Weile is a reflection of patriarchal oppression on feminine bodies of color. From the exposed, sexualized and exotic bodies to the invisible, shrouded ones, what is seen is still a repressed female body. How do these bodies find courage and strength through each other to challenge the patriarchal system?

Could we use the conditioned exoticism of our bodies to claim our space within this system?  Our bodies connected by a veil reveal parts of us claimed to be taboo while our faces are invisible. This image is striking as the contrasting soundtrack of Schubert’s Ave Maria plays in the background, asking yet another question: Are women of color tokenized as the antithesis of the virginal and pure?

Concieved and performed by Os&En

How do we live with vulnerability?

A piece about the absurdities of gender and the disputes between gender representation. How do we identify with our stereotypes? How do we rise above bullying? How do we stay true to our culture while displaced? How do we fight for our nipples to air out?

This is the beginning of the topless series of works about feminism. How it affects us in and out of the stage. How to cope when feminism and reality diverge to the point of obliteration of the self? These and many other questions still unanswered.

How does the male role diverged from the point of the piece by not showing himself?

How does the role outside of the stage comes into play on stage?

Gilded Kant Re-gilded: Homage to Pina Bausch

Condensed version of Gilded Kant with accents to reference Pina Bausch’s legacy as part of Glassland Art Gallery curation.

Second iteration of the Gilded Kant. This was part of the Fifth Preposition, a collaboration with German visual artist Benjamin Bohnsack who volunteered to become part of the performance as well as to create drawings for the piece. In this iteration of the piece we also collaborated with Patty Heffley, photographer performing in this piece, and Ellen Norbis, as videographer.

This was conceived and choreographed by me with the input of Benjamin Bohnsack. We were commissioned to honor the legacy of Pina Bausch by Glassland Gallery. Pina Bausch is one of the most influential women choreographers in my dancing life. I also wanted to honor my Venezuelan heritage by making reference to Maria Lionza, a feminine mythical character in Venezuelan mysticism. The name Gilded Kant, was also honoring some of the thinkings of Immanuel Kant, as well as, a play of words to reference a very well known male choreographer who I worked with who loved to call women cunts. This was my way to vocalize my transformation of a degrading comment and converted into a golden, powerful and elevated symbol. The price I paid for this daring gesture was very high, yet I found it extremely necessary to voice my dissent thru dance.

Choreography, Concept and Video Editing: Elisa Osborne

Collaboration with Drawings, Performance, Set Building, and Video Editing: Benjamin Bohnsack

Performance Cameo: Patty Heffley

Video: Helen Nerbe

A piece about displacement, abuse, brutality, police brutality and the horrors of misguided and sick love.

A new piece but Kant still playing a role in the naming of pieces. Also by The Fifth Proposition. Benjamin Bohnsack projected one of the drawings from Gilded Kant onto a wall which we painted. Our “home” concept was a church altar with a Coca-Cola as the idol. Displacement took on the concept as I moved from the “Jungle church” to the stage. This was a solo movement performance while Bohnsack played music. This piece was curated by Hiroyuki Masuyama.

This piece are phrases of PNF like patterns of the leg and some pelvic muscles. Standing the patterns are done with the right leg, on the floor they are done with the left. This is my work based in studies of Anatomy with Irene Dowd for the past eight years.

This work is a direct interpretation of my PNF course with Irene Dowd. I arranged this patterns to create a mini-dance. The movement occurring standing highlight the right side of the body, the movement occurring on the ground highlight the left side. This piece was my rebirth, I wanted to honor my rather stark feelings at the moment of its creation. This piece is about losing oneself in love and the wreckage left behind. I also wanted to honor the influence Pina Bausch and David Zambrano have had in my movement exploration. Lastly, the piece of music comes from the soundtrack of the movie Frida, who also plays a major role in my artistic choices. Marea in Spanish means tide, the feeling and sense of having to fight no to drown and arriving at solid ground even if exhausted and broken was the image that drove the piece.

This video was a direct response to Trump winning the elections. It is also a PNF like study of the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of the feet.

Work in progress PNF patterns of shoulder girdle.