Niteotl

Commissioned by School of Dance at The University of Utah

Inspirited by indigenous Mexican imagery, this work is an embodied prayer created to acknowledge and celebrate the resiliency of people of color, and more specifically, our Latin American and BIPOC immigrant communities, who historically have been unjustifiably criminalized, profiled, and discriminated against. It is a recognition that many of our communities are indigenous to these regions, and a statement that we are here to stay.

Inspired by the Deer Dance of the Yaqui and Mayo peoples from Sonora, this piece features the deer mask as a symbol of the spiritual connection between nature and humanity. Niteotl, meaning "prayer" or "I am the spirit" in Náhuatl, transcends the challenges of criminalization faced by people of color. This communal and compassionate danced prayer serves as an offering to counterbalance the egregious abuses of power that arise from dehumanization in today's world, including the devastation of our natural environment. This work illustrates how communities from the Global Majority empower themselves through a loving and caring collective support as a mechanism to sublimate adversity.

Dancers, co-creators and maskmakers: Katherine Boyce, Claire Cheney, Brighton Farrell, Ellie Germaine, Grace Hurley, Ellie Ikeda, Emma McKeever, Grace Nordstrom, Masha Slijepcevic, Marlee Stephens, Sean Sullivan, Keilah Teuscher, Quinn Trutzel, Lizzie Turley, and Zhenya Ragulin • Choreographic Assistant: Soph Cardinal • Mask-making Workshop: Ramón Ramos @lajuanasl2Mask • Costumes by Christopher Larson | School of Dance • Lighting by William Peterson | School of Dance

Past performances:
* Latinx Heritage Celebration, SLC. UT.
* Nuestro pasado es presente / Our Past is Present Initiative, Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA), SLC. UT.

Photos by Brandon Cruz.