{"id":2117,"date":"2023-08-30T21:43:24","date_gmt":"2023-08-31T02:43:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/julianasilva.co\/?p=2117"},"modified":"2026-07-05T11:31:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T16:31:58","slug":"dance-forms-in-the-streets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/julianasilva.co\/?p=2117","title":{"rendered":"Dance Forms in the Street"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Dance Forms in the Street” is an interactive art project that delves into street carnivals and festivals’ celebratory and healing origins. This project aims to immerse visitors in carnivals and street celebrations, showcasing their cultural significance through textiles, sound installations, and stop-motion animation. Inspired by various carnivals and celebrations in Colombia, the project highlights the connection between dance, music, and the collective joy experienced in these festivities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project was funded by the Canada Council for the Arts in the Research and Create component. It is still under development in its first phase. The images, videos, and sounds shown here are partial research results. The goal is to create an installation in a gallery space where the audience can enjoy this art experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fabric Designs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Colombian carnivals and most celebrations in Latin America have a rich history rooted in tri-ethnic groups: Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant peoples, and Spanish colonials. I approach these celebrations through costume. I created fabrics that tell stories about what I observed while touring them. Each fabric I design tells a story related to one of the ethnic roots that converge seamlessly in these celebrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Volcano’s Roar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Volcano’s Roar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The song to the River and Fertility<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The song to the River and Fertility<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Volcano’s Roar – yellow version<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Volcano’s Roar – yellow version<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Tribute to the Woman Who Works the Land<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Tribute to the Woman Who Works the Land<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Soul of Currulao<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Soul of Currulao<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Carnival Masks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Carnival Masks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Stop-motion Animation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During my time in the Design for Dance artistic residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, I came across the book “Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy” by Barbara Ehrenreich, which inspired me to rethink the concept of celebration. In her research, she questions why collective ecstasy is rarely embraced and why we do not make more room for celebration, considering our tremendous capacity for collective ecstasy. This vision motivates me to explore collective celebration’s historical and contemporary impact on individual well-being and community functioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While researching the origin of celebrated carnivals in Colombia, I discovered a recurring theme amongst most of them. These celebrations have emerged as a means of protesting against established orders, highlighting historical and social injustices, or serving as a form of collective healing after traumatic events. As a result, these events have served as a space for the convergence of the three ethnic groups, fostering a friendly dialogue that facilitates healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example is the Blacks and Whites Carnival, which originated as a celebration of enslaved people on January 5th, their only free day. The celebration blended with other indigenous and Christian celebrations, eventually giving birth to the Carnival we know today. Even today, people use the Carnival as a tool for denunciation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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