Maira Duarte, 2022
Maira Duarte, a Mexican New York-based artist, educator, and organizer, champions non-hierarchical artistic exchange through Dance To The People (DTTP), an evolving collective created in 2015. DTTP has created choreographed pieces and organized community forums, workshops, public practices, environmental movement research, and performance parties, all donation-based and open to the public. Recent DTTP work has involved the development of public and participatory practices, called Trash Outings, as well as multiple choreographed street performances around trash and discarded materials. Other DTTP work includes Papalotl Muyus, a protest dance film in solidarity with migrant families at the border, made in collaboration with Semillas Collective and Mayday Space. Maira is part of the community project Escuelita Arrecifes, located in a marginalized neighborhood of Tulum, Mexico, where she has implemented several dance and environmental education programs. She also co-runs The Woods, a low-cost rehearsal and performance space in Ridgewood, Queens.