ART (Above): An Invocation of Indigenous Joy by Rodrigo Esteva (Nuu Savi/Mexico) and Mirah Moriarty (Irish/ Slovak traveler)
THE WALL BETWEEN US: Re-imagining Borders (2023-present)
Conception: Rodrigo Esteva and Mirah Moriarty
DANCE MONKS invites people worldwide with powerful imaginations to join us every year on January 28 at 7:30am CST to re-imagine borders and plant seeds of possibility.
The event's timing is in memory of Carmelita Torres who, on January 28, 1917, at only 17 years old led a demonstration in refusal to be deloused with chemicals before crossing the border to work from Ciudad Juarez to El Paso, Texas. This routine and dehumanizing practice when crossing the border began for Mexicans in 1917 and did not end until 1964. (See links below for more on this rarely told history.) Carmelita laid down with thousands of others on the international bridge separating the US and Mexico (at that time) stopping the traffic for two days. During the demonstration, Carmelita disappeared and was never found again. This project brings attention to the painful division that is embedded at borders towards a reimagined future. It is also in solidarity with the 50 women who braided their hair together in unity along the US-Mexico Border in 2017 in response to US family separation policies.
PUBLIC CALL FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY ART
THE WALL BETWEEN US: Re-imagining Borders Score
1. Breathe. Center yourself. Light a candle.
2. Find an image of the international border nearest you. Make art in response to the question: What you would like to see happen at the border in service of intercultural healing and/or exchange? Consider a child's perspective as you make a collage, painting, dance, event, or poetry in service of future generations.
3. Send your artwork, name, and a short bio of who you are to us at dancemonks@dancemonks.com
We will choose art as part of an international online gallery.
Photo (above): 50 women from Texas and Mexico gathered at the international pedestrian bridge that connects El Paso and Juarez. By braiding their hair together, they made a statement that the fates of the United States and Mexico are inextricably linked. Women of the Boundless Across Borders organization braided their hair during a binational protest called Braiding Borders on Jan. 20, 2017. (Photo: Jose Luis Gonzalez)