CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater | joyUS justUS

joyUS justUS is an evening length participatory Activist Dance Theater experience that takes on joy as the ultimate expression of resistance. Whenever humans have survived immense hardship and injustice, prevailing with their humanity intact, the presence of joy­­ or, the knowingness and celebration of our true beauty and power has always been at the root. joyUS justUS reclaims the dominant deficit ­based narrative of people of color in this country as being underprivileged, voiceless, powerless, and victimized, and flips it on its head by embodying stories of joy collected from communities of color in South Los Angeles.

Conceived and directed by Ana Maria Alvarez the piece includes choreography by Alvarez and each company member who contributed their unique ideas and richly diverse movement styles, music by Las Cafeteras, whose powerful East L.A. sound and socio-political message closely compliment our own, d. Sabela grimes, whose soundprints were the heartbeat of Agua Furiosa, Charlese Antoinette, whose costumes help our dancers radiate joy and power, Emily Orling whose altar quilts create a beautifully sacred visual environment and Tuce Yasak, whose technical direction has literally brought light to so many of our stages.
 

ArtPower and the Basic Needs Center are teaming up to host a Personal Hygiene Drive at upcoming ArtPower events in support of Hunger & Houselessness Awareness Week (Nov. 18–22). ⁠

Bring a personal hygiene product to donate at these shows at the Basic Needs table. Each donation gives you a chance to win tickets to future ArtPower events and other exciting prizes—and the more you donate, the better your chances.⁠

Personal Hygiene Product List: Toilet tissue, laundry pods, dish soap, pocket tissue, bar soap, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, deodorant, infant formula, diapers (any size)

 

CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater | joyUS justUS

joyUS justUS is an evening length participatory Activist Dance Theater experience that takes on joy as the ultimate expression of resistance. Whenever humans have survived immense hardship and injustice, prevailing with their humanity intact, the presence of joy­­ or, the knowingness and celebration of our true beauty and power has always been at the root. joyUS justUS reclaims the dominant deficit ­based narrative of people of color in this country as being underprivileged, voiceless, powerless, and victimized, and flips it on its head by embodying stories of joy collected from communities of color in South Los Angeles.

Conceived and directed by Ana Maria Alvarez the piece includes choreography by Alvarez and each company member who contributed their unique ideas and richly diverse movement styles, music by Las Cafeteras, whose powerful East L.A. sound and socio-political message closely compliment our own, d. Sabela grimes, whose soundprints were the heartbeat of Agua Furiosa, Charlese Antoinette, whose costumes help our dancers radiate joy and power, Emily Orling whose altar quilts create a beautifully sacred visual environment and Tuce Yasak, whose technical direction has literally brought light to so many of our stages.
ArtPower and the Basic Needs Center are teaming up to host a Personal Hygiene Drive at upcoming ArtPower events in support of Hunger & Houselessness Awareness Week (Nov. 18–22). ⁠

Bring a personal hygiene product to donate at these shows at the Basic Needs table. Each donation gives you a chance to win tickets to future ArtPower events and other exciting prizes—and the more you donate, the better your chances.⁠

Personal Hygiene Product List: Toilet tissue, laundry pods, dish soap, pocket tissue, bar soap, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, deodorant, infant formula, diapers (any size)

 

Connection Jam

with Paulo AKA Mestre Batuta (Afro-Brasilian Martial Art/Capoeira)

Description: started in Spring 2023 and has since become a weekly practice space where students, staff, faculty and community members gather to move our bodies in community, practice joy and connect through dance, music and play. This is a judgement free, brave space. No dance experience needed, all are welcome. Come ready to move, sweat and connect! FREE, no RSVP needed, just show up!
Schedule
Oct 30- Ana Maria  (Rueda de Casino) – Epstein Family Amphitheater
Nov 6 – Michelle (Filipino Folk Dance) – Epstein Family Amphitheater
Nov 13 – dr. grace & Dyno (hip-hop & breakin’)- Epstein Family Amphitheater
Nov 20- Paulo AKA Mestre Batuta (Afro-Brasilian Martial Art/Capoeira) -Epstein Family Amphitheater

Connection Jam

with dr. grace & Dyno (hip-hop & breakin’)

Description: started in Spring 2023 and has since become a weekly practice space where students, staff, faculty and community members gather to move our bodies in community, practice joy and connect through dance, music and play. This is a judgement free, brave space. No dance experience needed, all are welcome. Come ready to move, sweat and connect! FREE, no RSVP needed, just show up!
Schedule
Oct 30- Ana Maria  (Rueda de Casino) – Epstein Family Amphitheater
Nov 6 – Michelle (Filipino Folk Dance) – Epstein Family Amphitheater
Nov 13 – dr. grace & Dyno (hip-hop & breakin’)- Epstein Family Amphitheater
Nov 20- Paulo AKA Mestre Batuta (Afro-Brasilian Martial Art/Capoeira) -Epstein Family Amphitheater

Connection Jam

with Michelle (Filipino Folk Dance)

Description: started in Spring 2023 and has since become a weekly practice space where students, staff, faculty and community members gather to move our bodies in community, practice joy and connect through dance, music and play. This is a judgement free, brave space. No dance experience needed, all are welcome. Come ready to move, sweat and connect! FREE, no RSVP needed, just show up!
Schedule
Oct 30- Ana Maria  (Rueda de Casino) – Epstein Family Amphitheater
Nov 6 – Michelle (Filipino Folk Dance) – Epstein Family Amphitheater
Nov 13 – dr. grace & Dyno (hip-hop & breakin’)- Epstein Family Amphitheater
Nov 20- Paulo AKA Mestre Batuta (Afro-Brasilian Martial Art/Capoeira) -Epstein Family Amphitheater

Malpaso Dance Company

Since its appearance at ArtPower in 2017, the “elegant and bold, inventive and joyful.” (Times Union) Malpaso Dance Company has become one of the most sought after Cuban dance companies with a growing international profile. Emphasizing a collaborative creative process, Malpaso is committed to working with top international choreographers while also nurturing new voices in Cuban choreography.

Trinity Irish Dance Company

Under the lead of Mark Howard, founding artistic director/choreographer—and recent inductee into the 2023 Irish American Hall of Fame—Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC) makes its debut at ArtPower just in time to welcome St. Patrick’s Day! TIDC has significantly changed the direction and scope of Irish dance, re-introducing the art form as the phenomenon it is today. This uniquely Irish-American company was the birthplace of progressive Irish dance, an innovative movement genre which “ushered in a new era for Irish step dance” (Chicago Tribune), opening new avenues of artistic freedom that led directly to commercial productions such as “Riverdance.” 

CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater | joyUS justUS

joyUS justUS is an evening length participatory Activist Dance Theater experience that takes on joy as the ultimate expression of resistance. Whenever humans have survived immense hardship and injustice, prevailing with their humanity intact, the presence of joy­­ or, the knowingness and celebration of our true beauty and power has always been at the root. joyUS justUS reclaims the dominant deficit ­based narrative of people of color in this country as being underprivileged, voiceless, powerless, and victimized, and flips it on its head by embodying stories of joy collected from communities of color in South Los Angeles.

Conceived and directed by Ana Maria Alvarez the piece includes choreography by Alvarez and each company member who contributed their unique ideas and richly diverse movement styles, music by Las Cafeteras, whose powerful East L.A. sound and socio-political message closely compliment our own, d. Sabela grimes, whose soundprints were the heartbeat of Agua Furiosa, Charlese Antoinette, whose costumes help our dancers radiate joy and power, Emily Orling whose altar quilts create a beautifully sacred visual environment and Tuce Yasak, whose technical direction has literally brought light to so many of our stages.

 

ArtPower and the Basic Needs Center are teaming up to host a Personal Hygiene Drive at upcoming ArtPower events in support of Hunger & Houselessness Awareness Week (Nov. 18–22). ⁠

Bring a personal hygiene product to donate at these shows at the Basic Needs table. Each donation gives you a chance to win tickets to future ArtPower events and other exciting prizes—and the more you donate, the better your chances.⁠

Personal Hygiene Product List: Toilet tissue, laundry pods, dish soap, pocket tissue, bar soap, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, deodorant, infant formula, diapers (any size)

 

CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater | ¡Azúcar!

“More than a hip isolating dance ensemble…CONTRA-TIEMPO pushes boundaries” —Washington Post

CONTRA-TIEMPO’s ¡azúcar! is a courageous naming of, confrontation with, and intentional obliteration of the often unspoken undercurrent of anti-Blackness in latinidad. Questions are continuing to drive the process as we begin to understand the complicated history of sugar and the messages from our ancestors. What does it feel like to individually and collectively heal, what does it move like? Twenty brilliant artists and collaborators take audiences through a journey of Celia Cruz’s vibrations, unearthing history embedded in our bodies. Through ¡azúcar!, CONTRA-TIEMPO explores ancestral wisdoms about a plant that once aided in our healing, used as a way to sweeten medicinal concoctions, now extracted, refined, and used as weaponized poison. This courageous work is rooted in and inspired by the sacred feminine, personal narratives of food, labor, community, sabor, and explorations of “familying” and healing as practices.

CONTRA-TIEMPO is a bold, multilingual Los Angeles-based activist dance theater company that creates communities where all people are awakened to a sense of themselves as artists and social change agents who move through the world with compassion, confidence, and joy.

 

Read the Program

Princess Lockerooo’s The Fabulous Waack Dancers: The Big Show

Princess Lockerooo is a whirling force with a singular focus; spreading the gospel of waacking. (New York Times) Experience the Epstein Family Amphitheater like never before, as the stage is transformed into a post-modern disco saloon hosting the world premiere of The Big Show, performed by The Fabulous Waack Dancers. The audience, welcomed as club goers and seated on-stage will be immersed in the culture, history and scene of waacking as Princess Lockerooo, the “Queen of Waacking,” honors her mentor, pioneering queer Black waack dancer and Soul Train legend, Tyrone Proctor, who died in 2020, and carries on his legacy through the dance he championed.

Renowned composer Harold O’Neal contributes an energizing and nostalgic soundtrack that takes audiences on a musical journey through various eras of American black music culture. From jazz and disco to soul, RnB, pop, and blues, the diverse soundtrack enhances the emotional impact of each performance, creating a truly immersive experience that will linger in the hearts of club goers.

Join us at 6:30 pm for Waacking Dance Lessons and stay after the show for a dance party.

What is waacking?
In the 1970s, a dance form called waacking was born in the underground gay clubs of Los Angeles. Members of the gay community risked their lives to perform such an effeminate, expressive style of dance at a time when being openly gay often resulted in violence and imprisonment. The dance was popularized on Soul Train by Tyrone Proctor and brought to the spotlight on the Diana Ross Tour thanks to Billy Goodson. With the AIDS crisis, waacking became nearly extinct. Today the art form has been re-born as a booming social media sensation and global queer rights movement.

Pre-Performance lesson WITH PRINCESS LOCKEROOO
Do you want to learn the art of Waacking by the “Queen of Waacking” at a pre- dance party before The Big Show? Arrive onstage at the Epstein Family Amphitheater at 6:30 pm in your favorite party outfit that makes you feel like your best, most freeing self. It could be from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s or now, we just want you to be you.

Post-performance WOW BALL WITH PRINCESS LOCKEROOO
Stay after the performance to dance with The Fabulous Waack Dancers and be the Bell of the Ball. With DJ’s spinning house music, disco balls overhead and libations on stage, you get to showcase your Waacking enthusiasm with others at a free form dance party.

Artist
Featuring Princess Lockerooo
Performed by The Fabulous Waack Dancers
Presented by ArtPower, UC San Diego

 

Princess Lockerooo (Samara Cohen) is a visionary in the dance industry, known for her exceptional work as a producer, public speaker, event curator, director, and choreographer. With a reputation for excellence and numerous accolades, including a Bessie award for Breakout Choreographer and a nomination for Sustained Achievement as a fellow of the RSA, Princess is a highly regarded artist and leader in the dance world.

 

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