Ballet Nepantla Brings Nacimiento To Brava Theater Center For The Holiday Season

Brava Presents Ballet will present Nepantla's Nacimiento. Nacimiento fuses the history of the birth of the mestizaje with the emergence of Christianity and Christmas in the New World.

This is the third time Brava has hosted Ballet Nepantla, a New York based dance company who fuses ballet and Mexican folklorico, from the Rio Grande to NYC to SF.

In 2022, the sold-out show Valentina combined corridos, vibrant traditional Mexican folklorico and contemporary ballet to tell stories from revolutionary Mexico that exalted women's strength, power, and determination during war times. Ballet Nepantla returned in 2023 with Mística, a celebration of the traditions of Día De Muertos and the spiritual energies of indigenous, Afro, and Hispanic roots. On the Brava Main Stage, dancers immersed audiences in the mystical world of the afterlife with blacklight and breathtaking choreography.

Bringing their innovative choreography back to the Brava Mainstage in December 2024, Ballet Nepantla's Nacimiento explores pre-Hispanic rituals and the impact of colonization on the Americas. Nacimiento examines stories of La Malinche, Juan Diego and the Virgen de Guadalupe, and other historical characters whose stories are seminal to the identities of the New Colonized World. In Act II, dancers bring the festive nature of Mexican Christmas traditions celebrated today in Mexico and in North America, through the Posadas: celebratory dances and retelling of the Nativity scene.

Brava is thrilled to have Ballet Nepantla's Nacimiento close out their 2024 Fall Season. Ballet Nepantla's artistic application of Gloria Anzaldua's borderland theory is an exciting emergence in the decades-long history of Chicana theater performed on Brava's stages. This holiday season, celebrate all that we are, and all that has come before! We invite you to Ballet Nepantla's Nacimiento this December.

About Ballet Nepantla

Ballet Nepantla fuses contemporary dance with Mexican Folklorico to explore new, interpretive ways of delving into cultural, historical, and political "in-between-ness." Ballet Nepantla originated from a series of pláticas between founders Andrea Guajardo and Martín Rodríguez, two artists whose early professional identities emerged from distinct genres: Andrea from classical ballet and contemporary dance, and Martin from traditional Mexican folklórico. They envisioned a new form of expression that fused the two modalities, and they envisioned an aesthetic that would speak to the historical, cultural, and social realities of a broader narrative of being Mexican, Mexican American, immigrant, and trans-cultural. Drawing inspiration from Gloria Anzaldúa's borderlands theory, Andrea and Martín imagined they could create performances that spoke to the "in-between" qualities of being from both sides of the borderland. They found the idea of Nepantla, a Nahuatl term of the indigenous people of Mexico. Nepantla provides a historical, intellectual, and artistic framework through which to explore the "in-between" spaces of history and culture by exploring new artistic expression that fuses different traditions on stage. Thus, Ballet Nepantla was born in January 2017.

Brava! for Women in the Arts celebrates nearly 40 years as a professional arts organization, and 28 years of owning and operating the Brava Theater Center. Brava is dedicated to cultivating the artistic expression of women, 2SLGBTQIA+, people of color, youth, and other underrepresented voices. Brava's recent producing history includes Quinteto Latina's ¡Chicanísima!, Gayle Romasanta's Larry the Musical, Diamond Wave's THEYFRIEND Nonbinary Cabaret, the monthly podcast series lndómitas, as well as the annual celebrations of Día de Los Muertos and Carnaval presented by Loco Bloco, Cuicacalli, and Danza Xitlalli. Brava's current artistic programming includes traditional and contemporary music festivals, a variety of film festivals, contemporary and experimental theatrical productions, musicals, international comedy shows, lectures, and professional dance productions-making Brava one of the most eclectic and multifaceted performing arts venues in the Bay Area.

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