Today we’d like to introduce you to Santiago Rivera
Hi Santiago, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hello, my name is Santiago Rivera and I am a Salvadoran-American dance theater artist and educator from Los Angeles, CA. I am currently Adjunct Faculty at Cypress College where I teach Jazz Dance technique. My choreographic works are informed by dance techniques and practices such as Butoh, the Japanese dance theater, Marina Abramović’s perspective on violent performance art, Pina Bausch’s approach to physical theater, the José Limón technique, and Ohad Naharin’s Gaga movement language. I explore the LatinX closeted queer experience and how family, culture, religion, queerness, and violence affect brown bodies.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has not been a smooth road becoming a dance theater artist and educator. My family did not understand why I pursued the arts and the best way to make them understand was under the guise of education. I had many peers, educators, people with power question my presence in the dance studio, question the importance of my voice, try their best to silence me because I was too loud, and tell me how inappropriate it was that I made white people uncomfortable with the intensity of my work. Having to prove myself, and still doing so, has been soul shattering. I can acknowledge that I’ve made many mistakes, but when you see hatred in people’s eyes, it robs the potential trust and love you can feel in what is suppose to be a “safe” space.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My passion is education and choreography. My dream is teaching dance in higher education. I love creating community with students and artists who are curious about dance and want to experiment with their creativity. I live in the world of experimentation practices like Butoh and performance art which are extremely important in my work. Intersecting these practices with my culture and identity is what sets my choreography apart from others because I am not afraid of showing violence and trauma from a LatinX perspective.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The characteristic that is most important to me is the release of perfection. My experience as a closeted queer LatinX artist was infected with perfectionism. Striving to create art that would appeal to the heteronormative white experience was disingenuous to my goals and dreams. Affirming myself as a brown experimental choreographer in dance spaces has been so healing for myself and my work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/santiag0g0/
Image Credits
Personal Image: Evelyn Huynh
Image 1: Santiago Rivera
Image 2: Jazley Faith Photography
Image 3: Skye Schmidt Varga Photography
Image 4: Anthony Languren
Image 5: Skye Schmidt Varga Photography
Image 6: Cabrera-Worth Photography
Image 7: Black Lens Media
Image 8: Alexander Medina
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