Weaving Culture into Dance

CORE Performance Company is set to perform Corazón Abriendo (Heart Opening) in Miami, Florida on May 13th for the Miami Dance festival. I was able to sit down with CORE Performance Company member, Alex Abarca to get his take on the the piece.

SS: Talk a little bit about Corazón Abriendo.

AA: It’s about the Mayan people and their culture and how weaving is integral to all aspects of their life. I try to find a common thread (ha-ha, common thread) to link all of the sections together. Each section deals with life and living, and throughout the piece I try to think about how all life is interconnected.

SS: You had to take a trip for this piece. Where did you go? What was it like?

AA: We went to Guatemala. It was inspiring. It was eye-opening. It was humbling. It was very personal. Because of this experience, I think about color. I think about heritage and history. I also think about how magical and mystical everything is. There’s so much mythology involved in the Mayan history and how they explain how the world works.

It is always a treat to hear thoughts from a company member about the work that he is performing. Feel free to post questions in our comment section about Corazón Abriendo for the dancers to answer.

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Happy dancing,

Sharon