About the performance
Amanda Piña’s performance Frontera I Border – A Living Monument investigates a choreography in which hip-hop culture, colonial tales, indigenous practices and mysticism intertwine. The work reminds us that the border is not only a place but is also inscribed in bodies.
Exploring borders and liminal spaces, the piece is based on a dance originally devised by Latin American indigenous peoples. Later appropriated by Spanish colonizers as a racist propaganda tool, it was renamed Danza de moros y cristianos. The dance has continued to evolve, acquiring new significance as an emblem of resilience and form of resistance among young Mexicans living in precarious circumstances. Piña thus renames it Danza de Matamoros.
The performance shows the dancers’ lives being overshadowed by the extreme violence of a border region, violence that arises from drug trafficking, militarisation and an industry based on cheap labour. Frontera I Border – A Living Monument is Piña’s tribute to the courage and perseverance of people who push boundaries.
Amanda Piña
Amanda Piña is a Chilean-Mexican artist. She studied physical theatre in Santiago de Chile, theatre anthropology in Barcelona, contemporary dance and choreography in Mexico, Barcelona, at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD) and in the Ex.e.r.ce programme at Choreographic Centre Montpellier.
The team
Artistic direction, choreography: Amanda Piña
Art design: Michel Jimenez
Mediation: Rodrigo de la Torre Coronado
Research: Juan Carlos Palma Velasco, Amanda Piña
Performers: Matteo Marziano Graziano,Daphna Horenczyk, Dafne del Carmen, Marie Mazzer, Lina Maria Venegas Baracaldo, Carlos Maria Romero, Juan Carlos Palma
Live music composed by: Christian Müller
Research, theory, dramaturgy: Nicole Haitzinger
Costumes: La mata del veinte, Julia Trybula
Production management: nadaproductions, Janina Weißengruber, Daniel Hüttler
International distribution, tour management: Something Great (Berlin)
Senior adviser: Marie-Christine Barrata Dragono
Management: Angela Vadori Smart.at
Production: nadaproductions
In cooperation with
Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Arts, Asphalt Festival Düsseldorf, Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mexican Embassy in Vienna the National School of Folkloric Dance of México, INBA and National Institute of Fine Arts México.
Supported by
Kulturabteilung der Stadt Wien, Republic Austria Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture and the Civil Service and Sport, Section IV – Arts and Culture.
Location and accessibility
Kiasma Theatre is located on the first floor, at the opposite end of the building from the main doors. The theatre has no numbered seats. Jackets and bags can be left to Kiasma’s cloakroom for free.
The top level of Kiasma Theatre is accessible. We recommend to contact Kiasma’s info before if a place for a weelchair is needed.
Contemporary live art