"Niteotl"
by Stephanie García*
Part of Latinx Heritage Celebration
September 25–October 4, 2025
Marriott Center for Dance
Tickets
Synopsis:
Inspirited by indigenous Mexican imagery, this work is an embodied prayer created to acknowledge and celebrate the resiliency of people of color, and more specifically, our Latin American and BIPOC immigrant communities, who historically have been unjustifiably criminalized, profiled, and discriminated against. It is a recognition that many of our communities are indigenous to these regions, and a statement that we are here to stay.
Inspired by the Deer Dance of the Yaqui and Mayo peoples from Sonora, this piece features the deer mask as a symbol of the spiritual connection between nature and humanity. Niteotl, meaning "prayer" or "I am the spirit" in Náhuatl, transcends the challenges of criminalization faced by people of color. This communal and compassionate danced prayer serves as an offering to counterbalance the egregious abuses of power that arise from dehumanization in today's world, including the devastation of our natural environment. This work illustrates how communities from the Global Majority empower themselves through a loving and caring collective support as a mechanism to sublimate adversity.
Dancers and co-creators:
Katherine Boyce
Claire Cheney
Brighton Farrell
Ellie Germaine
Grace Hurley
Ellie Ikeda
Emma McKeever
Grace Nordstrom
Masha Slijepcevic
Marlee Stephens
Sean Sullivan
Keilah Teuscher
Quinn Trutzel
Lizzie Turley
Zhenya Ragulin
Choreographic Assistant
Soph Cardinal
Mask-making Workshop
Ramón Ramos @lajuanasl2
Mask makers
Dancers
Costumes
Christopher Larson | School of Dance
Music
Macochi interpreted
By José Enrique Guzmán and Jon Hopkins
* @de_inflexion project co-director and 2025 Guggenheim Fellow.