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ONE ON ONE - “LOVE POEMS”

by Jose Nateras

The performer sits, blindfolded in a chair. There is a chair opposite them.

In the performer’s lap is a notebook open to a blank page. The performer has a pen in their hand.

Blind, and while no one is there, the performer scrawls “hearts,” and the word “love” over and over and over again, eventually ripping the page out, crumpling it into a ball and throwing it on the floor around them.

A heart is drawn on the performer’s bare chest. Written there as well are three instructions.

“1. Sit Down”

“2. Say Hello”

“3. Kiss Me If You Want To”

When the singular audience member enters the space. They should sit and say hello. Whether or not they kiss the performer shouldn’t matter.

While still blindfolded, as prompted by the audience member’s sitting/greeting, the performer will use the pen and notebook paper to write a poem for the audience member.

Upon completion, the poet tears out the page, folds it into a small shape, and extends it forward for the audience member to take or leave.

If the folded poem gets taken by the audience member, or read, or added to the discarded papers on the floor, the performance continues until the next audience member enters, sits, and says hello, starting the process over again, cyclically until the piece is over.

***

Ruca: girl; woman - Chavas: females

Performing your favorite subculture:

Language of Defiance: PACUCHAS, CHOLAS Y CALO

Glossary of Calo Words/Phrases/Expressions as Reported by Chicanas:

Basil: (m.) fun

Bola: dollar

Calcos: shoes Califas: California Camaradas :(m. or/.) friends

Camello: job

Canton (m.): house

Carnal: brother

Carnala: sister

Carucha: car

Chancleo: dance Chante (m.) house

Chavalos: young males

The Pachuco has consistently and thoroughly resisted all attempts at his Americanization, and so he is a failure in society.

Chiva: heroin

Crepa: bathroom

Cuete: (m.) gun

"vocational education" could this group of youngsters become a part of main stream America and disavow their linguistic and social habits.

Escuadra: (m. or/.) "square"; a person who doesn't associate

Filero: knife Frajos: cigarettes Gasofa: gasoline Grifa: marijuana Jambo: theft; stealing Jefe: father Jefa: mother Juila bicycle; "loose" woman

Jura police

Mono movies

viewed calo solely as maintaining itself through secret actions and gatherings as well as being a debilitating factor toward the assimilation process. Such biases and stereotypes have served to stigmatize the Chicano speech community even more, thus creating a feeling of linguistic inferiority as well as a denigration of the Spanish language among its speaker. Rafael Jesus Gonzalez (1967:349) saw calo becoming a Creole language whose "seeds seem to intrude even among those who attempt to be assimilated into the dominant culture.

Onda goings on; happenings

Perica talk; conversation

Pinta penitentiary; female convict Plata money Pleito fight; brawl Quira quarter

Ranfla: car

Refin: (m.) food

Rola: song; reco

Tablitas: shoes

Tapita: hat

Tramos: pants

Vat:o guy; dude

Vato loco: guy who hangs out in the barrio; "street-wise" person

Vironga: beer

Agarrar el pedo: to go and get drunk; drinking

Andar grifiando: to be smoking pot; getting high

Brincar: to jump on someone

Conectar: to score dope

Dar en la madre: to beat up on someone

Dar un aventon: to give someone a ride

The pachuco indulged in a self separation from history, created his own reality as he went along even to the extent of creating his own language.

Descuentar: to bug off, leave

Desmadrar: to break; to destroy

Esquiniar: to back someone up, especially in a fight

Hacer atole: to dance up a storm

Hacer pedo: to make trouble

Pataliar el culo: to kick someone's ass, beat up

Pistiar: to drink

Poner al alba: to be on guard, look out

Poner el dedo: to squeal, inform on someone

Rallar la madre: to curse someone out

Relajar to squeal, inform on Talonear to hustle; to make a living

Tirar chingazos: to hit someone, throw punches

Tirar: huarache to dance

Toquiar: to smoke a joint

Wachar: to watch, look

Other Calo Expressions:

Alivianate vato Be cool, dude

ChaIe! No way!; No!

De volada: right away

Ese vato! Hey man!

Juegala fria: Be cool

Lleva tu muleta: take your blame

No te awites: Don't get down on yourself

Orale?: Okay, dude

Que onda? What's going on? Que" pasa ruca? What's going on, girl? Que pues? What's happening? Que's tu plaquiaso? What's your nickname?

Queuvole ese? What's going on, dude?

Simon yes 'Ta pinche: it's bad

'Ta vasilon: it's far out Vato neliado: uncool dude Voy a chotiar: I'm gonna mess up

#chola pachuca calo language ruca queuvoleese

Subculture: Paisa

In Spanish, the word “Paisano” basically means “Countryman,” someone from the same country. Shortened to ‘Paisa,’ it’s often used in Mexican/Mexican-American communities, not only to refer to other Mexican Americans, but also with regards to a specific subgroup that dresses and presents in a specific way. Generally, Paisas can be from any number of specific regions in Mexico, and are considered to adhere to specific modes of fashion and style. Often correlated with people from rural communities, or literally in the more American frame of reference: are “Country.” Cowboy boots, hats, western wear, belt buckles, jewelry all come into play with regards to the Paisa aesthetic, and there are specific types of music and dance that goes along with the clothes that are typically connected with folks who might be considered Paisa. There is a pride and sort of resistance to the Paisa subculture, an un-assimilated and unapologetically Mexican style that is unconcerned with blending or melting in.

Personally, I have a large extended family who are wholeheartedly Paisa. As someone who is 100% Mexican American, but who has never been to Mexico and who’s Spanish is less than fluent, I see Tios and primos at family gatherings who unabashedly embrace their Paisa nature and admire them. It is a subculture that I feel both separate from and a part of. In working on this project, all of the elements I executed in this exercise were things I’ve already had in my possession for the most part.

As a person of color, specifically being Mexican American, code-switching is something that is a constant part of my life. As an educated and arguably assimilated person, of a generally middle-of-the-road, “American,” “Millenial” aesthetic, I move through predominately white spaces and only have to deal with the more basic of micro-aggressions and more subtle prejudices and assumptions. When dressed as member of The Paisa Subculture, I have to deal with these a lot more and in different ways. People sometimes assume that I speak Spanish or that I don’t speak English, this is exacerbated when moving through the space otherwise. When I would speak and not have an accent, I could register people’s surprise.

Ultimately, it’s been an interesting experience, especially because, being dressed in Paisa attire in certain neighborhoods of the city or at certain family gatherings would only be strange to the family members who know I don’t usually present as such, in specifically non Latinx environments, I was definitely a lot more aware of how I stood out and how people looked at me differently.

Doppelganger - “Baggage”

Sitting in the space is a heavy backpack, full of books and other stuff.

Inside the bag is a Chapbook of poetry.

THE PERFORMER enters the space and puts on the backpack.

The Performer begins to run in place with the backpack on their back. After they start running, they will NOT STOP running for the duration of the piece.

After The Performer has picked up the backpack, they are NOT to set it on the ground again until the piece ends.

The Performer counts out loud to 28, as they run.

Once The Performer makes it to 28, while they continue to run in place, they swing the backpack around however necessary, never stopping running and never putting anything on the ground and retrieves The Chapbook from the bag.

While continuing to run in place, The Performer flips to a page of the book, chooses a piece and Recites it aloud.

When they’ve finished reciting the piece. They swing the backpack back around, put the chapbook back and running all the while.

The Performer counts out loud to 28, as they run and the routine happens again/continues.

This happens over and over for the duration of the performance.

Doppelganger Score, Karenna

REFLECTION

“Without a Mirror, We Cannot See Ourselves”

1) Walk up to the row of mirrors, take time to inspect your reflection in each of them, then reposition them into angles so that they reflect you in any way you see fit

2) Use the aluminum foil to... - Create an apparatus that enhances or inhibits your body in some way

- Cover up a part of your body

- Distort your senses, or sense of the mirror

Repeat action #2, but this time with cellophane 3) Use the finger paint to...

- Make a face in the mirror that you trace onto it

- Write words or draw pictures on the mirror that change (or are affected by) your body. Draw pictures or write words on yourself that change (or are affected by) the mirror

- Cover up parts of the mirror you do not like. Cover up parts of your body you do not like. Highlight certain areas of your body. Highlight certain areas of the mirror.

4) Use the tape to... - Connect yourself to a mirror, or to a fixed position in relation to a mirror

- Distort the sense of your body in the mirror, distort the mirror in relation to your body

- Connect the mirrors to one another, or to the space

5) Take something you’ve created apart. Remove something from the mirror, or yourself. Reposition the mirrors in the space.

6) Repeat

#REFLECTION #Chloe Harrington

#chloe harrington

jlosinski score

Untitled Score

Exercise solitude as a means of bringing the body and mind into harmony \

Muscle memory becomes rhythm

Breath transforms

Presence

Mind

Body becomes Weapon

Spatial awareness

subordinates

to the

loins

core

breast

hands

Otherness resides

ritual performance

She dedicated me to the Sun

Actions:

Quiet dark room with yellow light above you - oval shape (similar to a bathtub)

1. Prep the chamomile water on the teapot

2. Pour the water on the container( similar to a tub)

3. Touched gently to check the temperature

4. Breathe it all in

5. Arrange your space for bath

6. Play your music – Pa’ Respirar and Vuelve by Bomba Estereo

7. Think about your mother and how she bathed you and your sisters with this herb

8. Use 3 cloths one for each of you (Narda, Katherine and Fiorella)

9. Take it all in and try to connect to this old quiet ritual she created for you as a child, it goes full circle

10. Sleep

#bordercrossing #saicperformance

#human tableaux #remmants #saicperformance

Chloe Harrington, Ritual Steps

RITUAL STEPS 1.State “A, Apple”. Twist the apple stalk and count for the initial, write the resulting letter down. 2.State “B, Ball”. Throw a ball at the wall and write the number of bounces down. 3.State “C, Cutlery”. Drop a spoon on the floor. 4.State “D, Daisy”. Pluck the petals of a daisy, repeatedly saying “Does he love me? Much, a little, devotedly, not at all”. Write down the phrase that corresponds with the last petal. 5.State “E, Eyelash”. Put an eyelash on the back of your hand and throw it over your shoulder. Make a wish, but do not say it aloud. If it falls off of your hand write down “Wish Fulfilled”. 6.State “F, Finger”. Pull on all ten of your fingers. Write down the number of fingers that cracked. 7.State “G, Garter”. Loosely tie a string around your leg. Let it fall off on its own, if it does at all. 8.State “H, Hairpin”. Take a hairpin out of your hair, and drop it on the ground. 9.State “I, Ivy”. Take a leaf and put it down the front of your shirt. 10.State “J, Jealousy”. Itch your knee if you feel so inclined. 11.State “K, Knife”. Spin a knife on the floor. Write down the orientation of the handle. 12.State “L, Last”. Pour nine drops of tea in a cup from a teapot. Drink the tea. 13.State “M, Menstruation”. Walk in a counterclockwise circle seven times, while swirling a tampon around in a glass of red wine.

Script for “A Ritual” - Jose Nateras

A Ritual

by Jose Nateras

Darkness.

A circle of light is focused on a certain area of the space.

In the darkness, the performer, head covered, moves towards the focalized light. Every seven steps, they stop and ring a bell three times.

Aside from the bell, they carry a vessel of water and a vessel of salt and a compass.

Once the performer reaches the circle of light, they proceed to walk in a circle, continuing to stop every seven steps and ring the bell three times.

Florence + The Machine’s “Seven Devils” — From their album, “Ceremonials” — starts to play.

After circling the light three times, the performer kneels, spilling salt around them in the circle, set the compass before them.

The ring the bell North.

They pour water over their heads.

The throw salt in all four cardinal directions.

The ring the bell South.

They pour water over their heads.

The throw salt in all four cardinal directions.

They ring the bell East.

They pour water over their heads.

The throw salt in all four cardinal directions.

They ring the bell West.

They pour water over their heads.

The throw salt in all four cardinal directions.

They do this until they run out of water.

When they are out of water, they turn the empty vessel for that water upside down before them.

The light fades, leaving the room in darkness.

The music fades, leaving the room in silence.

End.

Performances I’ve Seen - Jose N.

Since the beginning of the semester, I’ve seen a number of performances. On Monday, 1.29, I performed in a staged reading of Barcelona, mapa d’ombres(Barcelona, Map of Shadows) by Lluïsa Cunillé and directed by Xavier AlbertíArtistic Director of the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya. That night, I attended Salonathon, where I saw a number of different artists performing a number of pieces in various mediums. There were musical performances, performance art pieces specifically by Witch Hazel, dance pieces, spoken word, poetry, and storytelling.

The Witch Hazel piece involved the three performers emerging from the back space of the venue, the audience arranged in a sort of elongated thrust/runway/alley arrangement. Utilizing music and lights, the first performer emerged eating a sort of chocolate crumble designed to resemble dirt and filled with gummi-worms, all dressed in white. The next performer emerged, dancing and throwing naked barbie dolls into the audience, while the third emerged in a deliberate movement focused way.

Whenever attending Salonathon, I am always struck with the wide variety of performance styles. When they are all juxtaposed together, there is an interesting effect, that allows viewers to move from one piece to the other. Each night is specifically curated and relates somehow to a weekly theme. This evening in particular was focused on the sentiment, “One More Time Before We Go.” The Salonathon event just had their last night this past Monday, 2.12, so for a lot of performers, this was their last opportunity to be involved with Salonathon. As such many pieces had a melancholy or celebratory tone of farewell.

On Wednesday, 1.31, I attended a performance of “The Texture of Water,” a new play being produced in a workshop/festival style as a part of “Rhinofest,” the yearly fringe-festival produced by The Prop Theatre and The Curious Branch Theatre Group. Written by Emily Rich, my peer from the MFA Writing Program here at SAIC; I had seen excerpts of this script in development. The cast of actors had been pulled from general auditions organizers of the festival had arranged. Emily, a bit new to the theatre community in Chicago, didn't’ necessarily have access to casting resources beyond this. I am interested in how the piece/production might have varied if she had a bit more agency in choosing the actors.

Presented in a minimalist performance style, while still trying to adhere to more traditional theatrical styles, it was interesting to see how the limitations of the production’s scenic and design elements allowed for more focus to be paid specifically to the script. “The Texture of Water” is a play that operates specifically within the realm of Monologue Drama. The way monologue functions within dramatic arcs of western drama is always interesting, especially when the language fluctuates through dramatized memoir, poetic forms, and direct address with the audience.

On Friday, 2.2, I performed in a production, also for Rhinofest, that is a developmental/workshop version of a new play called “King Arthur: The Fall of Camelot.” On Saturday 2.3. I performed in a production of “The Van Gogh Cafe” with Filament Theatre. This play was performed in an immersive and interactive setting. Taking place at a restaurant, the production was performed in a functional cafe with a specifically designed meal accompanying the production that audience members eat in conjunction with the dramatic flow of the play. That evening, I attended a performance of Filament Theatre’s “FORTS: Build Your Own Adventure,” which is another emmersive theatrical experience. Guided by one or two “Adventure Guides” participants are given free reign of a specifically designed theatrical space, replete with mountains of cardboard boxes, couches, sofas, pillows, lights, special pulleys that would systemically lower baskets of blankets, clothespins, and flashlights. This performance puts audience members in the role of performer/participants. There is no set story or narrative. Participants engage in creating or not creating every element of the performance as they wish. Filament’s interest in this production was taking “the noun ‘play’ and bringing it a lot closer to the verb ‘play’,” and with FORTS, they definitely succeeded.

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