Aureate - “denoting, made of, or having the color of gold.” In their most decadent and lush
work to date, Castan͂eda and Horn delve into the imagination to mine the possibilities of gold
matter. With an inclination toward the Feminine Divine and the sanctity of human ritual and
ceremony, both choreographers create dances inspired by nature, womanhood, and
mythology.
Horn will work toward stripping away the heavy veil of expectations, valuations, and roles of
the women in her life, culture, and mythos to find an inner feminine light that is at once quiet,
strong, glittering, and brilliant. She will attempt to approach herself, a mother who is entering
middle age, to find the value in lived experience and learned wisdom rather than measured
caretaking and appraisal tied to physical beauty.
Castan͂eda’s new works include a suite of dances devoted to the six Marys of the New
Testament; the dance follows the emotional and psychological trajectory of each woman,
including Mary, Mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene; Mary of Clopas; Mary of Bethany; Mary,
Sister of Martha; and Mary of Rome. Another section is a recreation of the fable “The Beauty
Contest of the Birds,” in which the jackdaw attempts to adorn himself with the brilliant feathers
of the other birds; rather than lead to glory, her deception ends in ruin.
The evening-length work will be accompanied by an original score and live performance by
Aurum Son founder and director Sonia Flores. Design elements by Ashley Horn and Edgar
Guajardo will evoke the grandeur of Eastern Orthodox architecture and iconography. The
project will also incorporate Castan͂eda’s Community Ensemble, featuring movers of all abilities and experiences, as well as projected artwork by members of the Fifth Ward community.
Aureate features performances by company dancers Adam Castan͂eda, Dorianne Castillo, Jade Devault, Carlos Guzman, Stormie Holmes, Ashley Horn, Sierra Johnson, Cloe Leppard, Sarah Leung, Kristina Prats, and Prudence Sun.
Aureate also features performances by its Community Ensemble, including Vanessa Alanis, Aelo Balthrop, Maryam Bagheri, Ashley Boykin, Christopher Buffamante, Abraham Castan͂eda, Raymond Compton, Shatasha Davis, Hannah Dunning, Beatriz “Bea” Gonzalez, Autumn Hayes, Karen Imas, Aaron Le, Hector Martinez, Michael Rodriguez, Julie Rubio, and Shylah Sylas.
