Photo: Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful
THIS ACTION HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE AN UNEXPECTED ANGELIC ENCOUNTER. NEW DATE AND TIME: DECEMBER 15TH, 2024, 12 NOON. MORE DETAILS SOON.
Nightcrawlers
Luis A. Lara Malvacías & Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful Espejo Ovalles Morel
According to local mythology the Bronx River has been inhabited by an array of creatures, ranging from giant beavers to large snapping turtles. Some have been confirmed, while others remain in the imaginary of the place. The most recent sightings have involved José the Beaver, named after José E. Serrano, the Congressman who has supported the revitalization of the Bronx River. On the evening of December 5th, two queer entities will materialize to meet you at the Whitlock 6 train subway station to take you on a night walk along the Bronx River and some of its “archeological” post-industrial sites. The emphasis is on making visible the different non-human inhabitants, fictional or otherwise, who have called this place home. Wear layers to accommodate for the temperamental weather and consider bringing an umbrella in case of precipitation. Travel lightly with only what you absolutely need, since lost items will be almost impossible to retrieve in the darkness.
To RSVP click HERE
To access a map to this site please click HERE
Nightcrawlers is an action which is part of Bodies of Water / Fluid Improvisations Along the Bronx River, a program conceived and produced by Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful, with individual actions co-created with Arantxa Araujo, Andrés Senra,Luis A. Lara Malvacías, and Priscilla Marrero & Ferran Martin.
The series of actions is dedicated to the late Nancy Wallace. “She…[Nancy]…helped transform a watery graveyard for automobiles, tires and appliances into an urban greenbelt for New York City and Westchester County” The New York Times
About Bodies of Water/Fluid Improvisations Along the Bronx River points to the connections between bodies, as in human and non-human ones–such as Rivers–, as well as to concepts of interbeing, interconnectedness, and interdependence with all beings. Similarly, it brings to light ecological and social justice issues regarding colonial histories, environmental racism, and extractive capitalism while issuing a call for individual and collective stewardship and care for all bodies of Water. During four gatherings in different points along the Bronx River, improvisations centered on flow, water, compassion and deep listening are meant to unfold for invited participants, or perhaps unsuspecting audiences and wanderers attracted by a sight inspiring wonder and contemplation.
Bodies of Water/Fluid Improvisations Along the Bronx River / Background: The Bronx River has been a constant presence for Nicolás since he moved from the Dominican Republic to New York City in 1991. His first job was in the Fordham Road section with the Bronx River Restoration Project and it entailed engaging the aquatic subject through art classes. In 2011 he was baptized by Bill Aguado and Susan Newmark in Drew Gardens. The sacramental was water from the Bronx River and the intention was that of a rite of passage into Bronxhood. Three decades after his first connection with the Bronx, and in a rapidly gentrifying borough, Nicolás is proposing to approach the Bronx River from the perspective of elderhood and aging.
Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful was awarded a New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Support for Artists Grant (Bronx, NY) to support his creative work. Sponsored by The Action Lab, this award is funding Bodies of Water/Fluid Improvisations Along the Bronx River. Through New York State’s continued investment in arts and culture, NYSCA has awarded over $80 million since Spring 2023 to over 1,500 artists and organizations across the state.
Bodies of Water/Fluid Improvisations Along the Bronx River copyrights 2022 Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful / with copyrights for individual actions equally shared with each collaborator.
Luis A. Lara Malvacías
I am a dancer/choreographer/ teacher and trans-disciplinary artist whom body of work have focused on ideas of transformation, multiplicity and authorship and the role of the audience in dance performance. My research and process reflect my experience as part of the larger diaspora of Latinx brown queer immigrant artists. My projects explore the interaction between dance, design, videos, installations, sound, and the visual arts, questioning preconceived ideas of choreography, production and presentation. My work is presented under Luis Lara Malvacías / 3RD CLASS CITIZEN. I have also danced in the work of David Zambrano (Brussels), Mark Tompkins (France), Espacio Alterno Dance Company in Caracas, and in New York in the works of choreographers Yoshiko Chuma, Jeremy Nelson, Margarita Guergue. and in my own work. Performing with the John Jasperse Company at the Rencontres Chorégraphiques Internationales de Bagnolet in Paris in 1996, I won the Group Performance Award. I have been in creative residences at Le Pacific in Grenoble (France) and Labor Gras in Berlin (Germany) and was a 1998/1999 and 2002/2003 Movement Research’s Artist-In-Residency. I have received grants from, among others, the MAP Rockefeller Funds and The Jerome Foundation, and was the recipient of a 2006 NYFA Fellowship for choreography. I have taught classes/workshops in more than 20 countries over the past 25 years. I was a full time professor at UC Riverside between 2016 and 2023; currently I teach at the Dance department at the New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, teaching in the Fall semester. Internationally, I regularly teach and present work in many countries in Europe, South America, North America and Asia. I have also created work for repertory companies in Venezuela, Italy and the USA and for students at Texas Christian University, Stephen’s College, University of Madison, SEAD – Salzburg, the NSCD in Leeds, England and The School of Modern Dance in Copenhagen.
Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful Espejo Ovalles Morel treads an elusive path that manifests itself performatively through creative experiences that he helps unfold within the quotidian. He has exhibited or performed at Madrid Abierto/ARCO, The IX Havana Biennial, PERFORMA 05/07/21, IDENSITAT, Prague Quadrennial, Pontevedra Biennial, Queens Museum, MoMA, Printed Matter, P.S. 122, Sculpture Center, Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance BAAD!, Hemispheric Institute of Performance Art and Politics, City as Living Lab, Princeton University, Anthology Film Archives, El Museo del Barrio, Center for Book Arts, Longwood Art Gallery/BCA, The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Franklin Furnace, and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Nicolás has received mentorship in art in everyday life from Linda Mary Montano, a historic figure in the performance art field. Nicolás holds an MFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, where he studied with Coco Fusco; and an MA from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. He recently served as a Senior Lecturer and Social Practice Artist in Residence in the Art and Art History Department at The University of Texas, Austin; and was a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow in Washington DC. He is the founding director of The Interior Beauty Salon, an organism living at the intersection of creativity and healing. Born in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Nicolás was baptized as a Bronxite in 2011.