Performance Art Project- El Sebucan
This project has been my favorite. I got to explore my roots and connect with my culture while researching and performing. This dance is called “El Sebucan” and it is named after a traditional tool used by indigenous tribes in Venezuela and other parts of the Caribbean to extract cyanide from bitter cassava, which is how casaba (thin flatbread.) This dance is part of my ancestors and blood, and so I thought that recreating it in my own way would be itself a piece of art. I want the audience to be intrigued by the dance and to wonder what it means. The choreography resembles the techniques used in the sebucan; the interwoven of the ribbons is similar to the braids of fibers in the actual tool. The colors of the ribbons are intentional as well, they represent the colors of the Venezuelan flag.
I wanted to show a part of my culture while challenging myself a little bit since this dance is supposed to be performed by several people. Re-connecting with my culture has been a goal of mine for the past months since I have realized I am losing touch about my region, South America. It has African, indigenous, and European influences, which represents the rich and diverse blood that runs through my veins.
The audio is charming, and was integral to the feeling of the demonstration. I understand how several people would be doing this together, and unfortunately togetherness is not the current theme of the day. Getting in touch with who we are as a person through our lineage is something many of us forget to think about in this day and age. We are swept away from the tangible,, into cyberspace with most everything these days, and this kind of thing is the first aspect of each of us to go. We’ve lost touch with history and the value of culture as a heritage.



























