Move American
2020 has been a turbulent year. It is also an election year. We have had more time and space than ever to deeply feel the injustice, inequity, and systemic oppression of the infrastructure of the United States. We know artists play vital roles in times like these. Artists testify with embodied stories, compose the art that will present the history often buried and erased, and creatively enact the better world we know is possible. To support the massive mobilization for change in the United States and help sustain the momentum of the movement all the way to the election, DISCO RIOT will present Move American, a 9-week series of short dance films from September 7 – November 2. Each video will feature a different self-directed movement artist from somewhere in the United States, examining or sharing a social justice/political/human rights topic. These dance films are intended to serve as Public Service Announcements of sorts, with a clear action item linked to each film calling on folks to prepare and take action to VOTE.
This project serves several purposes:
– influence voter participation, action and civic engagement in our communities
– a platform to share the stories and the hearts of marginalized voices
– a container for processing thoughts/feelings/experiences in these unprecedented times
– connect the public to thoughtful movement artists committed to affecting change
Join us in promoting the voices and stories of movement artists as we advocate for action, change, and a more equitable America. Videos will be shared here and on our social media platforms (Instagram & Facebook) every Monday between September 7 and November 2.
About the Artists
Angel Acuña is a Brown Queer dance artist from San Diego, now living in Brooklyn where they currently form part of the movement collective FAILSPACE as their marketing director. In their navigation of the American reality as a Brown person, they have gathered social/communal/spiritual/embodied equipment that supplements the alchemic desires of MORE with what is here and not here.
LeilaAwa is a Palestinian American artist; performer, choreographer, teacher and film maker based between Minneapolis, Minnesota and Beirut, Lebanon. Her work emerges from a practice in ‘body watani’ (body-as-homeland), and centers stories of diaspora, refugee, exile and immigration – utilizing the practice and making of art as activism against injustices.
Desiree Cuizon is a Queer, Filipinx-American, Dancer, Artist, Poet, Dance educator, Pilates Instructor, and Student of Physical Therapy. She hopes to create work that empowers folx to advocate up for their rights and others, to be brave, bold and unapologetically you.
Indivisible Nature Collective (Nhu Nguyen, Zack King and collaborators) was born out of the desire for artists to engage in movement practice as research and performance. We value curiosity, boredom, connections, lineages, and responsiveness to each other and to the world around us. Website: incollective.info
Shayla James balances her time as a Music Teaching Artist, researcher, and owner of Sempre Music Studio. She is a San Diego based multi-instrumentalist whose work is rooted in empowerment, community building, and collaboration with others across art forms. Instagram: @shayj1127 @sempremusicstudio / Twitter and Facebook: @shaylaj336
Alyssa Junious is a San Diego based Artist, Educator, and creator of Continuum Arts Collective. She believes art is a form of activism and is a way for us to own our voice and support our community. To learn more visit AlyssaRJunious.com and @continuum.sd
Derion Loman is a movement artist and choreographer based in Los Angeles,CA. His company history includes Ballet Hispanico, Pilobolus Dance Theatre, and Diavolo: Architecture in Motion. IG- @derionloman
Zaquia Mahler Salinas, a native San Diegan, is a performer, dance maker, teacher, and artistic director of DISCO RIOT. Her passion for uplifting dance artists in the San Diego region is the driving force behind her work.
Trystan Merrick – Principal Dancer, choreographer, and teacher has been dedicated to the San Diego dance community for over 12 years. Their art and teaching approach is guided by establishing connections and referencing their experience dancing a wide array of master works and collaborative choreographic projects.
Sarah Navarrete – Originally from El Paso, Texas, Sarah works in a diverse area of mediums including performance, photography and film. Described as a “dancer and photographer, floating skillfully between these worlds” – Austin Chronicle, Sarah’s work explores kinetic narratives through an emotional tone as they relate to identity and the human body.