.
The dance questioned whether this performance was an act of liberation punctuated by a moment of impending doom. The dancers' bodies lay on the floor, like meat awaiting a transformative ritual. Strobe lights flickered, and the flesh came alive in three dimensions, embodying raw emotion.
Six generations converge at the crossroads of oblivion, their movements akin to water's graceful flow. Within this choreography, the beat persisted, a heartbeat carried on wings, an entity consuming rhythm. As three sections unfolded, a sense of intimacy enveloped the dancers, their bodies swaying to a tender pulse.
In a burst of intensity, a rope and clothesline came into play, a flame and a crane guiding the dancers into a meditative journey. The flames retraced their steps, symbolizing the cyclical nature of existence. The dancers, like the working class, fragmented and reassembled themselves, embodying the resilience of the human spirit.
Through the performance's looking glass, the audience glimpsed their reflections as the familiar Gasolina's intoxicating rhythms filled the air; unity prevailed, transcending individual identities. Limbo's challenge was embraced, beckoning the dancers to push their limits.
LatinX was an ode to the chaos of creation, turmoil, and unity, a political testament to the enduring power of movement to provoke our senses of introspection, unity, and care.
Learn more about Pamela Moraga
Photo credit Alejandro Ramos