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