Danzantes del Alba/Dancers of the Dawn is a theatrical movement piece that celebrates the resilience of workers who travel the migrant route from Central America to Mexico. The piece began as a carnival in a small town in Mexico along the migratory route from Central America. Danzantes opens with spectators standing on stage in three concentric circles, where they encounter 36 colorful costumes. Dancers bring the costumes to life as a documentary is projected behind the dancing. A narrator tells the stories of the workers and artisans who made the costumes, laboring in small textile cooperatives, living rooms, shelters and community centers along the migrant trail. As part of the New York production, the company will cast seven local immigrant dancers to join the production, prioritizing the embodied life histories of immigrant experiences as integral to the performance.
Founded in 1993, Teatro Línea de Sombra (TLS) is an internationally renowned collective of theatermakers, researchers and actors and one of Mexico’s leading theater companies. TLS produces theatrical pieces, exhibitions and other performance experiences. Its Directors, Jorge A. Vargas and Alicia Laguna are currently Mellon Artists in Residence at New York University’s Hemispheric Institute.
