For Immediate Release: February 2023

Contact: Jasmine Stanley | 213-239-4348 | stanley@contra-tiempo.org

Liza Wade Green | 919-513-7155 | lwgreen@ncsu.edu

CONTRA-TIEMPO Premiere of ¡AZÚCAR! at NC State LIVE

Raleigh, NC, March 31, 2023, CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater in partnership with NC State LIVE, presents a creative residency to gather the local community together in a celebration of love, resistance, and radical joy.

¡AZÙCAR! is a courageous naming of and intentional obliteration of the undercurrent and often unspoken anti-blackness in latinidad. This piece, performed by CONTRA-TIEMPO, is embodied through the practice and sharing of our Afro-Latine ancestral movement and vibrational technologies. Questions are continuing to drive the process as we begin to understand the complicated history of sugar and the messages from our ancestors. What would it look like to exist in a world that centered nourishment, care and rooted in the body? How does Celia's belting out “¡Azúcar!” set us all a little more free? Can we reckon with our past without losing ourselves in the fight? Does it have to be a fight? Is there space for grace? What does it feel like to individually and collectively heal, what does it move like? The evening-length performance of ¡AZÚCAR! shares stories of sugar as a harmful system of oppression, reveres the sacred caretakers of ancestral resiliency, and elevates the rise of our human spirits in ruptures of rhythm, music, and dance.

Who: CONTRA-TIEMPO and NC State Live

at The Stewart Theater

What: ¡AZÚCAR! World Premiere

When: Performance: Friday 3/31 at 8pm

Where: Stewart Theatre, Talley Student Union

2610 Cates Ave, Raleigh, NC 27695

Parking: Reynolds Coliseum Parking Deck

Jeter Drive Parking lot

Carmicheal gym parking lot

Campus map

Website: www.contra-tiempo.org ; https://live.arts.ncsu.edu/

This work was commissioned by NC State LIVE as part of the 50th anniversary season. Further support was provided by the MAPfund, National Endowment of the Arts, Arts Forward, Culver City Arts Foundation, and NEFA.

Learn More:

More About ¡AZÙCAR!

More About Togetherverse

About CONTRA-TIEMPO

Information about the collaborators and performers working on the larger scope of ¡AZÚCAR! can be found on our website.

For Immediate Release: February 2023

Contact: Jasmine Stanley | 213-239-4348 | stanley@contra-tiempo.org

CONTRA-TIEMPO Presents “joyUS justUS” at Queens University of Charlotte

Charlotte, NC, March 25, 2023, CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater in partnership with the Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement, presents “joyUS justUS” an evening length participatory Activist Dance Theater experience that takes on joy as the ultimate expression of resistance. Whenever humans have survived immense hardship and injustice, prevailing with their humanity intact, the presence of joy, or the knowingness and celebration of our true beauty and power, has always been at the root. “joyUS justUS” reclaims the dominant deficit -based narrative of people of color in this country as being underprivileged, voiceless, powerless, and victimized, and flips it on its head by embodying stories of joy collected from communities of color in South Los Angeles. The stories shared in this work are personal truths about the power of hope, faith, and family, the strength of the villages that have raised our children and the wealth that lives in our collective histories of struggle and resistance.

"joyUS justUS" was a deeply collaborative effort. Conceived and directed by Ana Maria Alvarez the piece includes choreography by Alvarez and each company member who contributed their unique ideas and richly diverse movement styles, music by Las Cafeteras, whose powerful East L.A. sound and socio-political message closely compliment our own, d. Sabela grimes, whose soundprints were the heartbeat of Agua Furiosa, Charlese Antoinette, whose costumes help our dancers radiate joy and power, Emily Orling whose altar quilts create a beautifully sacred visual environment and Tuce Yasak, whose technical direction has literally brought light to so many of our stages.

Who: CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater

What: joyUS justUS live performance

When: Saturday 3/25 at 8pm

Where: Queens University of Charlotte, Sandra Levine Theater

2319 Wellesley Ave, Charlotte, NC 28207

Parking: North Parking Deck on Wellesley Ave

Campus map

Website: www.contra-tiempo.org ; arts.queens.edu

This performance is made possible in part by the City of Culver City and its Cultural Affairs Commission, with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment and the Culver City Arts Foundation.

Learn More:

More About joyUS joyUS

About CONTRA-TIEMPO

Information about the collaborators and performers in joyUS justUS can be found on our website.

CONTRA-TIEMPO Presents the West Coast Premiere of ¡azúcar! - A Captivating Celebration of Love, Resistance, and Radical Joy at the Historic Ford Theaters

Los Angeles, CA - August 1, 2023 - CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater, in partnership with the iconic Ford Theaters, proudly announces a transformative creative residency that brings the local community together in a powerful celebration of heritage, resilience, and unity. The riveting performance of ¡azúcar! delves deep into the courageous exploration and intentional dismantling of anti-blackness within the Latine community, weaving a tapestry of Afro-Latine ancestral movement and vibrational technologies..

Through thought and emotion-provoking movement, ¡azúcar! confronts the complex history of sugar and its ties to oppression while tapping into the resilience and messages from ancestors of many Latine cultures. This enchanting evening-length performance serves as a poignant reminder of our collective capacity for healing and transformation.

“¡azúcar!” is a courageous naming of and intentional obliteration of the undercurrent and often unspoken anti-blackness in latinidad," said Ana Maria Alvarez, Choreographer and Founding Artistic Director of CONTRA-TIEMPO. “In a world yearning for nourishment, care, and rootedness in the body, ¡azúcar! will offer all attendees an immersive journey into the profound possibilities of freedom and grace.”

Don't miss this captivating performance that sheds light on the harmful impacts of the sugar system, pays homage to the sacred caretakers of ancestral wisdom, and unleashes the power of the human spirit through mesmerizing rhythms, soul-stirring music, and electrifying dance.

Who: CONTRA-TIEMPO and The Ford Theater

What: ¡azúcar! West Coast Premiere

When: Friday 8/18 at 8pm

Where: The Ford Theater address: 2580 Cahuenga Blvd E, Los Angeles, CA 90068

Parking: Parking at The Ford is stacked and limited. You will be directed by an attendant upon arrival.

Off-site Parking and free shuttle service:
Universal City/Studio City Metro Station (3913 Lankershim Blvd, Studio City 91604)
Ovation LA (formerly Hollywood & Highland) from Orange Court (1736 N Orange Dr, Los Angeles 90028)
Shuttle begins running 2 hours before show time and every 20 minutes.

Support for this work was provided by NC State LIVE, MAPfund, National Endowment of the Arts, Association of Performing Arts Professionals - Arts Forward, NEFA - National Dance Project and the Culver City Arts Foundation.

About CONTRA-TIEMPO:

CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater is a trailblazing dance company that uses its unique blend of Salsa, Afro-Cuban, and street dance to ignite social change and uplift marginalized voices. Led by visionary choreographer Ana Maria Alvarez, alongside directors Jannet Galdamez, Ruby Morales, and Karina Zaidé Sainz, CONTRA-TIEMPO's innovative performances challenge the status quo and inspire audiences to engage with critical social issues. Breaking away from the conventional ticket-buyer model, the company reimagines its performances as transformative community experiences with their work extending beyond the stage, forging meaningful connections and reciprocal relationships with the community. Through their electrifying artistry, they aim to create a world where joy, equity, and interconnectedness thrive.

For more information, tickets, and additional performances, visit www.contra-tiempo.org/azucar

Media Contact:

Nicole Rodrigues – NRPR Group for Contra-Tiempo

nicole@nrprgroup.com

650-815-5069

CONTRA-TIEMPO Communications Associate:

Jasmine Stanley

stanley@contra-tiempo.org

213-239-4348

Website: www.contra-tiempo.org ; theford.com

Support for this work was provided by NC State LIVE, MAPfund, National Endowment of the Arts, Association of Performing Arts Professionals - Arts Forward, NEFA - National Dance Project and the Culver City Arts Foundation.

Learn More:

More About ¡azúcar!

About CONTRA-TIEMPO

Information about the collaborators and performers working on the larger scope of ¡azúcar! can be found on our website.