Articles from the ‘Essays’ collection

Liz sits in the sand wearing a blue outfit with her skin painted blue. A desert scene is behind her.

Radical Aesthetics and the Winds of Change

Liz Duran Boubion, director/choreographer of Piñata Dance Collective and director of the Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers in the Bay Area, meditates on how a residency in the Sonoran desert influenced her thoughts on death and political change.

April 10, 2023  |  Read Article

Aiano demonstrates a reach upward and backward with their other hand on their stomach. Students in the mirror behind her watch and follow.

Coming Home

Aiano Nakagawa, a dance artist, educator, facilitator, writer, and event producer in the Bay Area, shares their story confronting and overcoming their body image inner demons.

January 23, 2023  |  Read Article

West walks in a traditional red and black garb carrying a shell above his head. He walks on dirt with a forest in the background. Another dancer is in the background.

From the Village to the World and Back

Nikhita Winkler profiles Vetunjona "West" Uarije, a Namibian dancer and cultural practitioner who shares how dance connects him to his roots to heal a painful past and reintegrate a strong cultural identity.

January 2, 2023  |  Read Article

A clown mask with a headband reading "fraud nation" set among dried grasses.

Pretendians in Dance

Snowflake Arizmendi-Calvert, a performance artist based in the Bay Area, discusses the problem of pretendians (people pretending to be Indians) in dance, and how folks can learn to advocate for Indigenous artists.

December 19, 2022  |  Read Article