Eryc Taylor Dance Will Tour Yucatan to Provide Outreach to Young Victims of Violence

In a multi-purpose "give back" to the people of Mexico, Eryc Taylor Dance (ETD) will return to the Mexican state of Yucatán from November 14 through November 20 with free, open to the public concerts, workshops for professional dancers, and Movement Expression Workshops for young victims of violence, mistreatment and abuse.

The ETD tour, in partnership with Umbral Danza Contemporánea, will visit two cities, Chocholá and Mérida, and conclude with performances on Nov. 18 and 19 at the International Dance Festival Avant Garde at Teatro José Peón Contreras in Mérida, Yucatán's capital. This is the third Eryc Taylor Dance company tour to Mexico, and their third year presenting at the International Festival in Mérida. Video - ETD Mexico Tour 2016.

Eryc Taylor, Artistic Director of Eryc Taylor Dance, has deep family connections to Mexico, spanning generations. According to Mr. Taylor, "It's a special joy to offer the healing powers of movement to the most vulnerable minority groups in the Yucatán. It's more important than ever to reach out to our global neighbors to spread cultural unity through movement."

Chocholá, a city steeped in Mayan culture with little exposure to the outside world, has an indigenous population still speaking the Mayan language. Chocholá's population has been exposed only to native folkloric dance. The ETD visit will include dance workshops for local children, introducing them to contemporary music and modern dance technique. In addition, they will learn repertory from "Cycles," a new ETD work that premiered in October at the company's 2017 NYC Season. The dance students will be invited to perform for the company, and will also serve as "guest stars" at a local ETD performance. The Eryc Taylor Dance visit to Chocholá will conclude with presentation of five company works at a free, outdoor concert at the town's municipal palace, hosted by Chocholá's mayor.

After four days in Chocholá, the company will travel to Mérida, Yucatán's capital, to work with young residents of Refugio Casa Crisal AC, an orphanage for girls who were violated, mistreated, or abused. Using techniques culled from ETD Outreach Movement Workshops, ETD dancers will use movement as a tool to inspire and heal, while serving to improve the participants' physical and mental health. Read DANCE MAGAZINE May, 2017 profile ETD Outreach's Program: This Outreach Program Proves That Dance Is a Powerful Healing Tool

The Eryc Taylor Dance tour of the Yucatán will conclude with performances at the International Dance Festival Avant Garde at Teatro José Peón Contreras in Mérida, November 18 and 19. Each evening will feature five Eryc Taylor Dance original works.

Company Members participating ETD's tour of the Yucatán: Nicole Baker, Chris Bell, Taylor Ennen, AJ Guevara and Alex Tenreiro Theis.

Watch a preview below!

---

Eryc Taylor Dance was founded in 2006 with a mission to advance appreciation of dance by creating and presenting original performances, conducting master classes and workshops, and awarding grants to aspiring choreographers. The Company has been home to over twenty New York City dancers since its founding. Every year, ETD provides three emerging New York-based choreographers with $1000 grants to fund the creation of a new piece and subsequently produces and hosts a work-in-progress show featuring each of the new works.

To post a comment, you must register and login.