Deslenguadas Journal

Deslenguadas, a dance inspired by a writing of the same name published in Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, is a series of three dances – one duet and two solos. The dances in the series explore the impact the forced loss of the Spanish language had on three generations of one Nuevomexicano family from the 1940s to the present day. Through dance, movement, projected animation, and spoken word, the dances explore how each generation internalized racism and shame. At the same time, these generations experienced a profound sense of loss resulting from the trauma endured during the 1940s Americanization programs.  This photo essay includes images of the dances and projections, as well as excerpts of the spoken words shared on stage. Deslenguadas is an excerpt of the evening-length dance performance Stories from Home. This series of dances is the physical embodiment of the oral traditions of Northern New Mexico by Yvonne Montoya whose maternal family originates from El Rancho in the Pojoaque Valley in Northern New Mexico, the location where the loss of the Spanish language occurred.

Read more here: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/ijr/vol8/iss1/5/