Dancing with life : recontextualizing Mexican masks / edited by Pavel Shlossberg ; with contributions by Mintzi Aunda Martinez-Rivera [and two others].
Exhibition catalog of Dancing with life: Recontextualizing Mexican Masks held at Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture between September 3, 2022 and April 16, 2023. Includes bibliographical references (pages 137-138) and index.
Contents:
Director's preface / Wesley Jessup -- Introduction: Dancing with life / Pavel Shlossberg -- Mexican masking arts / Pavel Shlossberg -- Mascaras de diablo : a tribute to Tocuaro and Juan Horta Castillo / Luis Urrieta -- Charense identity and the danza del Torito de petate / Gabriela Spears-Rico -- Following the Kurpiticha's trail / Mintzi Auanda Martinez-Rivera -- Tocuaro / Felipe de Jesus Horta Tera, Juan Jose Horta Ramos -- San Juan Nuevo / Jesus Aguilar, Manuel Aguilar -- Sevina / Manuel Valencia Chavez -- San Francisco Pichataro / Luis Antonio Mariano Martinez, Fidel Pascual Salvador -- Santa Fe de la Laguna / Mea Campos Xironimo, Juana Arredonda H. -- Charo / Eriberto Cabrera Martinez, Sabino Chaman, Tomas Hernandez.
Summary:
"Dancing with Life contextualizes Mexican masks within the specific dances and social circumstances in which they are used. Most books about Mexican mask and dance traditions, written by authors outside of these communities, have emphasized the supernatural matters with which the danzas engage, while minimizing or ignoring the practical and contemporary social, material, and political issues which masked dancers and mask artists represent and respond to. This catalogue seeks to do things differently-to address the imbalance in how Mexican danzas are routinely portrayed and discuss how contemporary Mexican culture and issues are incorporated into the styling and uses of the masks. Dancing with Life includes contributions from scholars who are members of the Purepecha Indigenous communities, who will share narratives and recollections about family members who work with masks and danzas in Michoacan. While commercialization is commonly viewed as a threat to the masking customs, this book also describes the impacts of other, more urgent threats, such as land enclosures, environmental degradation, and industrial agriculture, which endanger access to primary materials and harm local economies and communities. Rebalancing and reframing how Mexican dances and masks are depicted, this book takes a collaborative and participatory approach to center the voices of artists, dancers, and other community members involved in sculpting masks and performing the danzas"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.