Meet Luis “L.T.” Martinez from Whittier, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis “L.T.” Martinez.

Luis “L.T.”, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My first recollection of performing on a stage is of when my dad and I sang the BeBe & CeCe Winans version of “The First Noel” for his entire congregation at the time during their early 2000’s holiday musical spectacular. I was ten years old with no performance experience singing (CeCe’s part, of course) a personal favorite of the pastor’s (my father) in front of an audience of about 1000 devout believers. I still chuckle at the memory of a choir member letting me and my father know I “can really blow” after our show had concluded. Music had been the most organic start to my exploration of the world of art and entertainment. Once the opportunity was made available in school, I very quickly shifted my academic and extracurricular focus to make room for all things concerning my musical education.

Though my experience within various music programs did push me towards wanting to seek other forms of artful expression professionally, I would not be the creator I am today without the skill set I gained while training as a musician in my adolescence. As an angsty teen, I was certainly convinced that my artistic path was bound to instrumentalism. That is until I was bestowed with the gift of experiencing my first Makita. I quite like the idea that my introduction to the art of movement was sparked by a tool of mass construction. You see, when I was not spending time clad militantly on a football field with war-horn in hand, I found myself in the green room working as a stagehand with the Auditorium Technical Crew (shout out to Aaron Morgan and Ms. Catherine Brunel at Whittier High <3). This would introduce me to an intoxicating world of theatrical expression fueled by musical motifs and nuanced thematic variations.

As a band geek, I was already enthralled with the pageantry of drum corps shows, so musical theatre was an easy sell. As the saying goes, it’s all downhill from here. I stumbled my way through an unsuccessful audition for the Spring musical my sophomore year and then (after a few dance classes) into supporting roles for the remaining two years of my compulsory education. Suddenly, I found myself stumbling through an audition for college. My original intention was to refine my dance technique and bolster my aptitude for the performance of contemporary musical theatre but I have most definitely stumbled *around* that inciting incident along my route to the present. Dance is a potent drug. I fell in love with the possibilities of storytelling through physicality during my undergraduate experience. Maybe the stark contrast to my roots as a sonically-motivated maker is what drove my scientist’s curiosity regarding movement as a narrative art form? Or perhaps that the challenge of accomplishing feats of athletic prowess flipped the “conquer” switch on for the competitively toxic male that can reside in all us humans? Idk – probably a bit of both, if we’re being transparent. Regardless, gainful and consistent employment as a movement artist has been hard to come by.

As of late, career opportunities have been few and far in between. I continue to train, contract, plead, and point/flex my toes while looking for consistent work in the realm of arts education; sometimes, I even find myself [stumbling] on[to] movie sets. My heart cries for the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience once again. Music still vibrates along the wrinkles of my mind, though my current dexterity for performance leaves a little to be desired when compared to my prodigious youth. And, for the most part, I have relegated my vocal expressions to the confines of my car during long commutes. Oftentimes, I like to take the longer, less turbulent sequence of freeways home and very much enjoy the extra space to spit sounds on the way. Thus we have a brief but critical analysis of “The Story So Far” RE: Luis “L.T.” Martinez. Throughout the years, there have been many consultations with the Moon as well as debates with Venus, Mars, and other celestial entities. There have been manic highs and devastating lows, but the catharsis of creation comes in carrying frequencies of closure and healing. Not to say that you shouldn’t go see a specialist (if you can) when you’re experiencing the debilitating effects of mental unhealth – art is therapeutic and all but so is effectively working through past trauma.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Physical insecurity and self-doubt/deprecation aside, I find it most difficult to surmount the concept of “good health” when it comes to both my aesthetic appearance and material well being. Injuries are to be expected when taking on a physically laborious line of work. However, I’ve had difficulties with navigating the healthcare systems as an “adult” which has affected my ability to find and receive the kinds of preventative and recuperative care necessary to keep myself performing at peak capability. This has on more than one occasion turned very mild knicks and twists into melodramatic tragedies that left me recovering both physically and financially for much longer than I was able to afford. I find the concept of community to be illusive as well. If you attend an institution of any kind for training, you’re blessed with a sort of built-in network that will sift itself through as your years progress. When you leave the training grounds, you are subject to the vast lonesomeness that is our industry in this world. You and your intimate connections are scattered in directions that whisper of opportunities to create a livelihood with your learned crafts. You can become astonishingly attached to future castmates/coworkers you have during any extended contract but are once again scattered to the winds after the curtain comes down on closing night. Sometimes I blame myself for “not putting myself out there” as much as I “should” be when it comes to social media and other Internet spaces of gathering.

Truthfully, I was surprised (pleasantly) that I was nominated for an interview as a “Hidden Gem” – not to haphazardly scoff at my own Diamond Heart but more so because I wouldn’t say I’m so much “hidden” as I am “hiding.” I currently reside quite a distance away from LA Proper and would regularly make the commute into the city for creative endeavors until recent events indefinitely postponed the majority of my opportunities to do so. My trusted accomplices in the arts are geographically dispersed which has also made being able to create with each other a palpable challenge. As a maker of movement, being forced into an extended moment of solo exploration is disheartening at times[,] even with (the) [my] romantically wayward and disparate imaginings of our individual journeys(x) [that] I paint when I’m feeling blue on a Monday. I have kept myself mostly secluded as I conceptualize plans to build a creative space that my tribe can call home base for a time; a common ground; a sanctuary of solidarity, so to speak. This will require certain business know-how that I am more immediately challenged with obtaining before anything is to be manifested in the physical reality. The current eclipse season means it’s time to focus on clearing the cobwebs and cleansing for the rest of the year, tbh.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When someone asks me what I do for a living, I say I am an arts educator. My medium for both art and education has primarily been movement for several years now. I enjoy the challenge of using contemporary approaches to physicality as a tool for storytelling and consider it my specialty. The work I am most proud of today is titled “Desert Day Dream: Satyric Festival S(chl)ong” which features THE PRIDE CLOWN as he navigates an introspective delusion regarding the traditionally hetero-centric norms of sexual expression and desire. Also, I think Martha would have laughed. It was choreographed as a derivative of Graham’s “Satyric Festival Song” which was inspired by the Indigenous tribes of the North American Southwest. While her approach seemed more focused on the duties of mockery and satirization of religious rituals for the Chiffoneti (Pueblo clowns), I wanted to highlight their traditional ability to publicly shame deviant behavior. The shirt I wear is an example of certain incredibly toxic ideals that many queer homies hold with heavy regard when it comes to seeking a partner for human connection. Laughter is my second favorite medicine and I thoroughly enjoyed letting my laughter guide me in crafting the choreography for this piece.

It’s a fun memory of sweating buckets in the middle of the desert on ancestral Cahuilla and Cocopah land with no signal, dancing to the music in my head and coming up with a shot list on the go as I figured out how to turn this excerpt into a legitimate concept with the help of my very capable make-shift production crew (my cousins, Chloe & Maya Martinez). I have recently been trying to remember how to approach my craft as my younger self did a decade ago. Though I was an utter mess on a technical level, my unbridled passion and pure light energy are what I am currently training myself to remember how to embody once again. I love finding moments for physical comedy and clownery in my dances just as much as I love finding moments for the kind of synchronous and kaleidoscopic movement patterns that even the Blue Devils would salute. I’m a big fan of syncopation when it comes to musicality and enjoys finding ways to audibly dance polyrhythms when it feels good. I like to spend off-days either running around on the beach with my doghter, Selena[,] or sifting through fresh dirt and tending to the garden.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risks encourage evolution. You are forced to utilize critical thinking skills in order to make a calculated choice and are bound to face the consequences regardless. I think the idea of unknowable outcomes can be scary to people but an important thing to realize is that it’s okay not to know. It’s okay to listen to your gut (intuition) when making decisions that incur any form of risk. In the instances where things don’t go as planned, you are able to learn and better equip yourself for the next time important decisions must be made. This is also possible when things do go as planned or even better than.

I would never encourage a Nihilistic or reckless approach to allowing for some more risk while living your life. I would just say that it’s fun to say, “F it,” sometimes; be a kid again for a second out of your day, if you can. Don’t be a dumb kid (‘cause we already did that bit – thank u, next), but enjoy yourself. We can take small risks every day that allow our inner child to have some playtime. Deciding to audition for the high school musical all those years ago may have led to “failure” the first time around, but I would have never been able to discover the spark to set my soul aflame without risking my embarrassment in the first place. When all is said and done, taking the risk to be involved in the arts helped me to discover who I am and what I have to offer in this life.

Pricing:

• Int./Adv. Studio Choreography (Competition, Showcase, etc.) – $500 flat rate for 8 hours of rehearsal time + one 1 hour brush-up rehearsal (02:30 – 03:00 min piece max)
• Private + Semi-Private Dance Coaching Sessions (Dance Technique, Functional Training, Audition Prep, etc.) – $1.50 – $2.00 per minute (sliding scale; contact for details)
• Casa Alta Jam Sessions – FREE (donation-based) 60 – 90 minute classes in dance, music, and more offered to the Public via Facebook Live (https://www.facebook.com/casaaltahomeentertainment)

Contact Info:

• Email: luis.ltm.martinez@gmail.com
• Website: https://ltmartinez.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eltigreus/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luisltmartinez
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/eltigreus
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF858_HPwQLuOtzW0ar8Cng/

Image Credits
[White Shorts] Jesse DeYoung (@jdy_photography) [White Turtleneck] Emily Sandifer (@emilysandiferphoto) [Light Filters – x2] Orlando Perez (@operezmua) [B&W Fall] Emelie Aggestål (@aggestalphotography) [Sepia Heart] Matt Kallish (@matt_kallish) [THE PRIDE CLOWN] Maya Martinez [Apples] Castmate (ANNIE at the Hollywood Bowl)