SOCORRO, N.M. – Dance, music, vibrant costumes and spoken word aim to bring to life the oral histories and traditions of Nuevo Mexicano, Chicano, and Mexican American communities in the American Southwest in a special performance to kick off Women’s History Month. “Stories from Home,” presented by choreographer Yvonne Montoya and an all-Mexican American cast on Friday, March 1, at New Mexico Tech’s Macey Center at 7:30 p.m.
The show’s tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors age 65 and older, $8 for youth under age 17 and free for NMT students. Tickets are available online at nmt.edu/pas. A full schedule of NMT Performing Arts Series (PAS) events and ticket information is available online at: nmt.edu/pas.
The “Stories from Home” performance kicks off Women’s History Month, with various activities happening the whole month.
Preceding “Stories from Home” will be a free reception for the third annual Socorro County Women’s Artist Showcase from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Macey Center Upper Lobby, titled “HERStories from Home.” The reception allows the public to meet the artists and learn more about their artwork, which will be on display from March 1 to 31. The art exhibit includes textiles, oil paintings, jewelry, pastels, watercolors, acrylics, photography and pottery created by Socorro County women. Appetizers and drink specials will be available.
Also on March 1, there will be a free luncheon-panel, 11:30am to 1:30pm in the Macey Center Galena Room (RSVP please), entitled “Voices of Women: HERStories from Home,” featuring Socorro-Area women leaders–Tara Jaramillo, state representative, owner of Positive Outcomes, and speech & language pathologist; Diedra Vinson, owner of Yo Mama’s Restaurant, teacher and swim coach; Becci Spruill, NMT professor and artist–plus Yvonne Montoya, artistic director of Safos Dance Theater.
Albuquerque native and Tucson, Arizona-based choreographer Montoya, who is the founder and artistic director of Safos Dance Theatre, draws upon personal histories as well as ancestral knowledge for “Stories From Home,” including stories from her great-grandmother, grandmother, great-aunts, and father. The series of dances highlight the universal themes of love, family, and home.
According to Dana Chavez, PAS director, audiences are sure to find the performance to be very poignant and full of passion and conviction.
“Choreographer Yvonne Montoya has found a way to truly express the feelings of disconnection, frustration, strength and pride that many Latine men and women have spent their lives struggling with,” she said. “Fighting to not only understand a culture that feels both intrinsic and foreign at the same time but also trying to figure out where you fit between the two. These dances embody what it was like growing up Latine in America for my generation, xennials/millennials.
“I personally feel like it is an amazing experience for everyone, but a great cultural experience for our young Hispanic audience,” she said.
Sponsors of the “Stories from Home” performance are: Deborah Treder Turquoise Memorial, Kay and Paul Krehbiel, National Endowment for the Arts, NEFA New England Foundation for the Arts and Nusenda Credit Union.
