As the daughter of two unions organizers, being a defender of social change is in the blood of Ana María Alvarez. “I was very clear just about my life that dance is not only something I do, but something that has the capacity to move the world and to be transformational,” describes the American Cuban dancer and founding artistic director of Reverse in Los Angeles.
After receiving his diplomas in dance and politics from Oberlin College, Alvarez started working at the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, in their Life Lines community art project. “I think work has really solidified the power of dance to me and what it can do,” explains Alvarez, who is also a member of the Party Functional In the Dance Department of the University of California, San Diego. Now, Contra -iempo inspires the next generation of “artivists” through his Futuro Summer Intensive Dance In Los Angeles, from August 12 to 21 (registration ends on July 22).
Under the theme “None We are free until all We are free ”, Futuro will organize technique lessons in Salsa, Hip Hop, House, Afro-Cuban, etc.
We Discussed with Alvarez from what participants can earn from Futuro.
For whom is Futuro and what distinguishes him from other dance intensions there?
We describe it as a 10 -day transformational experience for anyone interested in dance as a physical practice and making social changes with their work. The artists who are determined to see the world are a different place from that currently. As a business, Contra-Tiempo is deeply integrated into the community, the education of dance and the concert scene; These things are all deeply in conversation with each other, and the Futuro program really reflects this. We devote part of each day to what we call “art as social action”, thinking of the microphone and the macro; You yourself as a starting point for your activist work, and when this self-realization mode is solid, it allows you to contribute to the world.
The artists really come to us (from all walks of life). We have students in high school and colleges, graduates, professional dancers and those who work in other sectors such as community organization, city work and non -profit organizations. It is not only focused on the way of being a dance practitioner, but how can you really be a whole human being as an artist and how can we collectively collect this idea that art has the capacity to transform the world as we know it.
What is the level of training and experience necessary to participate in Futuro technique lessons?
The beauty of the program is that we execute two tracks simultaneously. We usually have around 45 to 50 participants each year. There are lessons that we do collectively, like the Rueda de Casino, a Cuban Salsa style that is made in a circle and which has changed partner. But then we separated for many other techniques classes (which are divided) in professional and beginners tracks. Every day, we display the lessons that are taught and you can choose the track you want to do. You can bounce back according to your own desire and the difficulty of pushing you.
Can you talk more about ancestral movement practices and the methodology of art-social action?
Our framework in dance teaching consists in considering them as “ancestral technologies”, as I like to call them. When you think of technology, this is something that was created by human beings to solve problems. When I think of dance, music and art, I think of the ways they have been designed by human beings to give meaning to the world, overcome obstacles and find deep ties and a meaning in our lives. These ancestral technologies are all the things we teach – salsa, afro -cuban, hip hop. We also teach somatic movement practices to deepen the body as a physical practice, looking at the body as a location of social change and activating meaning.
“Art as a social action” has different different approaches – there is Augusto Boal Theater of oppressed and the Sphere theaterby Luis Valdez. These are lines that we share in the program. We teach the intersectionality and liberation frameworks as a way for people to have a more in -depth understanding of the tools they already have and the practices they can acquire to build a more liberated future for all of us.
There is also a future artivist in terms of leadership which takes place in parallel with Futuro. What can dance educators in this program be won?
The Artivist Leadership Institute is not a program that we have run from Covid, but it is something that we are looking forward to trying to restart. It focuses more on the activist part of what we do, almost taking the art-action aspect of the Futuro study program and having a deepening of the experience of two to three days. The way we think about it is a training field for people who (want) to engage in these themes in their classes. That said, at the moment, the Futuro Summer Dance Gensived is always the best place to do it even if you are an educator or someone who works with youth. Futuro will give you all experience in addition to physical practice. I hope that in 2025, we will be able to bring back the Artivist leadership institute (redrawn).
What is the sponsor a student initiative?
Futuro often has subsidy financing, but this year we have no complete sponsor as we have in the past. Usually, around 75% of our students are on a kind of scholarship. We therefore ask our community and anyone who believes in this work to do our website. You can sponsor an individual student ($ 1,000) (or give another amount). Currently, all donations from our website go to scholarships for Futuro.
