Against All Odds

This thesis concert is a spell in red ribbon costume—tying together three years of sweat, self-doubt, and highly questionable life choices into one pretty bow. Or at least, that’s the illusion. Because Against All Odds, come May, I will officially be a Master of Dance! (Please hold your applause until we’re sure.) 

Technical Difficulties

Choreographed by Mariana Tejeda
Sound Design and Knitted Stool: Mariana Tejeda
Sound Operator: Evan Zukin
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Costume Design: Mariana Tejeda
Costume Facilitators and Tailoring: Juliana Waechter and Cindy Kubu
Dramaturg: Juliet Remmers
Performers: Mariana Tejeda, Evan Zukin 

In Mexico, when a show starts is delayed, someone announces to the audience: “technical difficulties”—a catch-all excuse that blames the backstage crew for anything; from a lost prop to an actor still finishing lunch. That perspective shifted for me when a technical director pointed out how wrong it was to pin the artistic team’s shortcomings on the crew. So, this piece is for them. Because even if I am on stage tonight; I am, first and foremost, a Stage Manager.

Please be advised this performance includes strong language, heavy swearing, suggested nudity, and adult themes.

Tap Jarocho

Choreographed by Mariana Tejeda
Original Composition: La Bambita y otra cosita by Douglas Baker
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Costume Design: Mariana Tejeda
Costume Facilitators and Tailoring: Juliana Waechter and Cindy Kubu
Dancers: Evan Zukin 

A folkloric wooing ritual collides with a tap-surfer (or SM-dancer) to engage in a debate where mestizaje meets cultural appropriation, and virtuosity shakes hands (or feet?) with the multidisciplinary experience. It’s a rhythm, percussive identity crisis.

If You Are Going to Wear Braids, Be Mindful of Where They Come From 

Choreographed by Mariana Tejeda
Original Composition: Divertimento para tres chicas by Douglas Baker
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Costume Design: Mariana Tejeda
Costume Facilitators and Tailoring: Juliana Waechter and Cindy Kubu
Dancers: Evelyn Becker, Isabella Kees, Christina Yu 

Three women in masculine attire, and ridiculously long braids straight out of some manga comic, trigger a chain reaction where these woman archetypes get passed down, pulled tight, and worn long. This is a ¿feminist? dance, juggling between sincerity and satire, technical prowess and total ridiculousness. It’s a dead serious joke, a time killer while we wait for Sisterhood to show up.

Originally performed in the 2024 Faculty/Grad Concert, this restaging follows the noble tradition of upcycling, which is just a fancy way of saying que aquí nada se desperdicia.

Please be advised this performance includes strobe lights.

Sin Yolanda, Maricarmen  

Choreographed by Mariana Tejeda and Eloy Barragán
Original Composition: La Bambita (reprise) by Douglas Baker
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Costume Design: Mariana Tejeda
Costume Facilitators and Tailoring: Juliana Waechter and Cindy Kubu
Dancers: Mariana Tejeda, Evan Zukin, Juliet Remmers, Christina Yu, Isabella Kees, Evelyn Becker

The title is Chilango slang that loosely translates to No crying, girl!—which is ironic, because when you start an MFA in Choreograpy at 40 with zero dance background, the tears are absolutely included. But wiping them away and pushing forward Against All Odds? That’s a choice! 

Special Thanks:

Gracias a Los libros, las canciones y los pianos. El cine, tus traiciones, mis enigmas. Mi mami y mi papi, la cerveza, las pastillas, los misterios, el whisky malo, los odios, el amor, los escenarios. El hambre, el frío, el crimen, el dinero y mis diez tías* that shaped me.

To Leighton, for the steadiness, the sunny piece of land, and for being the best performance coach a comedian can have ;)

To Sean, Ian, Lauren, Sophia, DB and JR for the pool balls!

To Briana, Margaret, Cindy, Juliana, Brendan, Jason, Josh, Rachel, Kevin, Gina and Don, because it is always a pleasure to work with the Dream Team.

To Evan Zukin for all his whimsical wisdom, the yes-and attitude, and for being my comedy partner!

To My OG Muses MJ, Morgan, and Ashley.

To Christina, Bella and Evelyn, for their trust in my alternative choreographic methods.

To Douglas for understanding my notes on a mix of gibberish, gestures, and onomatopoeias to create awesome, costume-made music for my works. 

To my bestie and dramaturg Juliet Remmers, for always being there, through tears and laughter. 

To Jason and Ju for being my true dance teachers, and for making ballet accessible, safe and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of age and skill.

To Elizabeth Rodriguez-Fielder, for building a bridge that connects my bratty-mestiza self to the world of white-academia, without getting lost in translation.   

To Eloy Barragán, Christopher-Rasheem McMillan, and Armando Duarte, for daring to be Otello in a lake of swans. 

^{*lyrics from Al lado del camino by Fito Paez}

Entering into the Serpent

Choreographed by Katelyn Perez; solo choreographed by Joshua Manculich, with contributions by Katelyn Perez
Music: Maquina de Humo by Michael Wall, Sonata for Violin and Piano in B Minor: 2. Andante Espressivo by Francesca Dego and Francesca Leonardi, Recapitulation in E by Douglas Baker
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Costume Design: Juliana Waechter and Cindy Kubu
Dancers: Andi Bartlein, Madison Burkhart, Ruby Gentzler, Madeline Greenberg, Ella Kempen, Victoria Lefler, Erin Muntz, Natalie Prill, Trinity Woody

"Living in nepantla, I find myself challenged to negotiate the cracks between worlds, spaces between the different allegiances and affinities and contradictions that make up my multiple subjectivities—a liminal space where I feel the pull of different worlds, where I create a new self from the remnants of the old. Nepantla is the space of transformation, the threshold between the old and the new, between what has been left behind and what has yet to come. It is a space of discomfort but also of possibility. From this space, new ways of being emerge. It is in this state of constant transition, of not quite belonging to any single place, that I find my strength, because I learn to be at ease in the in-between. Nepantla allows me to see through multiple lenses, to recognize that movement itself is a form of survival, that adaptation is not about losing the past but about shaping the future." — Gloria Anzaldúa, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza

I want to start by thanking my dancers for their commitment, hard work, and generosity throughout this process. Your dedication, energy, and laughter have made this experience so fulfilling, and I am endlessly grateful to share this work with you. Thank you for showing up, for diving into this process with open minds and open hearts, and for trusting me along the way. Thank you to my committee, Mindy Myers, Rebekah Kowal, and Kristin Marrs, for your mentorship, guidance, and care. Your insight, encouragement, and belief in my work have shaped me in ways I cannot fully express. Thank you for holding space for my artistic and scholarly growth and for challenging me to dig deeper. Thank you to Douglas Baker for composing a score that breathes with this work, adding depth and resonance to this process. Your generosity in creating this music has been invaluable. Thank you to Joshua Manculich for making time to create a solo on me, for your generosity and artistry, and for being part of this journey. Thank you to the production crew for your hard work behind the scenes, making this work possible. Your patience, expertise, and attention to detail ensure that everything comes together seamlessly. Finally, thank you to my graduate peers, both those still in the department and those who have embarked on new paths. Your support, humor, and camaraderie have been my rock throughout this journey, and I could not have asked for a better community to share this time with.

Ghetto Knowing

Choreographed by Joshua Culbreath
Music: Together (Special Edition) by Matthew Halsall; Mambo Funkao by Dj Fleg, El Judeo; Sorry by Alfa Mist; Un Rifle / Oracion Rifle Prayer by The Last Poets; The Score by Fugees, Diamond D
Lighting Design: Jim Albert
Costumes: Serious Clothing Company
Costume Facilitators and Tailoring: Juliana Waechter and Cindy Kubu
Creative Collaborator: Douglas Baker
Dancers: Douglas Baker, Rachel Carpenter, Soraya Cohen, Joshua Culbreath, Claudia Jacobson, Isabella Kees, Victoria Lefler, Lindsey Wildman 

Please be advised this performance includes strong language and strobe lights.

Using autobiographical storytelling and the style known as Breaking, this work reflects the embodied history of black dance, Hip Hop culture, and the perceptions of the bodies that perform it.

Thank you, dancers and collaborators, for all your hard work to make this project a reality. Thank you to Rahael Xavier and Rennie Harris for inspiring me through your past works. Last but not least, thank you to the University of Iowa Department of Dance for pouring into me and helping me find my voice!