Mother the Verb : Beginnings

A spark in the (Mid)Night – Entre suor e esplendor

Our project, like so many sensuous,  creative acts, first took seed on a humid San Francisco summer’s night. In June 2016 Ivy Monteiro, Javier Stell-Fresquez, and Davia Spain found themselves dancing on the same upper balcony of Public Works Nightclub.

JAVIER: why did u notice me and Davia that night? What stood out to you, and made u decide to propose collaboration to us?

IVY: Well, I was totally struck by the great vibes between the three of us on the dancefloor.  I had come to the bay for a 5-month residency in San Francisco at ODC, to continue a project of “queering motherhood” that I had begun while completing my bachelor’s in fine art in Zurich. As soon as I arrived I started meeting so many fantastic, talented, queer artists.

I had seen you both dancing at other events, but that night at Public Works, the energy between us was fire! The inspiration was there, and i knew the goddess was pointing me at the right people. You each wound up bringing something new and unexpected to the research. And here we are!

We’ve presented “Mother the Verb” as a work-in-progress 3 times now!

Aug 2016 @ ODC Studio for Haus of Odher (Ivy, Javier, and Davia) CLICK HERE TO SEE TEASER FOOTAGE

Dec 2016 @ Dance Mission for Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers (Davia & Javier)

July 2017 @ Sao Paolo, Brazil (Solo by Ivy)

 

Each presentation is an experiment in which we break new ground, plant a diversity of seeds, and listen and wait for our audience’s responses to the work….

If you witnessed one of our previous work-in-progress showings, please share your thoughts about it in the comments section below or at motherthetrinity@gmail.com

 

 

For the next two months we’ll birth “Mother the Verb” into the longest format it has seen—a 35-minute performance at CounterPulse in a split bill show with Randy Reyes’s “Lxs Desaparecidxs.” Ticket Link here

We are…

…envisioning together how to break the circle of toxicity that our communities have endured since the rise of Capitalism and Institutionalized Religions.

…Loving our scars to both heal them and avoid reproducing them in others.

…Being mothers to each other now, taking care of each other and teaching/learning with each other out there, in our cold, individualist world that neglects/forgets communal self care.

 

 

Follow us on Facebook for the latest updates and sneak peaks at our process

(including the photo shoot that produced this image at right)