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FRONTERA | BORDER – A LIVING MONUMENT

AMANDA PIÑA (MEXICO/CHILE)

A note from the artist

‘Frontera | Border – a Living Monument’ has its roots in a dance that emerged from the neighbourhood of El Ejido Veinte of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on the border between Mexico and the United States. It is performed by young people at risk from the extremely violent environment associated with this liminal space, a place where drug trafficking, militarisation and an industry around cheap labour prosper.

This dance was originally devised by the Spanish and depicts the Christian victory over the Moors. During Latin America’s colonisation it became a racist propaganda tool. The difference between white and non-white was then exported, with indigenous people forced to personify the “Moor” and the Christian representing Spain. The dance continued to evolve and became seen as a form of resistance to colonial and, later, neoliberal forces. By exploring a choreography of borders in which hip-hop culture, colonial tales, native practices, and mysticism intertwine, the work reminds us that the border is not only a place but is also inscribed in the bodies, contributing to their process of racialisation. Thus, the bodies themselves carry these frontiers with them – some more than others.

Amanda Piña

 

Frontera | Border Team

Artistic Direction & Choreography: Amanda Piña

Art Design: Michel Jimenez

Choreography & Transmission danza de Matamoros: Rodrigo de la Torre Coronado

Research: Juan Carlos Palma Velasco, Amanda Piña

Performance: Matteo Marziano Graziano, Daphna Horenczyk, Dafne del Carmen Moreno, Juan Carlos Palma Velasco, Rodrigo de la Torre Coronado, Lina María Venegas, Mariê Mazer, Carlos María Romero “Atabey Mamasita”, Jorgue luis Cruz Carrera

Music & Composition: Christian Müller

Live Percussion: Jorge luis Cruz Carrera

Technical Support: Catalina Fernandez

QLab Operator: Leszek Stryla

Research / Theory /Dramaturgy: Nicole Haitzinger

Costume: La mata del veinte / Julia Trybula

Production: nadaproductions

Management & Distribution: Something Great

Administration: Angela Vadori Smart.at

Senior Adviser: Marie–Christine Barrata Dragono

Danza y Frontera (Tanz und Grenze) is produced by nadaproductions, co-produced by Kunstenfestival des Arts, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Arts Finland and Asphalt Festival Düsseldorf, and is funded by the City of Vienna (Kulturabteilung der Stadt Wien).

Development of ‘Frontera | Border – A Living Monument’ supported by: The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Embassy of Mexico in Austria; the National School of Folkloric Dance of México; INBA, National Institute of Fine Arts México.

 

Transform Team

Creative Director: Amy Letman

Producer: Ali Ford

Producer (Creative People): Lily Lavorato

Assistant Producer: Jay Millard

Trainee Producer: Patrick McGeady

Company Administrator: Rosie Hay

Production Manager: Hannah Blamire

Project Manager: Tshayi Hercules

Marketing & Communications: Jack Lynch & Suzanne Wynne

Press: Bread and Butter PR

Design: Rabbit Hole

 

AMANDA PIÑA BIOGRAPHY

Amanda Piña is a Mexican-Chilean-Austrian artist. Her work is concerned with the decolonisation of art, focusing on the political and social power of movement. Since 2014, she has been developing her long-term project “Endangered Human Movements”, concerned with the re appearance of ancestral forms of movements and cultural practices. As part of this project, she has developed a series of performances, installations, workshops, lectures, films, and publications.

Instagram: @nadaproductions

 

TRANSFORM BIOGRAPHY

Transform is an engine room for powerful performance. We create exhilarating international festivals and work year-round to catalyse future-gazing artists and creatives to reimagine what theatre can be. Presented as an extended festival from Autumn 2021 to Spring 2022, Transform 21-22 will invite audiences from across Leeds and beyond to connect with bold, brave, vivid and socially-conscious performance by powerful artists from across the globe.

www.transformfestival.org
Twitter: @transform_leeds
Instagram: @transform_leeds
Facebook: Facebook/transformleeds