The Art of Storytelling

the art of storytelling is a theatrical passage through time and space. a journey into the depths of the earth and a voyage into the skies. a retelling of who we are and who we can become by connecting to our ancestral voices, to a cosmic energy, and to the land. a journey for anyone who has been digging deep to find their roots. for the children of the “grey”. los mestizxs, mixed bloods, hijxs de la diapora. combining poetry, storytelling, theatre, and music, the art of storytelling infuses Indigenous tradition and culture with hip hop and current cultural aesthetics bringing the audience on a journey through allegory and myths.

October 13, 2019 at 2:00 PM

About the artist

“i am the son of two tribes. i am the daughter of one birth. i am the spirit of many nations. i am a child of mother earth.”

Joe Recinos (kab’lajuj b’atz’–twelve monkeys) was born and raised on Turtle Island with Maya roots from Iximulew (Guatemala). A creator, performer, advocate, administrator, and facilitator for the performing arts of T’karon:to, Joe’s commitment to equitable and diverse practices within the arts has led them to speak at YouthREX and several other panels and to publish articles in both the NOW and Intermission Magazines. Currently co-artistic director of hub 14, and a Humber Performance alumnus, their extensive experience in the performing arts led them to found Creative Mafia.                

Beny Esguerra: Born in Colombia – JUNO Awards Nominee – Ruben ‘Beny’ Esguerra is a multi-instrumentalist, lyricist, arts educator and community worker who has composed original scores for the CBC, City Life Film, Amnesty International and the National Film Board of Canada; presented his pieces in festivals held in Canada, US, Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, and is currently the music director of several program based in Jane-Finch, Toronto. Ruben is a PhD (ABD) candidate in Musicology/Ethnomusicology specializing in traditional and urban music. 

Anita La Selva is a director, dramaturg, actor and teacher. She recently created and directed Stones, an interdisciplinary, intercultural theatre odyssey about women and violence (Stones Project/Aluna Theatre). Previously, she directed Perdida (Danceworks/Co-works), The Mill on The Floss (Sheridan College/UofT Mississauga), an all female Glengarry Glen Ross (Jet Girls Productions) and Memento Mori (Soulo Theatre). Anita was nominated for the Pauline McGibbon Award for Emerging Director and her production of Look Back In Anger (Fevergraph Theatre) won awards for Best Independent/Regional Director and Best Production (My Entertainment World Awards). She holds an MFA in Directing from York University and has directed/dramaturged dozens of workshops for new plays. In May she will direct Bella Donna, a dark comedy about the Borgias.  

Los Changas: Alexandra Barberena (ix toj – Lady of Offering) is an on camera actor and musician with special interest in comedy, new work development and collective creation.  She loves physicality and has former fight directing/stage combat instruction experience in several schools and theatre companies including NTS and the Stratford Festival.  Film/TV appearances include: Web of Lies Season 5 (2018), and Morse Code (2016).
I am. We are. It is.

Lilia Leon is a Mexican-Canadian performing artist with Mestizo heritage, with a versatile career as a dancer, actor, choreographer and arts educator. She has collaborated with Indigenous/Canadian and Latin American artists, who have left an imprint in her artistic practice. Lilia holds a BA degree in dance from York University and is a graduate of the Professional Training Program at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Her on-going training includes voice work with Fides Krucker, attending the National Voice Intensive with David Smuckler and faculty in 2016, and Miriam Laurence’s Integrated Acting System. She was a part of two different ensembles working on multi-disciplinary works: Only Sound Remains by Soheil Parsa and Stones by Anita La Selva. In February 2018 she premiered her full-length solo work titled Perdida (workshopped in Weesageechack 2015) in a double-bill showcase with Aria Evans, titled “Prevailing Voices”. www.lilialeon.com

Tat Lajuj IQ’ (Dies Vientos-Bartolo Alvarez) (Ten Winds) is a K’iche elder, Mayan Herbalist, Ajq’ij (Daykeeper), and member of the Japuq Waxaqib Q’oojom Council from Guatemala. He has worked as a Mayan consultant for the Gardiner and Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada.

Vero Díaz explores the limits of play and ceremony. She creates experiences, merging ritual and storytelling. She is a writer, painter, and spiritual interdisciplinary artist who works in the realm of magic realism and futurism through photography and other art forms. She is founder and director of Phoenix Rising Studio where she is developing a visionary art process to empower oneself and heal from ancestral wounds.