José

José questions the narratives that intertwine to conjure up our notions of masculinity. Through theatre and dance, José addresses the formation and deconstruction of our relationships to family, love, sex, violence, and vulnerability. Navigating the spaces between stereotypical understandings of machismo and a deeper radical honesty, José is a love story about putting together the fractured, and sometimes shared, pieces of our own identities.

October 12, 2019 at 7:30 PM

About the artist

The José Collective was formed in 2018 by Nico Contreras along with Mateo Galindo Torres, Oscar Moreno, and Jorge Cantor. Applying our various backgrounds in theatre, dance and music, and supported by the Toronto Arts Council, we undertook a self-reflexive creation process inspired by mentors in collective creation from across the americas. Our collaborative process established a strong foundation of communication and trust in order to interrogate the various commonalities and divergences of our notions of masculinity. Our presentation in CAMINOS 2019 is the first public viewing of this work. 

Mateo Galindo Torres (GUETCHA GUARITCHA) is a Colombian born multidisciplinary dance artist based in Toronto. He started his dance training in Bogota at an early age, and deepened his studies in the USA, Cuba, and Canada. His work is highly influenced by his Latinx American background, often politically charged, and inspired by social subject matters. Mateo fuses his eclectic movement training within his choreography creating a distinct movement quality. He has performed professionally in Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Germany, Mexico, and Panama.

Colombian born, Canadian-raised actor Oscar Moreno arrived in London, Ontario in 2003 after having lived in New Orleans for three years. While in London, he participated in the High School Project at The Grand Theatre where his passion for the performing arts was fostered. He attended Ryerson University in Toronto to study Theatre Production. After graduating, he’s been cast in leading roles in short films and television series and theatre. In 2019, he will appear as the drag queen Tequila Mockingbird in the film “Stage Mother” alongside actors Jacki Weaver, Adrian Grenier and Lucy Liu.

Friend, father, and Latin Canadian comic book character turned real live boy, Nico Contreras finds a home for his multifarious artistic pursuits in the world of theatre. Working with multiple languages, world views and disciplines, Nico has had the honour to train with creators such as Violeta Luna, Teatro Malayerba, Teatro de los Andes, and Toronto’s own Aluna Theatre. He has created work across the americas and his ongoing projects include José as well as Inevitable Motion, an experimental dance collective. Nico is director of the expresARTE community arts program, and PRESENCIA, a platform for intercultural dialogue through performance.