Meet Trailblazer Tina Ford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Ford.

Tina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve studied dance, music, and theater since I was a little kid. I’ve been choreographing and teaching for over ten years. My interest in fine art began in my early 20s, exploring art museums and galleries. I started assisting with large-scale art projects at Burning Man. The most prolific experiences I have had in the art world are at events that nurture a sense of community. I was inspired and began curating art shows around the Bay Area with my best friend Lucy Pecora.

My knowledge of fine art, music, performing arts, and my passion for creating safe and inclusive events inspired my move to Long Beach in 2017. I love San Francisco, but I knew there would be new and exciting opportunities in the Los Angeles area. I was quickly embraced and supported by the Filipinx community here in LA and was performing dance on a regular basis. Shortly after I moved to the LA area, the Kita Kits Collective of Filipinx artists was established. I found myself in a whirlwind of familial artistic events, feeling more connected to my identity than ever before.

At a Kita Kits event, I met Vanessa Briones-Englund, who is a skilled visual artist and co-founder of AND/OR. We quickly bonded over our shared passion for art and our mixed-race Filipina heritage. We discussed curating an art show together and extracting a theme from our backgrounds that could be used to find common ground among people of our surrounding communities. This developed into the AND/OR Art Show Project.

Has it been a smooth road?
It is always a bumpy road to be an artist. It can be difficult to balance my day job with my artistic pursuits. I’ve got bills to pay! I am confident in my grassroots hard work, and I am resourceful. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

One of the struggles I’ve come across in my curatorial work is the inaccessibility of the fine art world. It can be nepotistic, elitist, and often over-intellectualized and academic. Working-class creatives do not always get the support we deserve. I’ve been told I have a chip on my shoulder, but I know I am not the only person who feels this way. I attempt to amplify the voices of others who share my experience through the events I curate. There’s a positive shift happening, slowly but surely, and it’s being spearheaded by community spaces such as the Pilipino Workers Center, Junior High LA, and the Deep End Club. They are safe and inclusive brick-and-mortars that allow marginalized voices to be heard.

A challenge I have faced as a dancer has been my size. I do not fit the mold of a typical dancer, so my opportunities are limited. Thanks to the efforts of body positive activists, there are more opportunities for plus size dancers now than ever before, but the status quo in the industry still exists. As a plus size woman, I have to work twice as hard to even find the opportunities to teach and perform in the dance world.

Some advice for other young womxn who are beginning their journey… Learn how to thrive artistically in solitude. When you are at peace with yourself, and a self-motivated project manager, you are more likely to collaborate successfully with others. That being said, be sure to engage in your community. Immerse yourself deeply in what you love. Go to events that make you feel inspired. If you can’t find a space where you feel like you belong, CREATE THAT SPACE, BABY GIRL, YOU DESERVE IT! If you feel lost and confused, remember you aren’t alone.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a woman of many hats. I am an activist through art. I’m an event planner who curates conscious/conscientious events based on radically peaceful principles. I am also a multidisciplinary dancer and choreographer with an affinity for teaching movement and theater to children. My day job is at JDC Record Store in San Pedro, which is the most fun you can have while working in retail.

My main project, with Vanessa Briones-Englund, is the AND/OR Art Show Project. AND/OR is a nomadic art project about existing in the space between cultures. Inspired by the mixed-race experience, AND/OR’s intention is to highlight the voices of people of color while creating a common ground. Exploring themes around culture, identity, hybridity, and dialectical tension/harmony, AND/OR highlights the need for nuanced discussions around race. AND/OR is focused on gathering visual artists, performers, and educators to connect, collaborate, and bond around shared experiences. What I am most proud of is AND/OR’s inclusivity of artists and audiences of diverse ages and socioeconomic backgrounds.

I am constantly seeking out opportunities to dance and teach, particularly contemporary and modern styles. My solo choreography and performance art works examine expectations put upon womxn of marginalized experience. In “Human And/Or Dancer” I shared common interactions between strippers and customers, both positive and negative. In “Archipelago” I confronted my contention with the Philippine diaspora.  In the upcoming “Human And/Or Caretaker” I will explore the relationships between Overseas Filipino Workers who are caretakers, and their charges and patients.

One of my favorite projects is my Rock ‘n’ Roll dance workshop for families with toddlers. It is a playtime structured around music, with dance fundamentals, terminology, and motor skills intertwined with the games and exercises, all to a fun soundtrack. My goal with this workshop is to bridge the generational gap in families through movement. This class is available for kids’ parties, or as a private class for your family. It can be catered to any music and dance style.

Which women have inspired you in your life?
In my artwork, I am inspired by womxn who create installations. Ana Mendieta’s Silueta Series from the 1970s-80s influenced much of my early choreography. Recently, Sadie Barnette’s Black Sky about her family and politics have kept me motivated to create work around controversial topics. Laurie Shapiro’s Yoni Temple made me feel so comfortable like I was in the womb. My favorite exhibit from last year was Memory Room by Nica Aquino. Experiencing it brought me to tears as I honored ancestors, and made me feel proud to be Filipina.

I worked at a Puerto Rican restaurant called Sol Food in the SF Bay Area on and off for around 8 years. The owner is a woman named Sol Hernandez. She grew up in Marin, where I’m from, and created a food micro-empire and introduced an entire community to her culture’s cuisine. She inspires me to be proud of who I am, to work my butt off, and to take crap from no one.

I come from an industrious family who made a lot of sacrifices to make sure I lived in a safe place where I could pursue a life in the arts. My Mom moved to the US from the Philippines by herself when she was 26 years old. My Mom is a professional caretaker, specifically a nurse for hospice patients. Watching her nurture people in need of loving care inspires me to be inclusive and kind. Being raised by a strong-willed, hard-working woman played a huge role in my motivation. My Mom taught me to do the best with what I have. My Mom taught me to be grateful. My Mom is a queen.

Pricing:

• Private Solo Dance Class – $50/hour
• Private Duet Dance Class – $75/hour
• Private Group Dance Class – $100/hour

Contact Info:

• Phone: 310-989-8146
• Email: [email protected], [email protected]
• Instagram: @heytinabird, @andorartshow

Image Credit:
Center for the Arts Eagle Rock, Curt, Oaklynn, Mark Sandstrorm, Jasmine Yohai

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