BLACK.LIVES.MATTER. I am not trying to be controversial because honestly, I don’t understand why or how this is controversial. As an immigrant I did not grow up in the same type of racialized society, so I had to do my research. I had to learn about the kind of American History that is not taught as part of the citizenship test. Once I started reading, watching, and talking to people I started to understand the racial and societal inequities. When someone says Black Lives Matter, no one is saying that any other lives don’t matter, they are saying that this community is under attack and it is all hands on deck to help those of us that are suffering. I struggled with what I should do, what was my role as a dancer and an artist? At first, I went into the streets to protest like everyone else. I was afraid of COVID and of course how protesters were being treated, but I felt like I HAD to do it but it still did not feel adequate.
The idea that kept resonating with me was that every one of our actions, no matter how small they may seem, is important. As I saw the protests happening all over the world, even in communities that don’t have a significant or any Black citizens, it was amazing to witness the world supporting the movement even as we are all separated by time, space and this pandemic. And here I was, having already marketed a new choreo course before George Floyd’s murder, before we all started saying Breonna Taylor’s name and before the protests started. As I started to plan for the course with the normal activities like choosing a song, I realized that, in this moment, it did not feel right to just dance for the sake of dancing. As an artist, we use our art to influence change and to reflect our current reality or our desired future. That is my intention with this piece. I, and every dancer from around the world that participated in the course, hope that we can influence just one person in this moment. We hope that we can make a difference with our art and also with our dollars! Ten percent of the proceeds of the course will be donated to The Love Land Foundation (https://thelovelandfoundation.org). This is our protest, our tribute and our support!
Song: La Malicia by Yuniel Jimenez
Video Edit: https://mistabu.com/
Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/karelflores/
Support Karel Flores: https://www.karelflores.com/shop
