DANZA ORGANICA PRESENTS FREE PERFORMANCE JUNE 29 AT MassArt

BOSTON - Thursday, June 27, 2024 - Today, Danza Organica presents Âs Nupumukômun (We Still Dance), a multimedia performance highlighting stories of the Aquinnah Wampanoag people, utilizing dance, music, and storytelling. This free performance takes place on Saturday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m. at Massachusetts College of Art and Design’s Tower Auditorium, 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston. While the performance is free, reservations are recommended, and they can be made here.

The event is supported by The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, Equity and Inclusion Cabinet, Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, and Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Âs Nupumukômun explores what it means to be Native today by highlighting traditional and contemporary stories of the Aquinnah Wampanoag People. The piece, which premiered in the fall of 2022 on Martha’s Vineyard, is the result of a years-long partnership between the Boston-based Danza Organica and nine intergenerational Aquinnah Wampanoag collaborators. It began in a residency at The Yard, a renowned arts center on the island that provides space and funding for new works. This will be the Boston premiere.

"With dance as the vessel, this piece has empowered an intergenerational group of Aquinnah Wampanoag artists to articulate shared stories and history through a contemporary, multimedia experience. While there are segments of the performance that display our collective grief and trauma, the performance also gives so much space for celebrating the legacy of our traditions and empowering generations of Aquinnah Wampanoags who will experience the world after us. The Danza Orgánica team has been thoughtful and professional throughout this multi-year collaboration––we would not be sharing these stories in this manner without their partnership––and we are immensely grateful” said NaDaizja Bolling (Aquinnah Wampanoag)

"Colonization has tried for centuries to erase the histories of Indigenous peoples around the world. It strategized to corner us, remove us, and extinguish joy from our lives. Through Âs Nupumukômun (We Still Dance), an intergenerational group of Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal members share their stories through dance, music, song, installation, and interviews. The development of this work spanned over 6 years in close collaboration with Danza Orgánica (DO), as facilitators of this process. DO's Artistic Director, as well as members of the DO are of Puerto Rican, Dominican, Spanish, and Mexican origins, which also opened up a space of mutual exploration and understanding as colonized peoples embodying liberation. This work was a cosmic collaborative journey, which surpassed the conventional "choreography for performance" model. We invite you to join us and experience this journey with us. We Still Dance!," said Mar Parilla, Danza Organica Founder. 

Danza Organica is a contemporary dance theater company founded in 2007 by Afro-Puerto Rican artist/choreographer Mar Parrilla. Their work is centered around equity, social justice, and decolonization. With dancers from Borikén (so-called Puerto Rico), Mexico, República Dominicana, and España, DO brings forth a multiplicity of experiences with the common themes of migration, antiracism, and decolonization, towards the embodiment of a liberated future.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The program is 75 minutes and is suitable for all ages. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/massartdo.