San Miguel Art magazine/ Sept. | Page 20

produce a very high integrity event at Bellas Artes highlighting, through dance some of the traditional stories behind Mexico›s most famous celebration. Four choreographers from across a mix of cultures worked with 25 dancers in different dance disciplines to portray the beauty of the Day of the Dead, ending with the creation of a living altar. This collaboration made huge inroads into cultural exchange, seeing the gifts we all could offer. Later collaborations grew from the connections made there. Near Valentine’s Day of 2016 a more theatrical production emerged called The Book of Love , which featured my little friend April from the Mujeres Monarca installation, and me again as spokespersons for Monarchs. This time we told the story of the butterfly effect. The production brought together some of the same performers but added many new aspects that enhanced the experience for us all. The latest collaborations have been Art Happenings staged for the camera of Scott Umstattd , who approached me to again represent the Monarch energy, only this time exemplifying a perceived separation between good and evil. I collaborated with a talented costume maker to create some unusual costumes in white and I invited some shady looking characters to come in black. The effect of this photo shoot on the