“Little Yellow Leo: Papa's Bones/Mama’s Flesh” attempts to unpack the complexity of my Latino and queer identity in a body that over time has developed, largely out of fear, the skill to code switch and pass/respond in multiple environments: to hide, succeed, perform, find love, find sex. I have my dad’s (Caucasian) bones and my mom’s (Mexican) flesh, and this intersectionality is fueling my critical creative practices. I am digging deep, uncovering memories and stories from early adolescence, charting family lineage from Mexico and Southern California, interviewing my grandparents about their childhoods, and piecing together stories of my grandparents’ migration from Mexico.  The customs and traditions of my Mexican American family, most of whom grew up in or just outside of Los Angeles, like cooking, dancing and religion, were a dominant part of my childhood. Additionally, I am exploring memories of recognizing I was gay and the kinds of weird performance and sexual practices I engaged in in the privacy of my bedroom, which includes designing my own erotic costumes. I had dreams of one day being an exotic dancer.

 

This solo performance weaves together these personal stories and embodied memory through speaking, dancing and contemporary dance tropes to forge dynamic and thoughtful approaches in a critical way.  I am investigating through improvisation, writing, family research, going back to church, and cooking old family recipes, all of which are triggering potential content for the work.

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improvisation exploration above: resisting, circumventing, tracking, fleeting