Viveca Vázquez is a Puerto Rican

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

dancer Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, performance artist, and

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contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of Concert dance, dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly stron ...

at the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...

. In 1979, she co-founded Pisotón, the first experimental dance group in Puerto Rico and, shortly after, Taller de Otra Cosa, of which she became the first director. Vázquez has produced and performed experimental dance events in countries including the

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, and

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. In 2013, Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art hosted a 30-year retrospective of Vázquez's work.

Biography

Vázquez trained at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, where she explored the "geographical schizophrenia of many Puerto Rican New Yorkers by dividing her time between the island" and the

. In 1979, she co-founded Pisotón, the first experimental dance group of Puerto Rico and, shortly after, Taller de Otra Cosa, of which she became the first director. Through the Taller de Otra Cosa

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

she presented her choreographic work and produced events such as ''Rompeforma'' (co-produced and co-directed with Merián Soto), a key festival in the development of the experimental dance scene in Puerto Rico. Her work examines "human relationships" and has been noted for using "fragmented movement in conceptually risky ways." Since 1984, Vázquez has produced and performed experimental dance events in the United States,

, and

, among other places. As a teacher she has developed a

pedagogical Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

model based on body conscience and improvisation. In 2013, Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art hosted a 30-year retrospective of Vázquez's work entitled ''Choreography of Error: CONDUCT''. For the exhibitions concluding performance, ''This is NOT a Viveca Vásquez piece/ Esto NO es una pieza de Viveca Vázquez,'' Vásquez engaged with elements from her prior work in a guided choreographed work performed throughout the museum. In 2018, Vásquez participated as a mentor in a

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initiative to rebuild arts programs in Puerto Rico following

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, alongside other Puerto Rican artists including Awilda Sterling-Duprey. The initiative was funded by a $500,000 grant from the

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, commonly known as the Mellon Foundation, is a New York City-based private foundation with wealth accumulated by Andrew Mellon of the Mellon family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the product of the 1969 merger ...

List of works

* Choreography of Error: CONDUCT (2013) * Mascando Inglés (2007) * Maroma Nada That Ver (Composiciones Escénicas Sobre el Yo) (2006) * Plagio (2004) * ¡Uy! Opera of Terror (2003) * The Película Extranjera (1999) * Riversa (1997) * Miss Puerto Rico o The Isla That Replaces (1996) * Kan't Translate / Tradúcelo (1992) * Malajuste Sui-We (1990) * Gente o Agent Tower of Fuerza (1988)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vázquez, Viveca Living people Puerto Rican dancers Year of birth missing (living people) Puerto Rican female dancers