Meet Primera Generación Dance Collective: Dance Collective

We had the good fortune of connecting with Primera Generación Dance Collective and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Primera Generación Dance Collective, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?

The most important factor behind our success as a non- hierarchical collaborative collective is trusting that each one of us brings value, work ethic, rigor, experience, knowledge, and authentic desire to create opportunities for the next generation. When we began our journey together, we were always transparent as a collective in wanting to be intentional in creating dance works that represent those who are marginalized, and in building honest collaborative relationships with individuals who have the same goals as we did. We are advocates in highlighting the various stories and social forms that we stem from in order to build intentional relationships within various communities.

Our “success” pushes us to continue innovating in order to adhere to the times and to create critical and communal dialogue with familia, amigxs and allies. Therefore we want to create spaces and works that speak to our LatinX communities.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The way that Primera Generacion Dance Collective (PGDC) came to be was by mere coincidence. Having had the opportunity to meet at the University of California, Riverside where our research aligned, supported, and put themes of Mexicandid at the forefront by using dance as a vehicle of protest. We entered a collaboration process that invited the idea of desmadre (messiness) to ignite the choreographic process of developing multiple works that represented the communities that we belonged to. Being that we are four separate artists that have had their own experiences being first generation Mexican American, we work in a non-hierarchical collaborative framework that places each member as a director, collaborator, mover, curator, and family member. Somos una familia that continues to be malleable through the means of art-making so that we may adhere to the necessities to those in need. As professionals in the field, there is intention to continue showcasing how art-marking is necessary to LatinX communities by continuing to expose, produce, and co-create transnational cross-collaboratory networks for generations to come.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Being that there are four of us, a date with either one of us would be a completely different experience .. pero juntos aver …

If you were up for it, Rosita and Fonzy (Alfonso) would take you out for a morning run followed by a yoga -pilates series. Afterwards, we would drive to meet up with Patricia and Irvin at Urth Cafe para chismear followed by a walk at either the Arts District, Placita Olvera, Echo Park, and possibly the callejones to check out the ambiente. There would of course be many pit stops to grab yummy comida such as Cafe Gratitude, Perch if you feel a little fancy, or también unos taquitos from Guisados. The opportunity to have food, or drinks, with us is endless and you can pick con quieres ir especially since some of us in the group are vegan and pescatarian. Después, perhaps a stroll on Venice beach to relax and reconnect with the ocean and breeze to let the food settle. We would end the night together with puro pari at the LatinX LGBTQ clubs con your boys Fonzy y Irvin, at a banda norteño club con Rosita, and lastly con Patricia at Cana Rum to dance some cumbias, merengues, salsa y mas.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As a collective of four, our mission, values, and approaches in creating work is greatly driven by the brown, working-class bodies that make up the communities that we stem from. Our intention in creating an archive of work that embodies a multidimensional Latinidad across borders, is influential in how we demonstrate the injustices, strife, and joy of the communities that continue to motivate us to create performances. From the farm workers who risk their lives daily to immigrant families separated and detained at the border, the visibilization of their stories remains at the forefront of our work. At the same time, our work is also influenced by the QTBIPOC artists/artivistas who inspire a new generation of art: Mujeres en Resistencia, Dancing Diaspora, Bernard Brown, Contratiempo, Pavel Acevedo, Aisha Stewart & Stephen Tanner, Justin Morris, Pilar Melero, and many more.

Website: https://acerv002.wixsite.com/alfonsocerveradance/just-a-moment

Instagram: @primerageneraciondancecolletive

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/primerageneraciondance/

Image Credits
Nhu Nguyễn Gabriel Gonzalez Bobby Gordan