Frontera I Border – A Living Monument

Frontera I Border – a Living Monument by the Mexican-Chilean choreographer Amanda Piña has its roots in a dance that emerged from the neighbourhood of El Ejido Veinte of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on the border between Mexico and the United States, and is performed by young people at risk from the extremely violent environment associated with this liminal space, a place where drug trafficking, militarisation and an industry around cheap labour prosper. The dance that inspired Amanda Piña was originally devised by the Spanish and depicts the Christian victory over the Moors. During Latin America’s colonisation it became a racist propaganda tool. The difference between white and non-white was then exported, with indigenous poeple forced to personify the “Moor” and the Christian representing Spain. The dance continued to evolve and became seen as a form of resistance to colonial and, later, neoliberal forces. By exploring a choreography of borders in which hip-hop culture, colonial tales, native practices and mysticism intertwine, Amanda Piña also reminds us that the border is not only a place but is also inscribed in the bodies, contributing to their process of racialisation. Thus the bodies themselves carry these frontiers with them – some more than others.

Presentation: Kunstenfestivaldesarts-BOZAR–Ville de Bruxelles/Stad Brussel

Artistic Direction, choreography: Amanda Piña // Artistic Design: Michel Jimenez // Choreography, transmision : Rodrigo de la Torre Coronado // Research : Juan Carlos Palma Velasco, Amanda Piña // Performance : Matteo Marziano Graziano, Daphna Horenczyk, Jhonatan Magaña García, Dafne del Carmen Moreno, Juan Carlos Palma Velasco, Cristina Sandino, Rodrigo de la Torre Coronado, Lina María Venegas, with the participation of : Ezra Fieremans, Joachim Noel, Marco Torrice // Dramaturgy, development : Nicole Haitzinger // Research, theory : Nicole Haitzinger, Amanda Piña // Music : Christian Müller // Live percussion : Jhonatan Magaña García // Costume : La mata del veinte/Julia Trybula

Production Management : nadaproductions/Isabella Strehlau // International distribution, tour management : Something Great // Senior advisor : Marie-Christine Barrata Dragono // Management : Angela Vadori Smart.at // Coproduction : Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Bozar, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Arts Finland // Funded by the City of Vienna (Kulturabteilung der Stadt Wien) // With the support of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National School of Folkloric Dance of Mexico, INBA, National Institute of Fine Arts Mexico // Performances in Brussels with the support of the Austrian Cultural Forum Brussels