San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
DISCO RIOT’S ‘MOVE AMERICAN’ HAS A MESSAGE: VOTE
In an election year plagued by a cacophony of accusations and explanations, Disco Riot, a nonprofit that supports the dance community, is offering a creative, but nonverbal, public service announcement.
To emphasize the importance of voting, the organization has gathered civic-minded movement artists to participate in nine weeks of online dance videos. Titled “Move American,” the series begins Monday and continues on Mondays through Nov. 2.
“One of the ways we get to exercise our voice in this country is through voting, and we really wanted to do our part — to create art that inspires people,” says Zaquia Mahler Salinas, Disco Riot’s artistic director.
“It’s important to communicate this year, especially with all the challenges of mail-in voting and how voting will happen in the time of a pandemic,” she says. “What we want to convey with this project is that we all have issues that concern us about the state of the country, whether you are experiencing extreme challenges due to COVID-19, or whether you are involved in the Black Lives Matter movement or concerned about education.”
“Move American” includes works by nine choreographers who are committed to inspiring change. Salinas, for instance, has created a dance centered on the idea of detention. “The concept relates to liberty and justice in
America,” Salinas says. “It explores the detention of children who misbehave, the incarceration of adults and the detention of immigrants.”
Salinas is collaborating with violinist Shayla James, who will accompany Salinas by performing the classic Mexican song “Cielito Lindo,” with a bittersweet lyric that translates to “sing, don’t cry.”
“There’s this sense of keeping positive,” Salinas explains. “And there is something interesting in the juxtaposition of the piece in regards to the tension and the pursuit of freedom, justice and liberty that so many are experiencing now — whether it is coming to or living in America.”
James also has composed a song to accompany Oceansidebased dancer Alyssa Junas, who has created a work that brings awareness to the vulnerability of Black women exposed to sexism and classism.
San Diego classical dancer and instructor Trystan Merrick, dressed in colors of red, white and blue, offers a satirical dance that has him mischievously terrorizing a neighborhood to the music of “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy.” The theme of his work, he says, asks the question, “What, (not who), are you voting for?”
Palestinian American artist Leila Awadallah is a choreographer who spends her time between Minneapolis and Beirut. Her video evokes the rage of Palestinians and Black lives under attack, and she imagines a response that encompasses dancing, laughter, rage and breathing life into the rawness.
Participating artists also include former San Diegan Angel Acuña, now based in New York City; San Diego’s Desiree Cuizon; the choreographic team of Nhu Nguyen and Zack King in collaboration with Los Angelesbased Derion Loman (“World of Dance”) and Texan Sarah Annie Navarrete.
Dance is an art form that offers a wide range of expression, capable of connecting us with what moves us as individuals. Salinas says she wanted to choose dancers who have a common interest in activism and who are committed to using dance as a tool for storytelling and creating change.
“It’s a hard time for a lot of artists who are struggling to make ends meet, and I wanted to offer a platform for artists with similar interests to come together,” she says.
“Everyone is making their own work and in charge of figuring out what they want to communicate and what their message is — and everyone agreed that it was a good opportunity to do the work we care about and want to be doing at this time.”
To watch “Move American,” go to discoriot.org/move-american/