S1: It's time for KPBS Midday Edition. On today's show , we're talking about San Diego's dance community and a couple of plays bringing culture to the stage. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. Funding cuts are challenging dance theaters across San Diego.
S2: We don't have a script to read or a score to play. We need to be in community together in a space to really create what we're doing.
S1: Then John Leguizamo show Latin History for morons is back on stage at the Brooks Theater , while Georgia's African hair braiding is on stage at the La Jolla Playhouse. We'll hear from the director and playwright for both of those. That's ahead on Midday Edition. Many local dance organizations are feeling the pressure from funding cuts and other challenges to the arts landscape. Well , earlier this week , I spoke with two leaders in the local dance community who are navigating these challenges. Matt Carney is the executive director at the San Diego Ballet. And Zakiya Miller Salinas is the founder of Disco Riot , which is a nonprofit dance organization. I began by asking them what they lost as an organization since these cuts started happening.
S3: So for Disco Riot , we've definitely seen some impacts from the NEA at the federal level. We had a proposal in for our space residency project , um , that we do annually that now , uh , just has sort of disappeared. Um , at the state level , we've seen some changes in funding that support our Queer Movement Fest project that we also operate annually. Um , and most recently , uh , at the state level also , um , some of the impact from the looking through the arts funding , uh , cuts to the payroll equity fund , um , that we also submitted an application for earlier this year. So , uh , both federal and state changes. Um , and then I think most recently , uh , some of the changes in funding , uh , at the local level with the libraries and Parks and Rec , uh , as we also run programs out of library spaces and , and through Parks and Rec , um , that are public facing programs. So I think all across the board , uh , we're definitely seeing these cuts as having some impact on our programming and having to reshape programming , uh , due to the loss of funds.
S1: And I know the impact has been slightly different over at the San Diego Ballet.
S2: We see it from the different levels as well. On the federal level , we were awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant , got the award letter , the whole nine yards to fund programming in this calendar year , January to December. So we started the program and spent funds towards it. We got an email in about two weeks ago on a Friday at 6:30 p.m. , saying that the grant had been revoked. So that was in the middle of the programmatic year we already started. So we had to commit that and keep going towards that project , even though the funds have been pulled back on the state level. We're seeing we've been advocating for a loss there for a systemic level of about $5 million. So we've been advocating to go to get $5 million back into the state California Arts Council budget. That would bring us back to where we were two years ago , so we're still waiting to hear from the budget , but we're seeing kind of a systemic loss on the state level , on the county in San Diego. We're really trying to fight to find they have a commission for arts and culture on the county level , but it's not yet funded. So we're trying to advocate to get that funded. And then we're seeing here on the city level , the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of San Diego is getting a 10% cut , and we're all feeling the effects. And then to mirror some of the statements that Zakia mentioned , it goes further in terms of the cuts to libraries and parks , where that's not necessarily direct arts funding , but it is affecting us because we also do programs in those areas in terms of other loss. It's the loss of funds is obvious , but there's almost a loss of confidence and an increase of fear of how we can sustain moving forward. So it's kind of dealing with the brass tacks of the budget on the day to day basis , but also hesitant about the sustainability of our future.
S1: And , you know , the San Diego Ballet , actually , you all just wrapped up your season with Romeo and Juliet.
S2: We want to be able to give San Diegans an opportunity to step away from any stress and go into a theater setting and enjoy a show. So we're committed to doing programming. We're seeing increased expenses and about level on our ticket sales , so we're having to balance that. I think that the paradigm and system of big shows in the theater will be hard for us to maintain. And so we're looking to our left and our right , to our other nonprofit organizations , other arts organizations , and see if we can work together to increase partnerships and collaborations moving forward.
S1: You know , both of your organizations offer so much to the San Diego community. Can you talk a bit about that ? The importance of of dance as an art. Zakia , I'll start with you on that.
S3: Yeah , sure. Thanks. Um , I think first and foremost , what I would like to say about what we are up to specifically at Disco Riot is really looking at our independent local artists , uh , independent local dance makers , performers , um , folks who are coming out of formal training programs looking to build their careers , folks who are new to town trying to figure out how to build and sustain community in San Diego. Folks who are looking to make dances. Research projects , develop teaching practices and trying to resource those folks first and foremost , because we understand that while there are some dance companies in town , um , there are far more dancers and dance artists and movement artists in our community than are represented by those individual dance company organizations who also need access to resources so they can make work and so they can develop their practice. And , um , what we've found through doing that over the last , uh , six or so years is that the role of artists in the community , and also the role of community and supporting artists in San Diego is really lacking development ? Um , not that the artists are lacking development , but that the sense of community around supporting artists is lacking development in San Diego , and so much of what we have been up to really centers on trying to cultivate that sense of community , because we understand that artists need community support as much as they need any of these other resources , whether it's studio space or production support or funds to make their work. Um , being in community is what makes this work sustainable. Uh , beyond just those kind of concrete resources , we really need each other as resource. Um , and what we're finding is that in engaging with dance in that way and building programming like our Queer Movement Fest , which is coming up , um , in just a couple of weeks , that it's opening up dialogue with the larger community about how the larger community can support dance and support local artists. Um , and we're really proud to be doing that work. But it is it's important work , especially right now , even more than than it has been in the past. We really need that community engagement , not just , um , around the financial resources , but like Matt was speaking to people coming to see performances , people coming to open rehearsals , people showing up to classes and really involving themselves in the arts , um , as a part of the arts community. Uh , so that arts feels like it is also a part of the larger community , um , and not just some sort of isolated component of what happens in San Diego.
S1:
S2: Dance is human resources , humans dancing and square footage. We need a lot of space. We don't have a script to read or a score to play. We need to be in community together in a space to really create what we're doing. And I think for us , we're maintaining employees. About 40 employees throughout the year that we want to be able to live and work in San Diego. It's important that we provide a living wage for people to be in the city and provide what they do in terms of catharsis and dance. You know , it's a nonverbal art form for the most part. There's something transcendental that something that comes out when an audience member sees dance , that they feel it in a kinesthetic way , that the impact of this art form is so profound and needed now more than ever. And when we're going to really think about preserving concert dance is is what I would say kind of an area of dance that we're working to preserve , where that audience member can really go in to the theater. The lights go dark , the stage lights come on , the curtain opens , and they're able to have that , that experience to to get them away from their lives or also help them process some of the things they're experiencing in a nonverbal way.
S1:
S2: I mean , the reality is that we're we have our micro communities that we're dealing with , with our different companies or organizations. And we've been really tasked right now to. Solve problems we weren't anticipating. So for example , think about the cut with the NEA. We had seven days to make an appeal. Now they sent that email out on Friday. You get the email on Monday and now we have four days to make the appeal. So that week we were kind of in survival mode of just dealing with the problem , dealing with putting out the fires. And I think that's where we are in reality sometimes at right now , based on everything that's being thrown at us , that looking to support each other is something that I think is going to be really part of the problem. We're not going to get that governmental support. We're seeing foundations shifting their priorities. There's going to be a lot of pressure on the philanthropy sector to help us right now. And as we emerge out of the survival mode and emerge out of handling these issues and solving these problems. We will be working together with different dance organizations , different dance artists. Knowing that we will be the solution and working together to make this sustainable going forward.
S1:
S2: We will be coming together to , to do this no matter what , no matter the funding and the culture. I mean , it's the when we as dance artists , and particularly in the contemporary dance field that , you know , is rooted in social activism and very much in America affected by the African diaspora , that by training our bodies to be in space lets others know that we are in control of our bodies. No one else , the government or anyone else , so that no matter the funding or things that are happening on these systemic levels , the individual artist , you know , I run an organization , but it's made of individual artists. We are a dance company. The dancer is front and center. These human beings are the center of our art form , and we will continue to work together to produce and create work.
S1: I've been speaking with Matt Carney , executive director at San Diego Ballet , and Zakiya Miller Salinas , founder of Disco Riot. Matt Zakiya , thank you both so much for joining us today. Thanks.
S2: Thanks.
S3: Thank you.
S1: Coming up on Midday Edition , Oceanside Theatre Company wants to enroll you in Latin history for morons.
S4: You know , there's two sides of history , and our history is just not recorded in our textbooks. And so this I think this play tries to right or wrong.
S1: More about that play when KPBS Midday Edition returns. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. How do you recap 3000 years of Latin history in under two hours ? Well , Oceanside Theatre Company's latest show , Latin History for morons , does just that with a comedic flair. It was originally a one man show performed by actor John Leguizamo , inspired by the absence of Latinos in U.S. history textbooks. We actually interviewed Leguizamo in 2016 when he first brought the show to the La Jolla Playhouse.
S5: This is a bigger thing. It's not such a marginalised bit of history. I mean , these were really important people who participated in contributing to the founding of democracy in this country and to strike them out and not be present in history books. We're doing ourselves a disservice.
S1: KPBS Arts reporter Beth Accomando sat down with director Herbert Sequenza about bringing that history back to the stage. Here's that conversation.
S6: Herbert , you are going to be directing Latin history for morons at the Oceanside Theatre Company. Tell us a little bit about this play.
S4: Well , this play is very interesting. John Leguizamo wrote it back. I think he started in 2016. So a lot has changed Latin history. Well , you know , world history has changed a lot since 2019 , as we know. But when he wrote it , he basically wanted to educate people about Latino contributions to the world and to the United States , because I guess he was doing research for his son , I think had a project like that to talk about Latino heroes , and they just couldn't find any in the U.S. history books. And it's so true. I mean , if you go through a U.S. history books , you find very little about Latino contributions. You hear about the Mexican-American War , but you really don't know why. You know , the motivation to the , you know , of the Mexican-American War. There's , you know , there's two sides of history , and our history is just not recorded in our textbooks. And so this I think this play tries to right or wrong. So I'm really excited about it. And as you know , Latinos in general , the community is being viciously attacked by our administration. And so I think it's just really important to talk about our contributions as not just as Latinos , but as Americans. And I think we have to remind people that we are American. We have 4 or 5 generations now since the Treaty of Guadalupe defined the border. There were people on this on this side of the border that were already here. And so they are American and they've been American for for many generations. And so it's just good to we have to repeat that because I think the mainstream sees us as foreigners , which is the case. But but in many instances , we're not foreigners. We are American as enchilada pie.
S6: Now , this was written in 2016 , which was under the first Trump administration. We're now in the second Trump administration.
S4: The attacks are just more vicious , more direct. And I think we as artists , we have to respond to that. You know , John Leguizamo is a particular performer with a particular energy. And Rick Najera. My , my , my performer is not John Leguizamo. And so let us tweak it a little to , to fit our physicality , our vicinity to the Mexican border and all these things. And so we we have tweaked it here and there to just make it a lot more relevant and a lot more localized , too.
S6: Well , and you have a long history with Culture Clash as a founding member in terms of using theater , using comedy. So talk a little bit about like what you're bringing to this play from that and what you've learned over these decades of , you know , trying to use humor and satire to affect change.
S4: Well , yeah. John Leguizamo's career and culture clash. His career paralleled each other a lot. We both came out in the 90s , around the same time , late 80s , 90s , and we came up and yeah , he was doing a comedy as a political way of getting a message across , just like culture Clash. So when I saw this play , I was like , oh , this is right up my my alley. You know , this is this is in my wheelhouse. So when they asked me to , to direct it , I said yes , because it's in my comfort zone for sure. It's a solo show where you need a real versatile actor to do voices , to sing , to dance , to do all these things that , you know , that that we're used to doing is culture clash. So. So this was right up my alley. And Rick Najera is a seasoned performer as well , comes from that school of thought. And so it was just a perfect marriage.
S6: And this is going to be at the historic Brooks Theater.
S4: The it's a really nice , nice community theater. I'm impressed with the energy that Alex and Kevin Burrows are bringing to the community. They're perfectly located right downtown in Oceanside , so I'm just really excited about their future there at the Brooks. I think this is their first Latino play. And so , you know , we want this to be successful because we want , you know , I personally want to see a Latino play there every year. Right. So this is the first one. And we hope people come out and see it.
S6: What can you tell people to expect from this ? I mean , you are getting a history lesson , but you're also getting entertained.
S4: John Leguizamo is an entertainer. The history is not like 100% accurate. You know , he takes his liberties for entertainment sake , but overall it just explains how important our. You know , we had empires here in the Americas. Uh , the colonization by Spain just was devastating for the natives who were living here peacefully in the 1500s. And so we want to really show how that conquest , that colonization 500 years ago is still , in a sense , with us today , if not in our DNA. And I think it's really important for people to know that , that we're still recovering from 500 years of colonization. I know that this sounds funny , but it's not. It's not funny , but it's but it is psychological. It's in our DNA. I think we all live with it unconsciously , and I think that's what it's about. You know , it's a real personal journey about being Latino in the United States , being Latino in the Americas. And I think we want to emphasize that this is a continent , you know , people call the United States of America. Well , that's not that's not right. America is North and South America is the continent of America. And I think we have to look at it as a holistic continent instead of , you know , the United States as the de facto. You know , there's the the status quo of America. It isn't. There's a whole nother continent , millions of people , and it's histories that are important as well.
S6: I've seen some interviews with John Leguizamo when he was doing research for this play.
S4: I'm a I'm a big history buff , too. I'm a big Latin history buff. So I knew a lot about , you know , there's certain names that he brought brings up in the play that , you know , I didn't know , but I overall knew that that we had participated. I , I didn't know how much we participated in the Revolutionary War. And that's pretty interesting. That's really interesting. We were uh , we were definitely present there. We , uh , apparently funded a lot of it , you know , uh , through gold and through , uh , people's efforts. There was a general that donated a lot of arms to Washington to to overthrow the British. So we're always getting in trouble.
S6: Now , the play is called Latin History for morons. And in the original version of the play , I'm not sure if this has changed. It's the audience who are the morons that are being educated.
S4: I think so. If not , if for sure. Empathy. You know , I think theater is about empathy , right ? And it's not just education , but it's like , oh , I see why. Now I know why there's so many Mexicans. You know , now I know why there's Salvadorans in California. It's because of this history , right ? The empathy , the civil wars. We've had all this stuff , you know. So we just want to let people know that , you know , we're , you know , people don't don't people don't immigrate to the United States because they want to they had to in many cases. Right. Or they were stuck in the middle of this , you know , this , you know , the Mexican-American War. So history really informs the present. And and I think we really have to look back in order to see where we're going.
S6: All right. I want to thank you very much for talking about Latin history for morons.
S4: Thank you for having me.
S1: That was Beth Accomando speaking with director Herbert Sequenza. Oceanside Theatre Company's production of Latin History for morons opens Friday at the Brooks Theatre. Up next , Georgia's African hair braiding takes us to a bustling braiding shop in Harlem.
S7: I always have a story every time I leave a hair braiding shop , even if it seems pretty , you know , innocuous. Those little moments , I think , are part of the fabric of what I think makes the play , you know , so unique.
S1: Hear more about that play. When KPBS Midday Edition returns. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. Georgia's African hair Braiding by New York based playwright Jocelyn Bio is the latest play at the La Jolla Playhouse. It opened on Broadway in 2023 and has since been nominated for six Tony Awards , winning two. The story takes place in a West African hair braiding salon in Harlem , where a group of hair traders and customers share their days , hopes and dreams together. At the heart is Georgia and her daughter Marie. Now Georgia is about to get married in what the women in the salon assume is a green card marriage. But as the play unfolds , we uncover what the American Dream means to these women. KPBS Arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans recently spoke with playwright Jocelyn Bio on the phone as she navigated her way through Harlem. Here's that conversation.
S8: So I understand that since you were a little girl , you've been going to West African hair braiding shops. Can you take us inside and talk a little bit about what makes these salons so important to you.
S7: They're important for a myriad of reasons. One. I mean , it was a kind of economic decision to get my hair braided. I we didn't grow up with a lot of money , and I certainly didn't have a lot of time to worry about my hair. So I'm going to get my hair braided in a style that could last for a couple of months. Um , was , uh , economically , uh , really smart for , um , me and my family. And so these places kind of became like a second home to me because I was , you know , there so often. Um , I still am there so often. And I think they're important spaces because , I mean , look , most of the women who own these shops are immigrant hair breeders themselves who have come to this country. They're entrepreneurs looking to start their own business , have something of their own. And I mean for anybody , much less , uh , you know , the average American that's that takes a lot of work , you know , to start your own business and , and hope that it's successful , especially , you know , in a city like New York. So I think these spaces are just so , so important for the communities too. Oftentimes , a lot of the African hair braiding shops that exist are in , you know , black and brown communities , places that probably have families who are similar to mine , who need to have some sort of economic make an economic decision about their hair and the vulnerability that also is is involved with that as well. You know , going in there and trusting someone to do a style that will work that you like , you develop these kind of relationships with these women as well. And so they're just really important spaces , not just for the commerce , but , you know , I think for the community.
S8: And in terms of like bringing that space to life on a stage.
S7: I mean , there. I would say they're probably very noisy. Um , I would not be able to take a call like this , um , at a hair braiding shop , for sure. There's so many people in there. Lots of music playing. Uh , there may be even a movie sometimes going on the TV screen. The news might be on. And then , you know , there's there are a lot of these women are friends , you know ? So you're thinking , I don't know , anywhere from 4 to 5. I've been in small shops where there's only like 4 or 5 hair breeders. I've been in bigger shops where there's like 20 or 25 hair braids. And so , um , what if there's an argument that happens between two traders or a customer even or , um , what if someone's telling a funny story that's making everybody in the shop laugh ? It's a very vibrant , you know , space. And , uh , I mean , I always have a story. I always have a story every time I leave a hair braiding shop , even if it seems , you know , pretty , you know , innocuous it though those little moments , I think are part of the fabric of what I think makes the play , you know , so unique and special and fun that I have 30 plus years of stories to share and was able to put into a play.
S8: Can you tell us about the characters in Joshua's African Hair Braiding ? There's Joshua and her daughter Marie , but also tell us about some of these other women that are in the space.
S7: Well , there's so many women who kind of make up the the tapestry , the quilts , if you will , of of the shop. Yes. You mentioned Joshua , who's , you know , the eponymous owner of the shop. Uh , there's , uh , Marie , her , you know , teenage daughter who , for all intents and purposes , it comes off as like the average American teenager who's just , you know , looking for her place in the world and , um , you know , wants a bright future for herself but is not really sure how to get it. Um , we also have B , who is kind of a curmudgeon of the group. I would say she's the one who's kind of been at the shop the longest and maybe has the most history. Um , with Jojo , that kind of predates even opening the shop. They were both struggling immigrants together. And so , um , she's got a bit of a chip on her shoulder about perhaps how Jojo was able to move up in the world and in a way that , uh , b couldn't.
S8: Talk a little more about the connections and the friendships between these women. Like , what's significant about the way that they can connect and interact and and , like , be around each other hour after hour in these , these shops.
S7: I mean , I don't know that it's it's more significant than any average , you know , workplace. I mean , what what constitutes any of us to be in an office or a school or , Um , uh , you know , a hospital. Any place where you're kind of working in community with a bunch of people for hours and hours and hours on end. You know , some people you like , some people you don't. Some people become your your best friends , some people you , you know , hope they quit and you never see them again. I mean , it's it's it's all of those things. I just think I'm putting , you know , uh , there's a universality to the workplace that we all kind of know and share and understand. I think I'm just putting those relationships , those ideas , those people in a , in a setting that we've never really seen before and that maybe , you know , unless you've , you know , lived in New York or lived in Harlem or frequent hair braiding shops as much as I do , you know , you you think it may be different in there ? Um , it may not feel the same. And I think a lot of times audiences walk out feeling a real , like , kinship with the women with the shop , and a kind of universality about what an intimate workplace setting is like.
S8: So Georgia is about to get married , right , in order to secure a green card.
S7: And I think that's really important because , you know , as me being the child of immigrants myself , both my parents are from Ghana and West Africa. I have , you know , seen and heard and even attended , um , you know , weddings that had these , these same kind of question marks , you know , or scene unions that had these same question marks. But at the end of the day , um , I do feel like every immigrant who come by and large , every immigrant who comes to this country is in search of , you know , comeuppance of a better life that they maybe feel like they can't quite have in wherever they're , you know , country of origin is and there's just a lot of red tape that America becoming an American citizen at least makes you really cut through. And I think I just wanted to present a more I wanted to humanize the people behind the policy. I think oftentimes we just kind of paint immigration with such a singular narrative. And , um , it's more complex than that. And I think showing us , um , relationships , showing all of the women , you know , and , and , you know , some of them sharing their stories of even how they , you know , got to this country and even became citizens. Uh , I'm just trying to highlight the complexities that exist within that. And , um , you know , hope that people have If people walk in with some implicit biases about that , that maybe they shift a little bit when they leave.
S8: You recently became a mother , and there is a mother daughter story at the heart of this play with Jaja and Marie. Um , Marie has just graduated high school.
S7: I mean , I think I have I have a lot of , uh , I have a lot of feelings about mother daughter relationships. I mean , I have a very unique relationship with my mom , who I think is just , you know , a very particular individual and a kind of person who I would in some cases , say could be an acquired taste. She's kind of like a tough mom. You know , she she doesn't always say the right thing or do the right thing to some people and to others , it's just tough love. You know ? And I feel like I'm always unpacking facets of my relationship with my mom in my work. And so I think I was able to put a lot of that into , you know , this play. I think becoming a mom , I mean , I became a mom so early in the process of writing of of the play getting produced in the original production on Broadway. I my when I started rehearsals , my child was only six weeks old. So I think I was , you know , in some cases just trying to make sure I was getting enough sleep. But in other ways , I kind of really understood in a visceral way sacrifice and , you know , caring and understanding and kind of like just putting everything to the side. So that way , everything with my my kid came first , you know. And so I really , really understood Georgia's perspective on things. Like you. You know , there's a world where maybe some of her actions and decisions could come off selfish. But , you know , ultimately she really is doing what she can to for the sake of her daughter and and and their future. And , um , I don't think you have to be a mom to understand that , but I feel like I , I did in a different way when when I became a mom.
S8:
S7: And , uh , which , you know , I , I've really come to understand the older I've gotten and the more , you know , work I've written , it's really just about sharing a truth. But how you share that truth sometimes is really important. You know , to some people , uh , they love a drama. They love being able to go somewhere and just cry , you know ? And , you know , and and express all of their , you know , emotions and feelings in that way. I feel like , you know , uh , comedy and humor is important because of that spoonful of sugar mentality. I think you can really. You know , I think you can invite people to , you know , the party and the music may be different. Like , the vibe may be different. You know , even the way somebody like getting the story could be different , but it really ends up being a very powerful tool to endear people to , especially to what I'm doing and dear people to characters that we don't always see. I mean , there's so much about Africa and African culture and , uh , African immigrants even that is not mainstream in any way. I think even a lot of times some people hear an African dialect and don't even realize that they're kind of trained for the story to inherently be sad. And , um , I think , you know , and I understand that because there's so much of the narrative of so many African countries that did struggle and did have , you know , post-colonial , um , strife , whether it was war or disease or famine or anything like that. But that's not the the truth of everybody on the continent. And I think using humor to tell African stories in a lot of ways feels , you know , radical , even though I just think the truly short answer is just that's not really where my voice lives , just naturally where I go. And , uh , it's worked out so far.
S1: That was Jocelyn Bo speaking with KPBS arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans. Her play Georgia's African Hair Braiding is on stage at the La Jolla Playhouse through June 15th. That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
