Estévez Raful Espejo works with a group of iconic Bronxites to co-develop with him performative actions that they present together in private or in the Bronx's public realm, focused on the histories that tie these individuals to specific communities and neighborhoods in their borough. These otherwise ephemeral gestures are recorded in photography, video and/or writings. All of these materials will serve as the basis for a future publication conceived and edited by Estévez Raful. “Performing the Bronx” is an expansion of Estévez Raful’s on-going efforts to generate work with and within different communities in the Bronx. It is also representative of his interest in recovering, reclaiming and remembering histories of the area’s inhabitants that run the risk of being effaced by time, lost in the midst of neighborhoods in flux, or dismissed by dominant discourses that often position themselves at the center of the conversation. With “Performing the Bronx” Estévez Raful continues contributing to the archives of the place he calls home. Past collaborators include Bill Aguado, Wanda Salamán, Mili Bonilla, Danilo Lachapel, Arthur Avilés, Caridad De La Luz ‘La Bruja’, Benny Bonilla, and Dr. Drum Bombayó.

The previous chapters of Performing the Bronx have been supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affair, Casita Maria’s South Bronx Culture Trail 2020, and the Bronx Council on the Arts. They have also received love, space and support from Mothers on the Move, The Andrew Freedman Home, and BAAD!

Performing the Bronx© 2015 Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful Espejo

Image: Rhina Valentin in Drumming With and For Benny (Performing the Bronx). Photo: Argenis Apolinario.

Rhina Valentin’s participation will include master percussionist Angel Rodríguez, and Michael Max Knobbe, BronxNet Executive Director. Rhina’s fashion designer: Adrian Alicea

All filming for Performing the Bronx: Geoffrey Jones.