Heidi Duckler Dance Northwest (HDD/NW) presents Mother/Other @ Las Adelitas, March 18-24, 2024 at the Las Adelitas affordable housing development in Portland’s Cully neighborhood. The festival includes free movement classes, a pop-up market with local vendors, and a site-specific dance performance.
Las Adelitas was named after feminist Mexican revolutionaries and the festival honors Women’s History Month as it intertwines art, culture, and community to offer residents of Las Adelitas and all Portlanders a platform for community-building and learning for all ages. The week-long array of activities responds to the lack of arts programming available for residents of the underserved neighborhood, activating Las Adelitas’ public areas as inclusive spaces for intergenerational and cross-cultural community-building activities.
Las Adelitas is a community-based development project led by Hacienda Community Development Corporation (Hacienda CDC) that attempts to mitigate the effects of rising rents on families and the inevitable displacement and gentrification within the Cully neighborhood. The project, completed in December 2022, transformed a neglected former strip club into a 142-unit affordable housing complex, public plaza, and community room.
Workshops at Las Adelitas
March 18 – 22
6723 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, OR, 97218
Monday, March 18 through Friday, March 22
12:00- 2:00 pm Writing workshop for adults taught by Stephanie Adams-Santos
2:00 – 5:00 pm HDD/NW Rehearsals open to the public
5:30 – 7:30 pm Intergenerational Dance Class taught by Joseph Stevens
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
Mother/Other: A Creative Exploration of Feminine Archetypes taught by Stephanie Adams-Santos
Join us for a week-long journey into the depths of your inner self through creative explorations of sacred feminine archetypes. Each day will feature a blend of guided meditations and creative writing exercises, allowing us to delve into the essence of a different archetype. Together, we will navigate a path toward personal and collective discovery. All experience levels are welcome. Please bring whatever makes you comfortable on the floor—whether it’s a yoga mat, pillow, blanket, or other personal preference. Additionally, bring a few small objects of personal importance to set up your individual altar. This could be a photograph, a stone, something found in nature, or a piece of jewelry—whatever holds meaning for you in the moment.
Connections Past, Present and Future: A Dance Workshop For Families by Joseph Stevens
March 18 – 22
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Embark on a journey of self-discovery and interconnectedness in our intergenerational workshop at Las Adelitas. Guided by Heidi Duckler Dance Teaching Artist, Joseph Stevens, this family-friendly series transcends mere dance steps—it’s an exploration of the meanings embedded in our various connections, spanning family ties, past connections, future aspirations, bonds with our surroundings, friendships, and life goals. Through the language of expressive movement, participants—both kids and parents—immerse themselves in the stories and imagery that define the essence of these connections. Joseph artfully leads in translating these sentiments into dance, a powerful vehicle for understanding and expressing the intricate threads that bind us. Join us for a week where dance becomes a medium to explore the depth and beauty of your connections—be it with family, the past, the future, your surroundings, friends, or your aspirations in life.
-No previous movement experience required
-Comfortable movement clothes are recommended
-This class is recommended for participants ages 5+
TEACHING ARTISTS
Stephanie Adams-Santos
Stephanie is a Guatemalan-American writer whose work spans poetry, prose, and screenwriting. Often grappling with themes of strangeness and belonging, their work reflects a fascination with the weird, numinous and primal forces that shape inner life. They are the author of several full length poetry collections and chapbooks, including DREAM OF XIBALBA (selected by Jericho Brown as winner of the 2021 Orison Poetry Prize) and SWARM QUEEN’S CROWN (finalist for a Lambda Literary Award). Stephanie served as Staff Writer and Story Editor on the television anthology horror series TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES (Netflix), and was winner of a 2022 Gold Telly Award in TV Writing. They have received grants and fellowships from Sundance, Film Independent, Vermont Studio Center, Regional Arts and Culture Council, and Oregon Arts Commission. In addition to their literary work, Stephanie is illustrating an original Major Arcana tarot deck called Tarot de La Selva.
Joseph Stevens
Joseph was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, later relocating to San Antonio, Texas where he attended Tom Clark High School studying vocal performance as well as trained in dance for 4 years under Director Sarah Visel. He continued his studies at the University of North Texas earning a degree in the Bachelor of Arts in Dance, while also gaining knowledge from a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program. In doing so, he has studied under astounding professors such as Shelley Cushman, Claudia Howard Queen, Mary Lynn Babcock, Robin Lakes, Erin Boone, Sue Collins, Karen MacIntyre, Whitney Geldon, and Lily Sloan.
Joseph has worked with guest artists and instructors such as Libby Rhodes, Carl Flink (Black Label Movement), Contra-Tiempo Urban Latin Dance Theatre, Joshua L. Peugh, Alumni Jake Bone, and many others. Stevens continues his exploration of dance performance, choreography, and pedagogical practices in Houston, TX as a company member of Open Dance Project company under artistic director/founder Annie Arnoult. Joseph is in his fourth season dancing with NobleMotion.
Joseph Stevens has been a core dancer for Heidi Duckler Dance LA since 2023, teaches for HDD with Peace for Kids, and is a co-mentor in this year’s Bridge program for Heidi Duckler Dance’s foster youth program, Dr. Kerry English Creative Fellowship.
PERFORMING ARTISTS
