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Presented by FADO Performance as a part of Progress Stage 4: Crossing The Threshold
AlieNation Armando Minjarez’s performance is part of his long-term international participatory art project AlieNation, which is grounded in his personal experiences as an undocumented Mexican immigrant living in the USA. AlieNation examines mass migration and the disturbing trend of dehumanizing the migrant–an alien without a home, without rights or a defined identity. Racism and identity politics remain prevalent threads in the fabric of America, existing in a constant tension of mine vs. ours and black vs. white, a dangerous game hidden behind the veil of diversity and progress. This constant denial of a history of oppression and white supremacy has normalized a language of hate and hostility toward communities of color throughout the USA. This performance serves as a mirror of America’s denial of self. Only through self-awareness can the process of healing begin. Armando Minjarez has traveled and conducted research on displacement and migration of people in the USA, Mexico, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia. The project will eventually travel to Southern Mexico and Central America to follow the steps of displaced Central American minors.
ADMISSION: The events in the MONOMYTHS series are offered by donation. Please note that there is limited seating for each performance. Reservations through the individual eventbrite pages is suggested. Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/822176721224399 ACCESSIBILITY AT PROGRESS/THEATRE CENTRE The Theatre Centre sits on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Huron-Wendat peoples. ABOUT PROGRESS
SummerWorks, in partnership with The Theatre Centre and a roster of Toronto theatre and performance organizations/presenters and companies including Aluna Theatre, Dancemakers, FADO Performance Art Centre, Summerworks, The Theatre Centreand Volcano Theatre brings the world to Toronto with Progress: an International Festival of Performance and Ideas, January 14–February 7, 2016. www.thisisprogress.ca  MONOMYTHS invites a diverse collection of artists, scholars, and activists to revise Joseph Campbell’s conception of the hero’s journey through performance art, lectures, workshops, and other offerings. This new assemblage of non-linear un-narratives proposes a cultural, political and social feminist re-visioning of the world. The MONOMYTHS perception of the universal journey dispels the notion of the lone patriarchal figure on a conquest to vanquish his demons–both inner and outer–in consideration of community, collectivity, and collaboration. Joseph Campbell’s influential book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949) prescribes a common pattern to all of the world’s mythic narratives. According to this fundamental structure, the archetypal hero is challenged to embark on a monumental quest. Over the course of the hero’s journey, trials and obstacles must be overcome until a victory is won and the hero returns home with new knowledge about himself and the world. Campbell’s concept of the monomyth (‘one myth’) is a recognizable motif in both ancient mythology and contemporary culture, including film, music, literature, sports, and advertising. A current trend in popular visual culture replaces the male character with a female one, in spite of the fact that our heroine–from the get-go–would make different choices if the conditions, and conditioning, allowed. While each MONOMYTHS stage stands alone, the work of each presenting artist is interdependent and connected. These independent visions, when stitched together through the audience’s collective presence, form an exquisite corpse of a larger experimental narrative. The year-long MONOMYTHS project is presented in three sections starting in February 2016 and concluding in February 2017. The series is conceived and curated Jess Dobkin and Shannon Cochrane. Part 1 (February 3–7, 2016) Part 2 (May 2016–January 2017) Part 3 (February 15–19, 2017) + IMAGE GALLERY: Stage 4 + VIDEO GALLERY: Stage 4 + PORTRAIT GALLERY: MONOMYTHS + C Magazine: Notes on Myth-Making by Alison Cooley and Daniella E. Sanader + MONOMYTHS Limited Edition Perpetual Calendar |
