Voces y guias- Guiding Voices

-VOCES y GUÍAS-

El material que compartimos en caracola sintetiza años de estudio en movimiento, terapia somática, danza contacto, bailes sociales de pareja, y mi experiencia como madre en una familia multicultural. La energía y los hilos que unen estos conocimientos vienen en parte de las personas que me han cuidado y dejado sus huellas en mi cuerpo/mente a través de mi crecimiento personal y artístico.

--caracola--- le dedicará sus ofrecimientos cada mes a estas personas para hacer honor al linaje de sabiduría que fortalece nuestras conexiones espirituales y comunitarias en un tiempo donde la distancia social nos aparenta fragmentar. En las redes sociales y página web compartimos recuerdos y enseñanzas que esta persona nos ha dejado y abriremos la conversación para que otrxs participen.  Marion

-Guiding Voices-

The curriculum we share at ---caracola--- synthesizes years of movement and somatic therapy studies as well as contact improvisation, partner social dance and my experience as a mother in a multicultural family. The energy and threads that bond these knowledge comes in part from the people that have cared for me and have left their legacy in my body/mind throughout my personal and artistic growth.

 ---caracola--- will dedicate all its offerings each month to the memory of these individuals by honoring the lineage of wisdom that strengthens our spiritual and physical connections in a time when social distance seems to keep us apart. On our website and social media we will share memories and teachings that these individuals have passed on and we will open the conversation for others to participate.  Marion

Aida Ramírez Garcia

Aida Ramirez Garcia- 1920-1995

Nos inspiraba con su presencia llena de calor y consistencia al expresar amor por la familia.

Ella me enseño a protegerme emocionalmente. En ocaciones me recordaba como podia transformar una situación difícil cantando una canción para calmarme e imaginando como crecía una protección espiritual y como mi mete podia crear distancia del centro de la tormenta, para observarlo todo mejor. Pasaba muchas tardes con Ila haciendo manualidades y conversando. Ella sacaba una tela y en una hora me preparaba ropa nueva, me enseñaba a ayudarla en el proceso y me dejaba hacerle todas las preguntas que tenia sobre la vida mientras cosía.

Ila trabajó como maestra, ella me enseñaba algunas destrezas y luego me dejaba explorar, cometer “errores” y salir de ellos, me dejaba preguntar si se me trancaba el volo, y con dulzura me ayudaba. Esta libertad me daba espacio para sentir confianza en mi misma y resolver problemas sin miedo a equivocarme.

Aunque Ila ya no nos acompaña en vida, la tengo bien presente cuando trabajo con mi hijo Ari haciendo origami por muchas horas y conversando y dejando que haga todas la preguntas de la vida mientras exploramos papel, y los “errores” creativos nos llevan a desarrollar nuevas técnicas.

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Aida Ramirez Garcia-

Our Ila was always a force of tenderness and energy. She inspired us with her presence filled with warmth and her consistency when expressing love for the family. She taught me how to protect myself emotionally. At times she would remind me how I could transform a difficult situation by singing a song to myself for calming down and imagining how a spiritual protection would grow around me, how my mind could create distance from being at the center of the storm, so to observe it all better. 

I would spend a lot of afternoons with Ila doing crafts and in conversations. She would pull out some fabrics and within an hour would make me new clothes. She would teach me how to help her in the process and would let me ask her all the questions I had about life while we worked. 

Ila worked as a teacher all her life, she had a way of teaching some skills and then letting me explore the materials without criticism, she would allow me to “make mistakes” y find my way out, and ask more questions if I needed, with sweetness she would help me again. This freedom and space to feel confidence in myself to solve problems without the fear of making mistakes offered me options as a creative being. 

Even though Ila is no longer with us, I have her present while I work with my son Ari when we make Ari-gami for hours. We have conversations and I try to allow him to ask me all the questions of the world of life while we explore the paper and see how the creative “ mistakes” lead us to develop new techniques. 

Noviembre

El mes de noviembre dedicamos el foco de los ofrecimientos a ESPIRALES Y AGRADECIMIENTOS. Cada estudiante pensó en personas o cosas de las cuales esta agradecidx. Encontramos espirales en el cuerpo y le agradecemos, nos agradecemos el tiempo de escuchar, reflexionar y actuar con intención precisa y fluidez.

Nana Hudo

Octubre se lo dedicamos a Nana Hudo y Balleteatro Infantil.

Nana me ofreció una formación artística y sembró unas semillas de luz que me acompañan al hacer arte. Para Nana los momentos creativos son mágicos, el tiempo parece detenerse y ella ilumina con su atención y presencia la creación de lxs niñxs.

No se cuantas ideas compartí con Nana, ella me ayudaba a investigar y sentir las conexiones físicas, emocionales, espirituales y sociales de esa ideas, me ayudaba a desarrollarlas y darle forma. Ella me invitaba a ver sus proceso de crear obras y aunque fuera niña siempre me incluía como colaboradora, celebrando la delicia del momento creativo entre generaciones sin expectativas del futuro. 

A través de su dirección artística y su amistad profunda con nuestra familia, me enseñó a darle vida a cada movimiento, a investigar cada quietud, a convertirme en los personajes que danzábamos y no solamente representarlos. Su amor por los detalles me daba mucha curiosidad, ella me retaba a ser precisa, siempre con mucho cuidado de aceptar mi crecimiento físico y emocional. Mientras íbamos creciendo volábamos del nido y nos enfrentábamos a situaciones muy diferentes y difíciles, y siempre supe que esta formación me acompañaría. Ahora se que es mi labor pasarla a través de mi experiencia. 

Nana acaba de cumplir 80 años. Nana, gracias por tu inspiración y dedicación a la labor de celebrar a los niñxs, aceptarnos como somos y guiar el amor por el arte. 

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October- caracola dedicates the month of October to Nana Hudo and Balleteatro Infantil

Nana is a dancer, friend, extended family, collaborator, choreographer and teacher. She founded and directed Balleteatro Infantil in San Juan. This dance studio and creative center served as a nest for many interdisciplinary artists and dancers in Puerto Rico. 

Nana offered me an artistic formation and planted seeds of light which continue growing in my process of art making. For Nana creative moments are pockets of magic, time seems to stop as she illuminates with her attention and presence the creation of the children. I don't know how many ideas I shared with her, she helped me develop and shape these ideas. She guided me through research while finding connections at a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. Nana often invited students to observe her process of creating the productions and choreographed with us. Even though I was a child, she included me as a collaborator, celebrating the delight of intergenerational creative process without expectation of my future as an artist. 

Through her artistic direction and her profound friendship in our family, she taught me how to give life to every movement, and stillness. She taught me how to become rather than represent the characters I was casted for in the plays and performances. Her love for details was very curious to me. I resonated with that craft, she often challenged me to be very precise while caring and accepting who I was physically and emotionally. While we got older we grow beyond this nest and we faced more difficult and diverse learning processes, I always knew that this formation was going with me and now is my job to pass it on when I work with students of many generations. 

Nana just turned 80 this month. Nana, thank you for the inspiration and commitment to celebrating children, accepting them as they are and guide them with love through the paths of art making. 

Loyda Garcia

Loyda es un ser especial que a través de los años su memoria continúa presente en mi. Ella me ofreció cuido, amistad, y enseñanzas a través de mi niñez. Su forma de ofrecer energía positiva y generosidad al mundo me inspiró a entender la práctica de la paz en cada labor, cada situación. Loyda conversaba conmigo y me permitía hacer preguntas, reflexionar e imaginar la vida. Ella me compartía historias, y perspectivas donde pude absorber una forma de entender a las otras personas sin juzgarlas. Esto ha sido una lección en proceso que continúa evolucionando. 

Loyda actualmente está en sus 90 años y nos tocó de esta forma a muchxs que pasamos por los estudios de Nana Hudo donde estuvimos bailando, aprendiendo, compartiendo. GRACIAS LOYDA, ojalá podamos seguirnos encontrando, mucha salud y amor.

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See the FB post for Loyda and the community sharings, AQUI

Loyda is a special being who offered me care, friendship and teachings throughout my childhood, the memory of her peaceful presence moves with me. She had a way to offer positive energy and generosity. I learned how to practice finding peace while working on something, while being in difficult situations. Loyda and I had so many conversations short and long, she would allow me to ask questions, reflect on life and imagine life. She shared many stories of her own life with me even though I was a child. I absorbed from her a way of understanding others without judging them, of course this lesson is always in progress and evolving. 

Currently Loyda is in her 90's, she touched many of us who studied at Ballet Teatro Infantil de Nana Hudo. The dance home for many young dancers who spent time dancing, learning and sharing. Thank you LOYDA, wishing you health and love.

Alicia Ramirez

Alicia Ramírez Benet, 11/11/11- 04/30/20

When I started teaching -caracola- my grandmother passed at 108 years old in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her guiding voice continued to inspire me with the importance to celebrate life with all its fullness. When we reminded her about her age, she would say: "I don't want to go, what should I?"

Her curiosity for living, and waking up every morning to see what was possible to discover, remember, connect to, share and absorb from the day was incredible. Through my morning classes on -caracola- I have honored this with a minute of meditation every time it is 11:11am. I feel I receive a blessing that connects me further to my intuition and connection to what came before me and what will follow in the future. GRACIAS NANI por celebrar la vida.