The Making of DANCE FOR A DOLLAR

   Dance for a Dollar is a dance theatre project co-created by Daniel Jáquez and Mariana Carreño-King with much assistance from several composers, choreographers and performers. 

   The story came together from various personal interviews and onsite visits to a variety of businesses that during the day were Mexican restaurants and at night became dance halls. The places visited resided in New York City, particularly the boroughs of Queens and The Bronx. 

Left to right Maria de los Angeles Sanchez Soultaire, Veronika Nuñez and Nelda Reyes

   Daniel Jáquez, artistic director of a Mexican folkloric group in New York City at the time, was interested in what the Mexican community was doing with their traditions and their music and went off to observe any kind of dancing he could find among the Mexican communities.  He was careful to observe patterns and rituals to discover how they connected back to Mexico.  What caught his eye was the emergence of places where women -waitresses would dance a short dance with a client for a modest tip in between taking their order and serving the food. As the night grew older, these places transformed into dance halls reminiscent of the taxi-dance-halls of the 20's and 30's.

   The project brings the life and experiences of a group of Latina dancers in New York onto the stage. The women in the play make extra money by accompanying men on the dance floor in a Queens restaurant turned dance hall called Las Palmas. There are several regular customers and a majority of the men are Mexican and working class who are looking for a home away from home. They’re searching for a venue to relax and be treated with respect after long days of what is usually hard manual labor. Most of the characters in the play are immigrants who have left their families in order to come to the United States and try to provide for them. The New York Mexican community has been increasing rapidly in the last 15 years and their immigrant stories are gaining importance. Dance for a Dollar is a one day snapshot of one place and attempts to shed some light on some of the challenges and journeys that Mexican immigrants face while trying to adapt to life in New York.

Dance for a Dollar onstage May 2 - 25, 2013. For tickets and information www.milagro.org  / 503-236-7253

Sources:

* One Journey Chronicles: Dance for a Dollar ~ http://www.onejourneychronicles.com/2011/11/02/dance-for-a-dollar/

*  Taxi Dancer ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxi_dancer

*  Dance for a dollar Study Guide by Emily Seynaeve