How Important Are The Arts To Puerto Rico?

Photographed By Fernando Samalot

La Trinchera, founded in 2015 by independent artists Beatriz Irizarry, Cristina Lugo and Marili Pizarro, is a performance and dance company based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The initiators first met while working at Hincapié, the University of Puerto Rico's contemporary dance collective, under the direction of renowned choreographer Petra Bravo. Guided by Bravo’s mentorship in the pursuing years, Lugo, Irizarry and Pizarro were opportuned to choreograph, design, direct, audition dancers, and thereby structure the point of the departure for their common artistic interests and technique.

The triad of independent female Puerto Rican artists, each with their own style and body of work, have a common, yet diffused artistic expression. "La Trinchera varies in formats, usually oscillating and merging performance, contemporary dance and visual work," says Pizzaro and continues, "We regard our work as experimental because of our varied, alternate and intuitive methodology. We believe that each piece of work has its own process."

By conceiving dance differently from its construct and, or, process, they "force" an organic and guaranteed uniqueness. The aim is to synthesize discipline and intuition as the pillars of their practice. "We are hungry for ways and formats of manifestation. We’re playing it by ear when it comes to offers and collaboration invites, we try to fit as much as possible in our schedule, all while we submit proposals to festivals and residencies." Pizzaro elaborates that they have enjoyed all so far, from writing a manifesto, photo shoots, classically styled choreographies, art biennales, gallery interventions, site-specific dance-theatre and night club performing. Soon, they aim to work more with videoart and would love to produce their next lengthy show later this year.

They explore specific themes as their work revolves around the use of the body and they're three independent Latinx female artist living in what Pizzaro calls a severely repressed, colonial country. Their societal, political and community concerns are inevitably latent in their work. "We're inspired by everyday life as well as fantasy, punk aesthetics, DIY philosophy, Puerto Rican pop culture, trending apps and morbidity. We're wilfully defiled by national politics as well as glitch art. No holding back, we try to feed from it all."

They live perform at an average of four times per month, for an approximate total of 48 presentations per year. This statistic doesn't include photo shoots, video work, community and table work and theme-based workshops. They have no consistent, systematic process. They change dynamics depending on timeframe, concept and on which of them is directing the project (if applicable, sometimes they all direct).

Art in a country like Puerto Rico is vital. Because the reigning local political parties are lenient with the colonial pettiness of the federal government, even representation is at risk. Art merges apparent contradictions, and this aesthetic force to feel and think different is necessary to evolve. Artmaking and appreciation is a way of contextualizing the perplexities of character, culture, and relationships. It's also a form of escapism.

"All highly valuable, art has the power to reflect and, or, deflect our reigning interests. As a tool for change it's essential," proclaims Pizzaro with further professing her love of country, "Puerto Rico is always in our hearts, in our style and in our art."