Borderlandia

Made in residence at PlatteForum (Denver, CO).

Borderlandia is an immersive performance experience that claims, controls and imagines space while fashioning a map to find home. Driven by Denver’s segregated neighborhoods and the rapid gentrification taking over the city, the work features flagging tape to make visible the borders that divide while also limiting the audience’s own movement in the space. Borderlandia also draws upon three dance techniques, my own modern dance training that includes Piso Móvil and Continuum technique studied under Omar Carrum, and House and Mexican Folklórico led by the cast of professional dancers. House and Mexican Folklórico techniques share an exciting dynamic in their expressive, rhythmical footwork. Akin to learning to communicate in another language, these forms allow for a physical conversation between the dancers. In this world of neon lines that divide the space, Borderlandia navigates the visible borders we create, the property we claim and the imagination we inhabit, which frequently impacts and limits the movement (and freedom) of other people.

Conceived and Directed by Kate Speer in collaboration with the performers, Aundrea Anderson, Lisa Engelken, Mecca Madyun, Sara Roybal, Kate Speer, and Jessica Troppmann. Music mixed live by DJ B*Money a.k.a Chris Behm-Meyer. Lite Brite Design and Fabrication Consultation by Rebecca Vaughan.