December 3, 2015
The Politics of Performance: Fiesta, Dance, Creative Publics
12.03.2015| 5:00 – 6:30 PM | 691 Barrows Hall
Devil Moves: The figure of the devil in popular fiestas and carnivals of the Americas
Prof. Angela Marino, Theater, Dance Performance Studies
The devil figure in fiestas and carnivals is one of the most beloved across the hemisphere. It shows up as vejigantes, cojuelos, jab jabs, and diablitos to name a few. By tracing these multiple devil figures in fiestas, religious manifestations and carnivals, they also tell a story of political organization and territorial claims. This talk will present a site and book project on Festive Devils of the Americas, to discuss how these important figures of the fiesta leave a trail of material and embodied evidence of the persecution of that which was named pagan, and also a practice of reintegration and historical continuity across national boundaries.
La Expresión de un Sentimiento: Mexican Dance for Transnational Publics
The devil figure in fiestas and carnivals is one of the most beloved across the hemisphere. It shows up as vejigantes, cojuelos, jab jabs, and diablitos to name a few. By tracing these multiple devil figures in fiestas, religious manifestations and carnivals, they also tell a story of political organization and territorial claims. This talk will present a site and book project on Festive Devils of the Americas, to discuss how these important figures of the fiesta leave a trail of material and embodied evidence of the persecution of that which was named pagan, and also a practice of reintegration and historical continuity across national boundaries.
La Expresión de un Sentimiento: Mexican Dance for Transnational Publics
Prof. Olga Najera-Ramirez, UC Santa Cruz
This paper draws upon my larger research project on Mexican folkórico dance as a cultural expression, one that merits research as a cultural movement sustaining and creating cultural vibrancy in communities in Mexico and the United States. In this presentation, I focus on distinguished artist, Rafael Zamarripa Castañeda, who has had an extraordinary impact on the transnational development of folkórico dance. Zamarripa is a central innovator in the field. He recognized that beyond being a traditional form of expression that should be preserved, folkórico is a very live and generative art form that builds community and connection to cultural heritage. Based on original research, I offer an intimate portrayal of Zamarripa as a multidisciplinary artist (theater, dance, visual arts) and visionary leader committed to humanizing society through the arts and highlight his significant contributions to the widespread growth of Mexican folkórico dance.
This paper draws upon my larger research project on Mexican folkórico dance as a cultural expression, one that merits research as a cultural movement sustaining and creating cultural vibrancy in communities in Mexico and the United States. In this presentation, I focus on distinguished artist, Rafael Zamarripa Castañeda, who has had an extraordinary impact on the transnational development of folkórico dance. Zamarripa is a central innovator in the field. He recognized that beyond being a traditional form of expression that should be preserved, folkórico is a very live and generative art form that builds community and connection to cultural heritage. Based on original research, I offer an intimate portrayal of Zamarripa as a multidisciplinary artist (theater, dance, visual arts) and visionary leader committed to humanizing society through the arts and highlight his significant contributions to the widespread growth of Mexican folkórico dance.