Public Program

Please join DiverseWorks and Paraspace Books co-founders S Rodriguez and Sara Balabanlilar for a screening and discussion of Simon Rittmeier’s short science fiction film, Drexciya (2012). Drexciya tells the story of a German man called Thomas who works as a trafficker for European refugees seeking a better life in Africa. One day his ship sinks and he finds himself the only survivor, washed up on the African shore. He tries to reach the next megacity: Drexciya, an advanced high-tech world. Somewhere in the desert, he is stopped by a huge light fence. At the end of his rope, a group of young Africans stumbles across him: Sisay, Kanchebe, and Dylis. After a while, they decide to take him along. Yet their mission also seems to be a strange one. They are looking for an almost forgotten place. Lost in the wide desert they come to know each other – speechless, strangers in their own land. The film's title comes from an afrofuturist origin myth created by the Detroit-based electronic music duo, Drexciya. According to the liner notes of their 1997 album The Quest, Drexciya was an underwater country populated by the unborn children of pregnant African women who were thrown off of […]

SALSA - A TALE OF DISCOVERY, BLOOD, RHYTHM, AND IDENTITY Heritage in Motion is a performative workshop series that allows participants to experience the richness that is the Latin diaspora through the lenses of dance and movement. Salsa: A Tale of Discovery is the third event in this four-part series conceived by Raul Orlando Edwards. This performance lecture will explore the history, social background, and musical development of Latin culture's most widely recognized music and dance: SALSA! Participants will be invited to engage in an interactive and dynamic conversation about the many influences that are present in salsa dancing - including Cuban, European, African, and more. This event is free and open to the public, advance reservations are not required. Raul Orlando Edwards is the Executive Director for Arts of Tolerance at Rice University’s Boniuk Institute for Religious Studies. He is also the creative entrepreneur behind Strictly Street Salsa, FLAMART (Featuring Latin American Music and Art), and Houston’s Afro-Latin Festival. Reinaldo Costa is a dancer and teacher who works closely with Edwards at Strictly Street Salsa and with the Afro-Latin Festival. He has studied and performed across North America, including Cuba and Mexico. Heritage in Motion is presented in conjunction with the curatorial […]

Organized by Rafa Esparza and Risa Puleo Through a series of conversations, the Brown Artist Retreat:Houston will unpack the words “BROWN,” “ARTIST,” and “RETREAT,”  centering Houston and South Texas-based artists in a one-day workshop. Click here to register. Deadline to register is April 2, 2019, at Midnight. DiverseWorks and the organizers Risa Puleo and Rafa Esparza welcome anyone who has a “kinship” with brown as an identifier. “Brown” is a term that circulates in conversations between people who are indigenous to the Americas, as well as from the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and across the globe. We look forward to a conversation where we can think together across national and regional borders to discuss our shared experiences. Many of us in the global south come in all shades of skin tones, which is why “kinship” is the term that we hope brings everyone together. One of the topics we hope to explore together is the inadequacies and limitations of language in describing our experiences in the world. In describing our experiences as brown, we hope for coalition building across nationalities and various diasporas as part of the futures we imagine together. The Brown Artist Retreat was developed by […]

Heritage in Motion is a performative workshop series that allows participants to experience the richness that is the Latin diaspora through the lenses of dance and movement. Que Viva La Salsa! is the final event of this four-part program. Led by Raul Orlando Edwards and Reinaldo Costa of Strictly Street Salsa, participants will enjoy an exuberant session learning the world’s most popular Latin dance: Salsa. Raul Orlando Edwards is the Executive Director for Arts of Tolerance at Rice University’s Boniuk Institute for Religious Studies. He is also the creative entrepreneur behind Strictly Street Salsa, FLAMART (Featuring Latin American Music and Art), and Houston’s Afro-Latin Festival Reinaldo Costa is a dancer and teacher who works closely with Edwards at Strictly Street Salsa and with the Afro-Latin Festival. He has studied and performed across North America, including Cuba and Mexico. Heritage in Motion is presented in conjunction with the curatorial project Collective Presence, on view through April 14, 2019. Heritage in Motion Schedule: Friday, March 1, 6-8 PM Dance Class: Heritage in Motion: Not So Equal with Raul Orlando Edwards & Reinaldo Costa Friday, March 22, 6-8 PM Dance Class: Heritage in Motion: From the Soul to the Dance Floor with Raul Orlando Edwards & Reinaldo Costa Saturday, April 6, 6-8 PM […]

Anatomy of Our Land/Anatomía de Nuestra Tierra is a three-part interdisciplinary workshop and performance with Awilda Rodríguez Lora in conjunction with Collective Presence. Rodríguez Lora invites participants to join in the creation of a collaborative installation that will later be activated in a 30-minute collective performance during the Collective Presence closing party. Through conversations, story sharing, movement and written word,  Anatomy of Our Land / Anatomía de Nuestra Tierra will explore how our bodies, histories, and journeys share their own anatomy of living and existing within communities, families, and surroundings. This is a free, bilingual (English-Spanish) workshop but other languages are also welcome. The maximum number of participants is 10. All ages and abilities welcome. No experience required. Pre-registration is required and participants must be able to attend and participate in all three parts (see below for schedule details). Online pre-pregistration: https://goo.gl/forms/72X8aKCwCveCOQ9n2 Part 1: Saturday, April 13, 2019, 10:00AM - 3:00PM Anatomy of Our Land/Anatomía a de Nuestra Tierra Introductions, movement exercises and creation of individual and collective choreographed performances using our bodies, voice, and writings. Land-Body Tierra-Cuerpo. Part 2: Sunday, April 14, 2019, 1:00PM - 3:00PM Anatomy of Our Land/Anatomía de Nuestra Tierra II Participants will be invited to […]