I am an artist-researcher working on the refinement of my language. As a Mexican choreographer, the search for harmony has been intuitively present for a long time in my personal and artistic life, however, there was a gap between my rational and spiritual motivations and the understanding of its origin, as well as the intuitive understanding of space that guided my creative work.
As most of the kids, everything started with the pleasure I found in movement. I seek the experience of harmony and beauty in life, I love the colors of the sunrise or the gamma of greens you can see during the summer, the smell and sound of those moments made me reconnect with and recognize myself as part of everything. It remembers me that I am part of something bigger.
Besides nature, I am also passionate about science, especially for that one that studies all that we cannot see but is there, Physics. I constantly try to understand the relationship between nature and all of us that coexist in this space and time.
I was born and raised in Mexico, in an intense period of socio-political and economical change, I have experienced chaos. I am deeply concerned about the fact that the last generation didn’t have the chance to experience life without the fear of death, absorbed by the negativity of the media and so much disconnected from themselves.
I can sadly see all over the world so much violence and no empathy, we are disconnected from our humanity. I feel so moved and, in the need, to create an artistic situation where audiences can experience harmony and beauty… I would love to be able to help people connect with themselves by stimulating their sensitivity. I am not interested in giving focus to social-political-economic aspects, but to explore universal concepts with fantasy. My interest is in the experience.
The spatial tools and references provided by the Cuban Ballet Method clicked with my way of understanding the relationships between me and the context I was in, the first level of awareness. Later, during my formation as a contemporary dancer, I got introduced to other approaches and methods also based on the conscious exploration of space, aka Laban's kinesphere, counterpoints of Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, movement generation tools of Wayne McGregor, among others.
Through time and practical experience, I came to develop my own tools and the integration of visual metaphors and gestures to create movement material. However, the motivation and intuitive processes that led me to make specific choreographic choices continued to be a mystery.
I surrendered to what my body and intuition knew, and I reconnected, re-discovered with my ancient Mexican roots: a very scientific, naturalistic, and understanding of the universe based on the understanding of harmony as the balance between opposites. The duality of the universe.
I work in an abstract and physically universal way, where intangible subjects as harmony and love manifest using contrast and spatial oppositions.
I felt the urge to explore meticulously what harmony represents in my work, embrace my natural visual and spatial tendency to understand the universe and create methods that enrich my creative process and my artistic products.
The potential knowledge outcome unfolds in two levels, the first one relates to a theoretical-philosophical discovery and a deeper understanding of:
1- How exactly do I understand the term harmony, its characteristics and how could it manifest in my artistic work?
And the second level:
2- How could I embody the concept harmony in my practice and the development of a toolbox?
Cycle 1 was an insightful failure that helped me identify and reconnect with my roots. With the intention of discovering new ways to approach the generation of movement, I engaged in a somatic exploration. I gained knowledge and awareness but while evaluating the results in practice, it didn't satisfy my aesthetic preferences.
How did I stop theory from overwhelming my artistic production? I repurposed the insights and realizations of the first cycle by postponing my rational need to conclusion, and surrendering to the call of intuition in Cycle 2.
The essence of the research can be found in Cycle 2. There the research developed in two main sections. The first section describes the way I approach the concept of harmony and the second about how I embody the concept of harmony and create a toolbox for the generation of movement material.
I invite you to join me in this journey of discovery and affirmation.
Where do you want to go?
It is not necessary to go through the first cycle, but you can take a look into my insightful failure in Cycle 1 if you are curious, or you can go directly to the content of my research developed in Cycle 2.
CYCLE 2 (Body of the research)
Reconnecting with my roots: a visual approach to harmony