This week we caught up with SF Bay Area artist Rogelio Lopez about his latest evening length work, Entre Despierto y Dormido (Between Awake and Asleep). Rogelio shares about the inspiration, the journey, and why you should check it out this week at the Joe Goode Annex, October 14 and 15, 2022.
Purchase your tickets today through this link.
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When was the choreographic moment for you?
It has sprouted in many different directions since, but I think the kernel of the work came to me after having seen a modern dance performance that was supposed to be about contending with marginalization in the dance community, set through an acknowledged privileged white lens. And though an honest work, it offended me deeply and sort of enraged me that the experience of marginalization could be just kind of casually made into a lighthearted dance performance and serve as a vehicle in which to promote a choreographer. So I began, in my head, to passive-aggressively make a response work!
Why did you want to make this piece?
I think this piece has been bubbling up inside of me for a long time. Being an immigrant, with an accent, and being queer, are complex layers that add up to so much cruelty and dismissiveness from the dominant culture. To be honest this piece kind of started in a place of anger and festered as a sort of seeking a kind of revenge. Revenge towards all the systems, organizations, people, family, choreographers, dancers that represented to me the shame cycles that have really shaped a lot of my experience of terrifying loneliness on this planet. Ultimately, it became less about seeking revenge (though there are still tinges here and there in the work), and rather about giving myself permission to be bold in ways (both choreographically and personally) I felt I never had permission for or that I would hurt others if I showed myself truly. And what came out, I think, and somewhat ironically, is actually, a really joyous ride and celebration!
What most excites you about the project?
I am excited and slightly terrified to show previously unrevealed parts of myself and my work. Particularly that of movement vocabulary outside the western form, my sense of humor, and some unabashed sexuality. I’m also reaching out to my fellow queer immigrant people that I have for too long been out of touch with!
And what feels really scary or risky?
It’s essentially the same as what excites me. There is still a feeling of tension that I might offend certain people, or maybe that I want to offend certain people???
Can you talk about the use of a trio in the choreography? It is you, Matt Han, and Kevin Gaytan. How do three bodies, including your own, help convey the story?
It is more like a solo and a duet. The solo (myself) is the personal journey and the lens through which the work is seen, representing life’s complexities and insecurities. The duet (performed by the fabulous Kevin Gaytan and Matt Han) is the more surreal representation of the world beyond the self that both tears me down and lifts me up. Matt and Kevin are everything I wish to be, or not to be, or sometimes just general memories. They are the devils, the angels, the saboteurs, and the heroes.
The work has so many components and layers. Your artistry comes through in different forms – as a performer, choreographer, costume designer, set designer….and more! How is each aspect a part of your artistic voice and a part of the meaning making?
It has always been hard to defend and stand up for myself, and I often feel that people do not take me seriously. It could be the accent, my struggles with putting sentences together, or not possessing traditional academic intelligence. It is hard to put my thoughts into words. However, I have found my strength in my choreography, lighting, set, and costume design. I have been cultivating my articulation through art. I feel that I constantly work through my trauma with each piece and dance/choreography/design allows me the space to communicate in a way that make the most sense for me. It is unfortunate that the people outside of the arts will never see my work and understand my power. To them, I will always be that Mexican in the room that is slowing everyone down.
Five words to describe Entre Despierto y Dormido:
Fun
Angry
Love
Acceptance
Fight
Entre Despierto y Dormido
Rogelio Lopez & Dancers
Friday, October 14 at 8pm and Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 7pm
Joe Goode Annex, 401 Alabama St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Tickets: https://sforce.co/3Kx46vm
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Related posts:
Still Resonating: Dicotomía del Silencio by Rogelio Lopez & Dancers
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Life as a Modern Dancer 
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