ATLACUALO is the product of the artistic encounter between two Mexican artists José Navarrete and Violeta Luna, and their collaboration with video/film artist, Ricardo Rivera; music composer, Javier Torres Maldonado; visual artist Lauren Elder; with script by Debby Kajiyama.
ATLACUALO Ceasing of Water, reinterprets ancient Mexican mythology and iconography to explore pressing ecological issues of our time – particularly around water and water rights. The multi-disciplinary production utilizes contemporary dance, performance art, new music composition, visual art installation, and video. The Aztec gods of water, Tláloc and Chalchiuhtlicue, are the central icons for the construction of the work. These deities help the performers embody the struggle of native peoples around the world against dominant economic philosophies that have resulted in rampant poverty and the destruction of ecosystems.
As Mexican artists, Luna and Navarrete believe in the importance of recapturing the poetic and didactic pre-Hispanic myths to promote dialogue about these issues.