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As part of the upcoming International Festival of Theatre and Human Rights, Aluna Theatre will be presenting IXOK’, a solo theatre/dance piece written by Edgar Flores and Carmen Samayoa and beautifully performed by Mayahuel Tecozautla
Performance will take place May 18 & 19 (10:30 p.m.), May 20 (6:00 p.m.) at the Theatre Passe Muraille (16 Ryerson Ave, Toronto)
IXOK' means WOMAN in Maya-Quiché language. The piece was written based on testimonies given by Guatemalan refugee women, survivors of the war living in Mexico. The play tackles the military conflict in Guatemala from 1960 to 1996. It specifically talks about the Mayan genocide which occurred between 1978 and 1984 with more than 250,000 victims of whom over 45,000 are still missing today.
The story of IXOK' needs to be told because the plight of many aboriginal women in Guatemala and other parts of Latin America is still only vaguely known. The harsh situation of many Guatemalan indigenous women represents many other women in the world who deal with similar issues of poverty, domestic violence, sexual abuse, rape, gender marginalization, oppression and discrimination. IXOK’ allows the artists involved in this piece to speak about women’s issues that matter to them from the stage and will let them connect directly with multicultural audiences.
IXOK’ aims to keep alive the voices of the world’s disappeared and displaced people. This piece is a means to establish relations between North, South, East and West; it is a bridge of communication between South America, Central America, North America and other continents among indigenous and non-indigenous people. It is a bridge that serves to travel back and forth creating dialogue, interchange, awareness, and understanding between cultures and contexts.
Mayahuel Tecozautla is an actor, dancer, and choreographer born in Mexico City and based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She has worked in an extensive variety of performing arts settings including theatre, dance, film and TV in Mexico, Canada and Colombia. She is passionate about using diverse art forms, multidisciplinary approaches to creation, and dance as a heartfelt communication. She has a Major in Performing Arts/Acting from the Theatre University Centre of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, a Speciality in Dance creation from the Choreographic Research Centre of the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico, and a Master of Arts in Dance from York University in Toronto. Mayahuel is the founder of IXOK’ Theatre Collective which creates and produces performing arts work by Latin American women-performing artists based in Canada. www.mayahuel.info
Photo: Katherine Fleitas
Performance will take place May 18 & 19 (10:30 p.m.), May 20 (6:00 p.m.) at the Theatre Passe Muraille (16 Ryerson Ave, Toronto)
IXOK' means WOMAN in Maya-Quiché language. The piece was written based on testimonies given by Guatemalan refugee women, survivors of the war living in Mexico. The play tackles the military conflict in Guatemala from 1960 to 1996. It specifically talks about the Mayan genocide which occurred between 1978 and 1984 with more than 250,000 victims of whom over 45,000 are still missing today.
The story of IXOK' needs to be told because the plight of many aboriginal women in Guatemala and other parts of Latin America is still only vaguely known. The harsh situation of many Guatemalan indigenous women represents many other women in the world who deal with similar issues of poverty, domestic violence, sexual abuse, rape, gender marginalization, oppression and discrimination. IXOK’ allows the artists involved in this piece to speak about women’s issues that matter to them from the stage and will let them connect directly with multicultural audiences.
IXOK’ aims to keep alive the voices of the world’s disappeared and displaced people. This piece is a means to establish relations between North, South, East and West; it is a bridge of communication between South America, Central America, North America and other continents among indigenous and non-indigenous people. It is a bridge that serves to travel back and forth creating dialogue, interchange, awareness, and understanding between cultures and contexts.
Mayahuel Tecozautla is an actor, dancer, and choreographer born in Mexico City and based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She has worked in an extensive variety of performing arts settings including theatre, dance, film and TV in Mexico, Canada and Colombia. She is passionate about using diverse art forms, multidisciplinary approaches to creation, and dance as a heartfelt communication. She has a Major in Performing Arts/Acting from the Theatre University Centre of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, a Speciality in Dance creation from the Choreographic Research Centre of the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico, and a Master of Arts in Dance from York University in Toronto. Mayahuel is the founder of IXOK’ Theatre Collective which creates and produces performing arts work by Latin American women-performing artists based in Canada. www.mayahuel.info
Photo: Katherine Fleitas