CO-PRESENTS: marco Farroni Leonardo
sweetwaterdances
march 31st, 2024 | river, seattle, wa
PROGRAM NOTES
direction: marco farroni leonardo
movement: Akoiya Harris, Nia-Amina Minor, marco farroni leonardo
sound: Sound of the Conch Shell for Remembering Death by Monks of the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery, Float by TWIYA, VANUATU Santo Island magical water drumming rendition by marco farroni leonardo, Out My Mind Just In Time by Erykah Badu rendition by TWIYA, I Cover the Waterfront by Billie Holiday rendition by TWIYA.
wardrobe: marco farroni leonardo
photography: Allina Yang
video: Anthony Sy
“What is your water story?” This question was asked of me by renowned artist nia love as part of her UNDERcurrents research and process. I have since been curious about our shared relationship to water, and how water has been a site of protest, rebirth, spiritual connection, and escape for Black people across the Diaspora. Throughout the United States, segregation of public facilities including but not limited to beaches, water fountains & pools due to race, color, religion, or national origin was a common practice until the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964. The notion that “Black people can’t swim” emerges from this long history of suppression. According to USA Swimming, over 58 percent of African-American children can't swim. That's almost double the rate of white children. And, African-American children drown at nearly three times the overall rate. My curiosity landed me at Madrona Beach on Lake Washington, historically known as a space where Black Seattle gathered and swam in the 40s, 50s and 60s. The floating docks in the lake were once segregated, until 1951 when Black swimmers started to utilize both docks which was the catalyst of desegregation throughout Seattle parks. This work is in progress and still in the earlier stages, another iteration of the work will be shared in 2025 as part of Wa Na Wari”s Seattle Spacial Black History Institute Second Cohort Activations.
What is your water story?
IN CONVERSATION
We sat down with CO-PRESENTS artist marco farroni leonardo to gain perspective into their inspirations and process leading up to the premiere of their work, sweetwaterdances, as part of CO-PRESENTS: marco + Giordana on March 31st, 2024.
CO- : What was your initial inspiration for this piece? Has it evolved?
mfl: I started off with wanting to activate the oral histories I’m in the process of collecting, as well as oral histories collected from cohort one of Wa Na Wari’s Seattle Black Spacial History Institute. These particular interviews are in relation to Black experience at Seattle’s waterfront. My curiosity landed me at Madrona Beach on Lake Washington, historically known as a space where Black Seattle gathered and swam in the 40s, 50s and 60s. The floating docks in the lake were once segregated, in 1951 Black swimmers started to utilize both docks which was the catalyst of desegregation throughout Seattle parks. Throughout the United States, segregation of public facilities including but not limited to water fountains & pools due to race, color, religion, or national origin was a common practice until the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964. The notion that “Black people can’t swim emerges from this long history of suppression - according to USA Swimming, over 58 percent of African-American children can't swim. That's almost double the rate of white children. And, African-American children drown at nearly three times the overall rate. Water is a sacred space for Black folks throughout the Diaspora. We utilize it to nourish our bodies, to bring peace, a passage to refuge, to escape, to connect with our spirituality, to heal. Black people have always swam. The works of Cuban artist Maria Magdalena Campos-pons are sources of inspiration driving this work, her photography and paintings relating to her maternal lineage of Santeria practices are present when conjuring this piece.
CO- : How did you choose your collaborators, and what draws you to work with them?
mfl: I invited Nia-Amina Minor, Akoiya Harris, and TWIYA as my collaborators for this work. Their brilliance and histories are aligned with the research & work. Nia-Amina and Akoiya are long time collaborators that I hope to continue to work with in a multitude of capacities. The work is revealing a sense of connection that is natural for us as collaborators, there are things that go unsaid when working with artists that have a complex relationship. With such a tight timeline, I wanted to just deep dive into tender and sometimes tough topics, having a friendship allows us to do with compassion and love. Outside our friendship, they are deep thinkers and history junkies which just further informs their dancing. I wanted us to bring our lived histories to the work, which they already do in their own works. Every rehearsal has been easy because of this.
CO- : As a Seattle-based movement artist, what inspires you about our city's dance scene?
mfl: I love how present the dance scene in Seattle is, we attend each others shows and classes. I feel a general sense of support, and because of this i’m always excited to show up. While Seattle is a small city the dance scene feels expansive, we all make very different work for the most part, there’s something for everyone. Every show I attend invites me to reimagine my notion of being a witness, we’re allowed to laugh, cry, be confused, question, be inspired. Im grateful and honored to be part of this ecosystem of dancers and makers and educators and and.
CO- : How does your dance/making practice inform how you relate to the world?
mfl: My practice is very much in relation to the world, both natural, conceptual, historical, social, theoretical, fantastical. Im interested in utilizing dance as a method of learning & unlearning, processing, protesting, expressing, documenting, teaching our past, current, and future histories.
