In San Diego’s vibrant arts landscape, DISCO RIOT has become more than a dance organization – we’re keepers of something vital. We’re guardians of spaces where movement, creativity, and community converge. Each class, each performance, each shared moment strengthens the foundation of what we’ve carefully built over six years.

We’ve embraced our role as stewards of accessible dance, nurturers of new talent, and champions of safe spaces for artistic expression. What we keep safe isn’t just a physical space – it’s the possibility for artists to take creative risks, for anyone to discover dance, and for our community to grow stronger through movement.

But no keeper stands alone. As we continue to uplift and (re)define what it means to be a team of creative caretakers, curators, and custodians of the DISCO RIOT mission, our strength comes from the community that surrounds us – from people like you who understand that maintaining spaces for artistic expression isn’t just important, it’s essential. As we continue to grow, your support helps ensure that DISCO RIOT remains a catalyst for movement arts in San Diego.

In 2024, through administrative change and unexpected adversity, we learned invaluable lessons. Reflecting together, we celebrate many successes, name the missteps, and know what work lies ahead to continue to deliver programming that answers community need, keeps us moving in the direction of collective leadership, and supports progress in the local arts ecosystem.

Our Goals:

– Continue to develop a shared leadership model that provides opportunities for professional growth and collective accountability. We dream of a model that offers an alternative to traditional power structures, and believe it is a critical component for DISCO RIOT’s sustainability and commitment to our mission.

– Bolster our programs that continuously offer critical resources to independent artists from San Diego and beyond to develop and share meaningful movement-based art.

The Challenges:

– We are still recovering from the sudden and unexpected loss of our performance space at MCASD Downtown. Access to appropriate and affordable performance space has been and continues to be a major challenge not only for DISCO RIOT, but for many arts organizations and independent artists seeking to present dance in our city.

– Shifts in funding priorities from local and state agencies means that we are going into Season 7 underfunded and in critical need of resources to keep our core programs running.

– Developing a sustainable shared leadership structure requires significant operational support. This requires consistent funding for experimentation, properly resourcing staff, and infrastructural development to support this vision.

What You Can Do:

– Donate! We need significant funding that can support skillful and nimble recallibration of our programs and operations as they shift and grow with our organization.

– Engage, participate, and get involved! Come to class, attend events, volunteer, talk with our staff and board about our leadership transition.

– Advocate for and share our work! We cannot do it alone. Your promotion of, and allyship for this mission is essential to our capacity to deliver on our mission.

Join us as Keepers of the Movement. Your support helps sustain the vibrant dance community we’ve built together, ensuring our programs thrive and our mission continues for years to come.

We are currently at $19,100 of our $50,000 goal!

2024 End-of-Season Report

Season 6 was an adventure full of growth opportunities and unexpected challenges. Early on in the season, our newly built performance space at MCASD Downtown was severely impacted by the January flooding, which led to the loss of a home venue for DISCO RIOT and our community partner in the space, Blindspot Collective. We had to pivot quickly and reroute our plans for 2024, while programming was already underway, and amidst significant organizational change. Despite these challenges, we persevered!

Through the dedication and hard work of the DISCO RIOT team and with critical support from DISCO RIOT community, we did a lot. Here’s a recap of 2024:

• We supported the creation and presentation of 52 individual dance/movement-based works by 56 artists and their collaborators over 11 different events in 2024.

• We offered more than 140 donation-based dance classes and workshops with a wide range of excellent local and visiting teaching artists.

• While some programs shifted or changed scope, no programs were canceled due to a lack of space access despite the unexpected loss of of our venue. Critical community partnerships and creative thinking allowed us to make dance happen when our space emergency arose. We got back outside with Choreo & The Big Gay Picnic. Our third Queer Mvmnt Fest included our first cross-border exchange with artists in Tijuana, and a beautiful park-facing showcase of artists at the City Heights Annex. We delivered a powerful second iteration of Move American films through the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture’s inaugural Far South/Border North initiative. We expanded our S P A C E Residencies to include both Pro and Rising cohorts, and piloted our (R)evolution Mentorship program.

• We received funding from California Arts Council, San Diego County Supervisors Office, the Clare Rose Foundation, the Human Dignity Foundation, and the Prebys Foundation that will support us in deepening our programming next season.

• We began and continue to strategize a shared leadership approach that centers staff and board collaboration, as well as succession planning for founding members.

We appreciate your support and want to show you some love. Contribute and get some sweet perks!

Friends of DISCO RIOT: $100+

• • You or your business name on our website acknowledgement list

Admirers of the Revolutionary Groove: $250+

• • 2 VIP Tickets for a DISCO RIOT event in 2025
  • Special Edition DISCO RIOT tee
  • You or your business name on our website acknowledgement list

Supporters of the Glitter Hustle: $500+

• • 4 VIP Tickets for a DISCO RIOT event in 2025
  • Special Edition DISCO RIOT tee
  • You or your business name on our website acknowledgement list

Advocates of Righteous Movement: $1000+

• • VIP Tickets for the 2025 Season for 2
  • Special Edition DISCO RIOT tee
  • You or your business name on our website acknowledgement list

Coconspirators of the Cosmic Revolution: $5000+

• • VIP Tickets for the 2025 Season for 4
  • Special Edition DISCO RIOT tee
  • You or your business name on our website acknowledgement list

THANK YOU

We want to give a big shoutout to all of the artists and their collaborators who created with DISCO RIOT this year. It is always an honor to share in your process and have the privilege to showcase your work!

2024 Artists: Victor De La Fuente, Greta Nuñez, Cecily Holcombe, Tina Carreras, Juliette Trout, Odessa Uno, Megan Curet, Leo A. Huerta, Martin Dorado, Adam Shay, Alyah Baker, Ameila Rose Estrada, Gabriel Mata, Amber St. James and The Haus of St. James, Annalise Carrillo Constantz, Melí Gómez, Christina Madueno, Era James Molina, Esteban Rosales, Avery Polster, Lavina Rich, Rebecca Lee, Sam Arrow, Shannon Yu, Teatro en el Incendio, Lea Anderson & Tasou Palisidou, Hellen Hernández, Jasmin Hagendorfer, Giannakopoulos Efstathios, Douglas Picelli, Riy Mutakabbir, Julien Cadieux, Domiziano Cristopharo, Rowan Janusiak & Arianna Stadler, Edrian Pangilinan, Alyssa Rose, Alejandro Bastien-Olvera, Alyah Baker, Anacristina Ramirez, Era James Molina, Jade Prime, Riy Mutakabbir, ConnectArte, Samantha Marcial, Odessa Uno, Aisha Reddick, Briele Mehlan, Gio Francisco, Jenna Wu-Cardona, Em Sutherland, Karina Wilson, Patrick Li, Marcella Torres-Sànchez, Blindspot Collective, FILAM FILM CO.

We are also very fortunate to have had some amazing partners and coconspirators in 2024! Shout out to Blindspot Collective, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, BalletCenter Studios, Culture Shock Dance, Monarch School, Teatro en el Incendio, ConnectArte, Art Power Equity, Malashock Dance, SWISH Projects, The Big Gay Picnic, and Mingei International Museum.

Our Board of Directors, Grant Committee, all of the DISCO RIOT staff, and volunteers deserve a huge thank you for their work in supporting the mission and work of this organization. The success of every program we activate is interconnected, and made possible by their work.

Board of Directors: Zaquia Mahler Salinas, Erika Wexler, Zach Leffers, Joyce Lien Kushner, Jennifer Samore, Lavina Rich, and Jane Blount

DISCO RIOT Staff: Aisha Reddick, Lauren Christie, Martin Dorado, Odessa Uno, Chelsea Zeffiro, Desiree Cuizon, Trystan Merrick, Frankie Simone, Taylor Olson, Alyssa Rose Soderberg, Nicole Oga, and Zaquia Mahler Salinas

Grant Committee: Elva Salinas, Anna Rogers, Jane Blount, Zaquia Mahler Salinas and Martin Dorado

Lead Volunteer: Tina Carreras

Dance. Art. (R)evolution.

OUR MISSION IS TO GROW SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND CONNECTION THROUGH COLLABORATIVE, THOUGHT-PROVOKING MOVEMENT-BASED ARTS IN SAN DIEGO.