Hu(man)XHuman is set within a boxing ring and is a collaborative physical exploration and journey through dance, and various forms of fight.
Hu(man)X Human – in this unique format inside of the ring – focuses on success, failure, doubt, and the navigation of conflicts in this current state of the world. The initial launching point of the work was in response to Teddy Roosevelt’s speech titled, “The Man in the Arena,” and the idea of the player vs. the critic. In both practices, we are constantly in conversation with others and ourselves in a fluid relationship as both critic and player. I am joined in this exploration by collaborators Allegra Bautista, Tanya Bello, Simon Ho, Johnny Huy Nguyen, Ty Sbano, and Xyler Rodis.
I have been a dancer/collaborator with the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company for 15 years, and a practitioner of martial arts most of my life. These similar but different physical activities inform how I create as well as train. Both forms offer different ways to balance, to find my equilibrium in the myriad and diverse aspects of my life.
This performance was made possible through the support of Rise Combat Sports and the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company and the 2021 CHIME - Choreographers in Mentorship Exchange grant, and the generosity of many others.
Photos: Stephen Texeira
Spoken Word: Conversations with Our Critic - Jacob Aringo
Lighting Design: Tony Gonzales
Lighting and Sound Designer/Technician: Tristan Fabiunke
Music:
Hammer Frenzy - Theo Alexander
Muay Thai - Put Keewsuwan, Mueng Lekim,Praywan Sukkeesam, Sanaam Sutam Kadi
Shine - Where is Alex
When We Dream - Blame it on Ed
Flowers - In Love with a Ghost, Nori
Eclosion - Tony Anderson
Kelly Del Rosario was born and raised in Mililani, Hawaii. He found his love of movement and martial arts through the art of Capoeira and has taught and trained in Hawaii, the USA, and Brazil. He began his studies in dance in 2001 at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and received his BFA in dance in 2005. Kelly moved to San Francisco where he currently works with the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company and RAWdance. He has also worked with various artists including Sarah Bush Dance Project, Robert Moses' Kin, and Project.b. He is a strength and conditioning coach at Rise Combat Sports as well as a student of boxing and Muay Thai kickboxing.
Allegra Bautista is a San Francisco native, graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California with a double major in Dance and Liberal & Civic Studies. She trained at San Francisco Ballet, City Ballet School and the SF Conservatory of Music. She is honored to have performed in the works of Garrett + Moulton Productions, Kristin Damrow & Company, Amy Seiwert, Raissa Simpson, RAWdance, Epiphany Dance Theater, Tanya Bello's Project b, Natasha Adorlee's Concept o4, and ka·nei·see | collective. Allegra currently dances with Margaret Jenkins Dance Company. She is a certified yoga instructor.
Tanya Bello graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Dance and soon after became the Assistant & Liaison to the Artistic Director of the Martha Graham Co. She taught and danced professionally with companies in New York City, Washington, DC and Italy before moving to the Bay Area in 2005. Since moving to the Bay Area, Tanya has taught at Sonoma State University, Dominican University, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, and the ODC School working closely with KT Nelson and Kimi Okada. In the Bay Area, she has performed with Erin Derstine, Liberation Dance Theater, Shared Space under Nol Simonse, SHIFT Physical Theater, Robert Moses’ Kin, Mark Foehringer, Bellwether Dance SF, and ODC/ Dance. She was a soloist with Garrett/ Moulton Productions and was a repetiteur for both Janice Garrett’s and Charles Moulton’s work from 2005-2013. She was a resident artist at the Garage SF and Tres Sabores Winery in Rutherford, CA and a recipient of the 2013 CHIME Award. Tanya is the founder, artistic director, and choreographer of Project. B. Dance and the National Cultural Director for the Ground Floor Project/ Wood Partners. She is also mother to the lovely eight year old energy ball that is Kai.
Johnny Huy Nguyen is a multidisciplinary artist based in unceded Ramaytush - Ohlone territory (San Francisco), second generation Vietnamese American, and son of courageous refugees. His practice is centered on the body, recognizing its power as a place of knowing, site of resistance, gateway to healing, and crucible of imagination. Drawing from a fluency in multiple movement modalities including myriad street dance styles, contemporary, and modern, he weaves together dance, text, theater, ritual, performance art, and other mediums to navigate the intersections between the personal, the political, and the universal.
He is a 2020 recipient of the SFAC IAC, a 2021 APAture featured artist, and 2021/22 RAWDance Radiate fellow. His work has been presented by APAture Festival, the United States of Asian America Festival, and SOMArts, and his most recent solo work, Minority Without A Model, premiered in 2021. He has also appeared in the works of Lenora Lee Dance, Kularts, Embodiment Project, and James Graham Dance Theater.
Xyler Rodis was born and raised in Fremont, California. He found his love for Muay Thai when he first entered the gym at 16 where he made the decision to do something physical as a career which lead to cooking. He then attended the Culinary Arts Program at City College of San Francisco. With cooking, he has worked at The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, staged at Benu, Rich Table, and recently opened Ernest. Muay Thai is an outlet that he has always fallen back to throughout his cooking career. The pandemic has given him the opportunity to train and fight full time without the pressure of constantly working in the kitchen. For the past two years, Xyler has fought in Reno, Arizona and Milpitas. Xyler is currently teaching and training at California Martial Athletics.
Ty is a martial artist practitioner with 22 years of experience, 14 years focused on Muay Thai and Kickboxing and 8 years as a professional coach. Ty has also trained in Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Aikido, and Jeet Kun Do. As a professional striking coach, Ty has trained top U.S. athletes who have competed in Glory Kickboxing, Legacy Fight Alliance, Final Fight Championships, and multiple WKA national champions.