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Who We Are
Co-FounderMAYRA MORALESMayra Morales, Mexican artist, teacher, arts ambassador and researcher, has been teaching at the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla since 2005. She currently is a dance professor in the BA Dance program and from August 2006 to July 2008 she was the Program's Coordinator. She has recently begun working in DEPA, an imaginary company for the Arts Development in Mexico. Mayra studied dance from childhood in Puebla City and Mexico City. Pursuing her career she traveled frequently to Monterrey, Xalapa, Guadalajara, San Luis Potosí, Canada, Russia, USA, Portugal and London, where she discovered Contemporary Dance. With a Scholarship of Excellence in Humanities, she earned her BA in Dance at UDLAP in 2002, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She won an honorific mention in the 'best performer' contest during San Luis Potosi's Dance Festival 2001. She lived, studied and worked in London from 2003 to 2005, where she earned her MA in European Dance-Theatre Practices at LABAN, supported by an award from the National Fund for the Arts and Culture, Mexico, 2003. Since 1999 she has been working as a performer and collaborating with national and international choreographers creating and co-creating dance and interdisciplinary pieces. Her work constantly questions the nature of artistic practice and investigates installation, performance art, site-specific and Dance-Theatre methodologies. Since 2004 she has described herself as a "Non-Disciplinary Artist," by which she means that she makes use of any possible medium to facilitate the rigorous search for answers to questions concerning Thought, Life and the Human Condition. In doing so, she hopes to avoid the categorization of processes and results. International activities include the following: 2005-- Participated in "The Dancer's Project" at The Place, London Activities in Mexico: At UDLAP she has taught courses in Performance and Ensemble, History and Theory of Dance, Choreography, Contemporary Dance Technique, Repertory, Body Conditioning, Movement for Actors, Seminar in Dance and Phenomenology, Seminar in Dance-Theatre and Theory of Performance Studies. She also teaches the following classes: Introduction to Dance and Tendencies and Problems of Today's Dance. Ray Eliot Schwartz Ray Schwartz is a movement artist and activist who has spent the last 26 years committed to consciously developing an experiential understanding of the body. He is interested in supporting people in attuning themselves towards a greater clarity of intention in technical and improvisational dancing, as well as in the practices of everyday life. Since 1999, he has represented the integration of Somatic Movement Education and Dance practice on multiple occasions as a member of the faculties of the American Dance Festival, the Bates Dance Festival, MELT, the Movement Research educational intensive located in NYC, SFADI, and the Colorado College Summer Dance Festival. He has also taught, performed and conducted research extensively in the U.S, Europe and Asia. His training includes high school at the North Carolina School of the Arts and a BFA in Dance from Virginia Commonwealth University. Additional study includes certification as Practitioner of Body-Mind Centering, Certification in the Feldenkrais Method, training in Zero-Balancing, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, and Traditional Thai Massage. Schwartz, as well, has maintained a practice of working with individuals over the same span of time. When his work with individuals has been a primary focus, it often takes the shape of bodyworker in residence at dance festivals, or in intensive periods of work with clients referred to him by the Instituto de Psicologia Profunda in Mexico City.
While studying for the MFA at the University of Texas at Austin, he balanced academic research with a commitment to service and activism within the Austin, Texas arts scene. He directed Sheep Army/Elsewhere Dance Theater, taught classes in dance, movement, and body-work, researched the aesthetic and pedagogical implications evoked by the integration of somatic movement education and contemporary dance forms among other activities(
Currently Schwartz is serving as the Coordinator of the Licenciatura en Danza en la Universidad De Las Americas Puebla in Cholula/Puebla, Mexico.
As part ofhis work there, he initiated and co-directs Performática: Foro Internacional de Danza Contemporánea y Artes de Movimiento. This congress gathers together an international cadre of practicing dancers, choreographers, theorists, and teachers of contemporary dance and related movement arts. They convene workshops, roundtable discussions and performances with the goal of facilitating international and intercultural exchange of dance practices, knowledge, theory, and culture as related to discourse of bodily movement, expression, and philosophy. He is also a research associate with the Center for Body Mind Movement, and has been an invited guest lecturer at the Institute for Kinesthetic Education in Durham, North Carolina.
César Aragón, nacido en la ciudad de Puebla, obtuvo el grado de Licenciatura en Danza por la UDLAP. Además de su formación, experiencias profesionales y artísticas en la República Mexicana, César tuvo la oportunidad de también formase en los EEUU, haciéndose acreedor a distintas becas que ayudaron a su formación y actualización, tales como: Bates Dance Festival (Maine), Joffrey Ballet (Nueva York) y MELT Movement Research Intensive (Nueva York). De igual manera, estuvo colaborando con artistas y compañías en la ciudad de Nueva York.
Actualmente César Aragón radica en la ciudad de Cholula, en donde junto con su colega Diana Morales abren el espacio Centro Cultural Segundo Piso, ofreciendo a la comunidad cholulteca y poblana un espacio en el cual artistas locales, nacionales e internacionales han podido compartir sus experiencias, propuestas y conocimiento. Además de administrar su espacio, César ha estado interesado en la enseñanza en diferentes estudios de danza en la ciudad de Puebla, así como en la creación coreográfica.
Diana Morales Sánchez, nacida en el Estado de México. Egresada de la Licenciatura en Danza de la Universidad de las Américas Puebla 2010. Beneficiaria del Fondo para la Cultura y las Artes del Estado de México FOCAEM 2013 en la categoría de jóvenes creadores con el cual desarrolló una obra multidisciplinaria que incluye video mapping, video y danza. En busca de una comunión entre los medios audiovisuales y la danza, ha participado en talleres de video danza impartidos por Douglas Rosenberg. Participante en distintos festivales de video danza internacionales y nacionales (Cuerpo Digital, Agite y Sirva, SurReal, 60SecondsDance). Su última obra de video “Cadavre Exquis” fue galardonada con una mención especial en el Segundo Premio Nacional de Videodanza Agite y Sirva 2015. Es parte de la compañía independiente de danza contemporánea Malva Danza así como de Mudanza.
Actualmente se dedica a la docencia, gestión y creación en la ciudad de Cholula, donde junto con su colega César Aragón gestionan el Centro Cultural Segundo Piso el cual ofrece a la comunidad un espacio para que artistas locales, nacionales e internacionales compartan sus propuestas de movimiento.
Karen Palafox nace en San Diego California y crece en Ensenada Baja California donde desde pequeña se inicia en la danza específicamente en danza clásica en la Escuela Cubana de Ballet. En el 2008 sigue sus estudios de ballet en la casa de la cultura de Eghezée, Bélgica. Más tarde se involucra con otros estilos dancísticos llegando así a la danza contemporánea donde en el 2010 comienza estudios formales universitarios de danza, arte aplicado, fotografía en San Diego Mesa College, California; sin embargo abandona el programa y migra a la Universidad de las Américas Puebla en México donde actualmente se encuentra concluyendo la licenciatura en danza. Hija de padre fotógrafo su amplio interés por la fotografía desde temprana edad condujo su práctica dancística a ser siempre relacionada con las artes audiovisuales aunque al iniciar la carrera en danza surge una necesidad por brindarle aún más movimiento a la imagen siendo esto por medio del video. Desde el año 2012 comenzó con creación de obras de video danza y video experimental, en el 2014 obtiene el Intership en Video documentación en Massachusetts (EUA) en Jacob´s Pillow Dance Festival, así mismo ha participado en distintos encuentro de danza y colaborado con distintos bailarines y coreógrafos de México y el extranjero tanto para la video documentación de procesos creativos y coreografía así mismo como bailarina. Hoy en día se encuentra sumamente interesada en lo que implica para el ser humano vivir en un cambio constante de realidades gracias a las interconexiones tanto físicas como virtuales. A lo largo de procesos de investigación personales y en colectivo Karen se ha visto atraída desde un aspecto político y social en cómo el cuerpo se inserta dentro y fuera de dichas realidades y cómo lo abordamos día a día desde el movimiento.
In 1999, he graduated as an Electronical Engineer with a major in Communication from UDLA. He then went on in 2004, to receive his MBA, at the same institution, specializing in Services Marketing.
He is currently UDLA's Head of the Scenic Arts Lab. Since 2003, he has been appointed as Technical Director of UDLA Danza, UDLA Ballet, Teatro UDLA, Opera UDLA, Performática and the Sunny Savoy Company. He has participated in national and international festivals such as:
He has also collaborated as sound engineer with rock bands. From 1995-2000 he worked as technician within the Events Department at UDLA, which produces around 400 cultural events per year. Since 2003 he has been teaching Scenic Production at the university, focusing on montage, set design and lightning design for theatre, dance and performance pieces. He also works as advisor for future graduates. His lightning designs have granted him awards, such as Mayra Morales' De la A a la Z, within 2007's Festival Poesía en Movimiento. His first performance, Eclipse, was first shown at Performática 2007. Selection Committee 2016Samuel HansonSamuel Hanson was born in Salt Lake City in 1988. His formative dance training was with Hilary Carrier. His recent choreography has been seen in New York, Miami, Montana and Los Angeles. He has performed for Ashley Anderson, Eryn Rosenthal, Todd Allen, Diana Crum, Yve Laris Cohen, Juan Aldape, Michael Watkiss, Lindsey Drury, and eunkyungkim. Last fall he danced in the work of Yvonne Meier and Gabriel Forestieri with the Utah-based improvisation company Movement Forum. He's now working on a new piece with NY-based choreographer Anneke Hanson. He serves as the journal editor and new media curator for "learning to loveDANCEmore", a journal of dance and performance in the western US. Gina BattistichGina Battistich is a performer, choreographer and Feldenkrais practitioner from Vienna, Austria. She received her education at AHK, MTD (Amsterdam), Feldenkrais Studiengesellschaft (Vienna) and University of Vienna. She is teaching and performing in Austria and internationally (e.g. Tanzquartier Wien; Spleen Festival Graz; urbanize festival; Tanz*Hotel Wien; Performática, Mexico; Cihangir Yoga, Istanbul; ProArt festival, Prague) and is co-facilitating creative feedback sessions at WUK, Vienna which are based on the Liz Lerman method, the Field method and others. As organizer and curator she has been part of the team of RUMPULS - Vienna irrational performance night, Arada interdisciplinary art festival, KiosK59, and Esperantella music festival. Among others she has been working with LOTTALEBEN, Iris Julian, Sabina Holzer, TimTom, LuxFlux, Maja Slattery, InCorporated, F8, Emmy Steiner and Eva-Maria Schaller. Currently she is artist in residence at Tanz*Hotel where she is working on her Solo performance Messort Nest Guy. She received scholarships by the international Impulstanz festival (DanceWEB), Tanzpool and the Austrian ministry of culture. Daniela Murias VargasBailarina, maestra de ballet, gestora cultural y coreógrafa. Inicia sus estudios en la Escuela de Teatro Municipal de Santiago. Estudiando con Marta Hertz, Patricio Gutiérrez, Victoria Shatkivska, Tamara Kiriac, Pablo Arahonian, entre otros. Posteriormente ingresa a la carrera de Intérprete en Danza Contemporánea en la Universidad Mayor, graduándose con honores en el 2009. En el año 2013 realizó un diplomado de Gestión Cultural en la Universidad de Chile. Mientras realizaba sus estudios universitarios obtiene una beca para un intercambio en la UDLAP de Puebla, México. Con este viaje concreta 4 años de residencia en donde trabajó con importantes exponentes de la danza mexicana contemporánea; Alonso Alarcón y Evoé Sotelo, con los cuales fue parte de sus compañías “Ángulo Alterno” y “Quiatora Monorriel”. Ha tomado distintos cursos de composición coreográfica, movimiento contemporáneo, técnica académica y planteamientos de producción y gestión de eventos culturales. Ha bailado con importantes coreógrafos contemporáneos, Vicente Ruiz y Luis Eduardo Araneda, con este último fue intérprete de su obra “Sótano”, la cual fue nombrada Patrimonio Nacional en el 2015 y actualmente es intérprete en la obra “Canto General”. Actualmente es la maestra y coreógrafa de la Escuela Artedanza, coreógrafa y directora de la “Compañía Artedanza” y coreógrafa de las producciones del productor Salvatore Pellizzari. Martín LanzCreador interdisciplinario y gestor cultural, organiza el Laboratorio: Condensación desde el año 2013, donde convergen artistas de diversas disciplinas en un proceso de experimentación y convivencia. Ha realizado sesiones del Laboratorio: Condensación en México, Brasil, Uruguay y proximamente en Austria. Como curador ha realizado selecciones para la temporada de Movement Research at Judson Church en NY, Dance for Camera, Dance of color y Cake series. Actualmente trabaja en parceria con el proyecto PLUSbrasil de Mario Lopes, para crear un circuito de circulación (Vehículo Sur) que visitará Sao Paulo, Brasil, Ciudad de México, Santiago de Chile y Munich Alemania. http://laboratoriocondensacion.tumblr.com/ Image Design
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