Rising Stars: Meet Alfonso Cervera

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alfonso Cervera.

Hi Alfonso, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I remember hearing rhythms outside the door. Rhythms that spoke to the past and present and to those who live between borders. Hearing the sounds of tambourines, accordions, and the syncopations of zapateado footwork, these sounds resonated with my corazón (heart) and identity of being Mexican American. The smell of pan dulce, flan, panuchos, and relleno negro, dishes and flavors of Yucatan that dance in my palette, reminds me of my Abuelo playing his favorite hits in the living room.

Stepping into my first Ballet Folklorico class at the age of 4, I never knew that it would ignite my journey as a professional dancer at the age of 14 zapateando with Ballet Folklorico Grandeza Mexicana and Ballet Folklorico Resurreccion in Los Angeles, CA. This has always been a highlight of my career and to this day I miss dancing with them all at the Ford Theatre in Hollywood CA. I was drawn to the form, the history, the complications, and the need to create dances that intertwine my journey as a bi-cultural artist with social justice themes that can speak to various Latinx populations.

From there, I went to school to receive my BA and MFA at the University of California, Riverside in Experimental Choreography where I was guided by mentors to pursue dance in other forms leading me to travel to New York, San Francisco, Wisconsin, Maine, Boston, and other localities to train in release technique, improvisation, partnering and much more.

However, at times… I felt lost, and overwhelmed, and asked if this is what I wanted to keep pursuing. Sometimes I would wake up wanting to leave the dance for a moment and go to pastry school or own a small Mexican-inspired coffee shop. In fact, I left dance for a year to be “normal (not an artist)” and I still questioned and wondered the “what if” or “if this is everything we as humans are meant to do”.

What if I never found dance where would I be
What if I didn’t go to college for dance where would I be
What if I never walked into those community center doors
What if I just worked a normal 8-5 job …would I be happy…
What if I just let it all go what would happen…
What if I just baked for a living?
What if…
What if …
What if…

Questions that continue to arise and will probably always arise because I’m always questioning my place and what I can contribute.

And…

It’s because of this questioning and journey that I had the honor of meeting and working with my amazing dance family Primera Generación Dance Collective (PGDC), comprised of first-generation Mexican Americans Irvin Manuel Gonzalez, Patricia Huerta (Patty), and Rosa Rodriguez Frazier who found themselves in a similar situation as me. It’s an honor to work with such an inspirational group of movers, thinkers, and collaborative artists that seek to highlight our shared Mexican American identity and create opportunities for LA artists who are underrepresented in the dance world.

Since graduating from the university, I’ve had the privilege to work at various institutions as a full-time faculty member such as the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Cornish College of the Arts (Seattle, WA), and currently, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign exchanging cultural knowledge while still holding on to my connections in the LA area creating and collaborating with various artists.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My journey as an artist has always been woven within my family experience and has been somewhat of an interesting path that many would never encounter. Though my identity and heritage informed the decisions I’ve made as an artist that at times had its own complications navigating the contemporary dance world. It’s important to share that within my family, there’s a hereditary disease known as Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) that my mama, Hermana, and tia, inherited that makes the individual blind over time.

Though I did not inherit this trait, it’s something that I’ve grappled with con mi familia which changed my perception of the world and how we as a family see and experience it. If you could imagine witnessing someone’s world becoming nothing but blurriness and specs of random colors until a black hole engulfs it is something that really impacts your responsibility and your place within your family. To hear your mother say “I can no longer see you anymore” is heartbreaking to hear and changes you deeply. To see your older sister have to give up her dreams and desires because of this illness is difficult to witness when you know they as an individual can conquer the world.

It’s moments like this that ask an individual to learn patience, empathy, and what it means to experience the world through the eyes of another.

It’s an experience that has helped me to become the individual I am today by remembering what it means to hold my mother’s and sister’s arm as I guide them across the street while people stare awkwardly. It’s moments like this where I thank the experiences that I’ve had as a member of this family and as an artist with experiences to understand what it means to be human and to be in touch with all the senses of the body, mind, and spirit. This part of me or us that I’m sharing is not for remorse, but rather to understand that everyone’s journey within this world is built on a different foundation where certain things can’t be fixed or changed but rather co-exist with the difficulties of being different.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My research and specialization as an independent artist, focus on the conversation between Ballet Folklorico and Afro-LatinX social dances in a contemporary auto-biographical embodied experience that he calls Poc-Chuc. The practice of Poc-Chuc intentionally works to offer new choreographic methods, and techniques. Perspectives in theory and physical embodiment through a Latinx perspective. I’m inspired and intrigued by questioning the relationship between process, performance, Improvisation, Mexican Queerness, and Ballet Folklorico which I believe can create dances that provide voice, space, and safety for BIPOC and Queer community members.

As people have learned about what I do, I’ve been provided opportunities to practice and share the Chuc technique at the Cornish College of the Arts, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, Cal State San Marcos (San Diego), Riverside Community College (CA), Mt. San Jacinto Community College (CA), and now at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.

My collaborative and independent works have been presented at the Judson Church Movement Research (New York City),  Festival of Latin Contemporary Choreographers (San Francisco), Red Cat (Los Angeles), Pieter Performance Space (Santa Monica, CA), Highways Performance Space (Santa Monica), Bushwick Studios (New York), and Lux Boreal’s 4×4 in Tijuana Mexico to name a few.

What I’m most proud of currently is having been granted the opportunity by Meg Wolfe to own Show Box LA with PGDC to continue her legacy by creating opportunities such as residencies, stipends, and various projects for BIPOC artists in the LA community to practice their art. It’s a moment that we as a collective can really impact the community and create spaces that are genuine in offering safe space and in actually practicing our mission and values.

Who else deserves credit for your story?
Honestly, so many people deserve credit because they have always supported my journey and or stood by my side when I felt imposter syndrome kicking in. I’m reflecting and naming people who have been important within the last two years many things have shifted for me and I do apologize if leave anyone out.

Irvin Manuel Gonzalez, Patricia Huerta, Rosa Rodriguez Frazier, Steve Rosa, Justin Morris, Marina Magalhães, Allicia Mullikin, Noelle Price, Victoria Watts, Meg Fox, Wade Madson, Meg Wolfe, Li Chiao Ping, Morgan Piper Hayes, Barbara Grubel, Alessandra Williams, Denise Cervera, Diana Cervera, Maria Casanova, Vincent Calderon, and to the Poc-Chuc Dance Collective: Emily Vazquez, Rodrick Barnes, Lael Batiste, Margaux Gex, Gia Falzone, Vivian Larsen, and Iverson Harding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://acerv002.wixsite.com/alfonsocerveradance
• Instagram: @fonzy110990

Image Credits
Sunny Martini, Bobby Gordon, Steve Rosa, Cervera & Irvin