MFA in Dance candidates perform at Performatica in Mexico

The May 2014 graduating MFA in Dance cohort travels to Puebla, Mexico, to dance, teach, present, engage, and innovate.

The 2014 graduating cohort of the MFA program in Dance at the University of Maryland--Ana Farfan, Stephanie Miracle, Jessie Laurita-Spanglet, and Erin Crawley-Woods--will be traveling to Mexico together to perform in a festival, Performática.

Performática is a diverse and innovative dance forum held annually at the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico. Since its founding in 2007, Performática has grown into an internationally recognized conference that draws dancers, choreographers, scholars, and teachers of contemporary dance and movement arts from all over the world. Conducted in both English and Spanish, the Performatica conference emphasizes generous cultural exchange and collaboration through the sharing of classes, workshops, performances, films, and scholarly papers.

At Performatica Ana, Stephanie, Jessie and Erin will be presenting a work together, as well as teaching and presenting research individually. Round Robins, their collaborative work, examines their shared interests in space vs. place, narrative, and dance as a visual art, while highlighting each of their individual voices. Devised as a collaborative experiment, the work is constructed using a round robin model in which they alternate leading rehearsals, and collaborate as dancers, choreographers, and sound designers. With its commitment to facilitating intercultural exchange through dialogue about diverse methodologies and non-hierarchical approaches in the movement arts, Performatica provides a perfect venue in which to present this project. In addition to Round Robins, each is facilitating classes or workshops, and presenting research in the form of performances, films, and paper presentations. Their participation in the Performatica festival serves as a culmination of the strong working bond the MFA Dance students have developed as a cohort at the University, and showcases the collaborative and innovative work undertaken by students at the University of Maryland.