Yelkaram: weaving the ancestral body

By Gabriel Valecillo, Isadora Paz and Diana Lara

Design: Corine Garay / Photo: Robbie Sweeny / VR Image: Gabriel Vallecillo Márquez

Performers
Diana Lara (she/her) is a Honduran Somatic educator, choreographer, performer with MS. in Kinesiology with emphasis in movement science based in San Francisco U.S. She has presented her work in venues in the San Francisco Bay Area including NohSpace, Dance Mission Theater, Counterpulse, the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, Moment’s Notice, TheOffCenter, The Garage, and the Safe House Arts. She has facilitated contact improvisation and dance workshops based on Body-Mind Centering principles in Berkeley, the Performatica Festival at the University of the Americas in Puebla Mexico, the Department of Arts at the National Autonomous University of Honduras. 
http://www.dianalara-somatics.com 
IG,FB: @diana.lara.somatics

Isadora Paz Taboada (She/they) is a Honduran-Argentinian choreographer and performer, co-founder of DA escenica, an independent collaborative project based in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She has been a resident artist at ADF Durham, NC and the National Choreographic Center in La Rochelle, France. She explores community narratives, practices and performances promoting collective inquiry and intercultural dialogue through dance and performance. 
https://www.facebook.com/daescenica/about

Ronice Stratton (she/they) is a dance artist living on Ohlone land in Oakland, CA.  Dance has become her highest expression—releasing what she holds within, in connection with others and the Earth that holds her. Part of that work includes Ro's continued exploration of her Honduran identity, digging up its pain and joy, finding lost lines through her dance. Ronice is currently a company artist with Dancing Earth–a BIPOC dance company centering humans’ connection with ecology, led by the artist director Rulan Tangen.  They debuted the production “Eco Elegies - Ritual of Re:Mix” in September 2023 in Yelamu (SF) at the Dance Mission Theater and had community performances of the work at SNAG Magazine's anniversary celebration and the multicultural Mosaic Festival in San Jose.  Ronice will partake in the company’s teacher training and artivist program in 2024, which includes a tour in Mexico.

Kristen Rulifson (they/them): dancer/choreographer/organizer/housing advocate. Their work is influenced by their aquatic practices of free diving, aquatic therapy, and aquatic dance as well their land-based practices in contact improvisation, axis syllabus, and contemporary dance. Kriss’s current research engages with life cycles involving grief, decay, and rebirth. They are a Co-Director of Twin Moons Productions, a process-oriented and nomadic collective that merges aquatic and somatic practices into immersive performance experiences. Kriss is invested in queer emergent practices, fantastical metamorphosis, and disintegrating colonial imprinting. Their performance work and teaching expand between SF Bay Area (USA), Berlin (Germany), and Bordeaux (France).
www.kristenrulifson.com

Video Artist 
Gabriel Vallecillo Márquez is a Honduran multidisciplinary artist. He started as a poet then moved onto video poetry, video-jockey, 3d projection mapping, live cinema, video and VR installation, documentary film and video performance. His video art installations have been featured at Biennials in Ecuador, Panamá, Nicaragua and Honduras. His artworks have also been exhibited in Cuba, Italy, USA and Germany. Gabriel is currently based in Berlin. 
https://www.gabrielvallecillo.com/ 
https://liminal-space.art/

Lenca leaders 
Donatila Girón is originally from Marcarla, La Paz, Honduras. She began her organizing work at the age of 15, focusing on combating violence against women. Since then, she has mobilized indigenous communities for their rights and advocated for a fair economy and shared responsibilities. With extensive training in Agroecology and Food Sovereignty, she currently coordinates the organization Women Indigenous Leaders of La Paz (MURILPAZ).

Felicita Lopez is an esteemed indigenous leader from Opatoro in La Paz, Honduras. Throughout her life, she has dedicated herself to empowering rural and indigenous women, advocating for their active participation in the local economy and cooperativism. Her efforts have not only aimed at economic inclusion but have also focused on fostering community solidarity and resilience. Felicita has played a vital role in promoting the cultural heritage of her ancestral indigenous community. She believes that preserving and celebrating this heritage is essential for empowering future generations. By organizing cultural events and educational initiatives, she has helped to raise awareness about the importance of indigenous traditions and values. She is an active member of the organization MURILPAZ.

MURILPAZ, The Organization of Indigenous Lenca Women Leaders of La Paz brings together female leaders from 8 municipalities in the department of La Paz, in central Honduras. Its mission is to empower indigenous women to be resilient and adapt to changes while simultaneously preserving their identity and cultural heritage, and defending their rights and autonomy. Their work focuses on providing support and strengthening the capacities of its members in areas such as indigenous rights, climate resilience, and economic autonomy. They actively engage with communities through Community Indigenous Councils and their families. Additionally, they have carried out various research and planning initiatives to protect the environment, manage climate change, and develop productive projects, such as coffee cultivation, vegetables, and orchards in their communities.

With the generous support from the German Cultural Center in Honduras-Goethe Institut and the International Co-production Fund.

Members of Murilpaz in Marcala Honduras in somatic workshop and exchange of rituals, March 2024

Felicita Lopez de Murilpaz in rehearsal at Spore

Gabriel Vallecillo and Isadora Paz at Spore

From left to right, Felicita Lopez, Lotta Schafer, Donatila Giron, Diana Lara, Isadora Paz y Grabriel Vallecillo at Spore Initiative

Donatila Giron y Felicita Lopez in a rehearsal at Spore Initiative

Diana Lara rehearsing at Spore

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