DAVID HERRERA PERFORMANCE COMPANY 

ÓRALE!

PROGRAM  

September 7-9, 2023

Z SPACE

SAN FRANCISCO, CA  

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ABOUT DAVID HERRERA PERFORMANCE COMPANY

Celebrating 16 years of dance, and voted "Best Dance Company - Runner-Up 2022" by the Best of The Bay, David Herrera Performance Company prides itself in providing visibility and celebrating a diverse Latinx experience within an American context. Rich in theatricality and immersed in nuanced, visceral movement, the company makes its statement by weaving dance, story-telling, music, and media into a textured conversation between Latinx cultures and a multicultural U.S. society.   DHPCo. is one of few predominantly Latinx focused modern dance companies in the United States.  In addition to performances, DHPCo. has multiple regional and national community impact programs that enrich and sustain Latinx artists in the dance field. These include LatinXtensions, our 12-month mentorship program for emerging artists; Latinx Hispanic Dancers United, a national exchange pipeline for working professional artists; and Moving Forward Together, our touring national panel that bring regional artist together and plugs them into the national discourse.  

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A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR​

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The word òrale is considered slang in the Spanish language, most commonly used by Mexican and Mexican adjacent communities.  This "slang" however has become part of the daily vernacular for many Spanish and Spanglish speaking Chicano, Latinx/e, and Hispanic communities.  The word itself can mean a multiple of things depending on the use and context.  "Òrale!" can express excitement, agreement, affirmation. It can signify concern and distress. It can even serve as confrontation or challenge.  In short, I propose that "òrale" is as intersectional in its meaning as the communities who speak it are in their identities. And because the word only takes shape within the context used, it is uniquely magical and other-wordly.  Keeping this in mind, it is this multilayered context that tonight's experience of ÒRALE! is presented, floating and anchored in the transcendent magic that is "Latinidad" as experienced by the director, El Vez, the guest choreographers,  cast members, and design elements.

Tonight is a celebration of the Latinx/e/a/o community coming together. And like most communities we are perfect and imperfect.  We have nuance, quirks, complexity, and layers. We share but are also different.  As a Director it is exciting and challenging to bring this aspect of my Latinx/e communities into the performance space as we are not often given the opportunity, so we made our own, and so tonight is told through our point of view without apologies.  We hope you have fun, but also hope you walk away with a new appreciation for what a Latinx community and dance celebration can feel like. If you listen carefully and look closely, past the flash of tonight's presentation, Órale will also reveal truths that are often our daily realities.  Join us in this rambunctious but real journey.  

Órale welcome to the FAMILIA!

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-David Herrera, Artistic Director