MOYRA CECILIA SILVA RODRÍGUEZ

2024-2025

A dance research project in collaboration with Lenora Lee Dance (U.S.)

“A Bridge to Now / Un Puente hacia el Presente” by the award-winning Lenora Lee Dance in collaboration with choreographer / director / dancer Moyra Silva Rodríguez / dancer Moyra Silva Rodríguez

“A Bridge to Now / Un Puente hacia el Presente” addresses the multicultural and intergenerational experiences of often marginalised and vulnerable communities. Through dance, the project explores historical migratory movements and creates connections that transcend linguistic and cultural barriers.

“A Bridge to Now / Un Puente hacia el Presente” is a multimedia dance project that originates from the artistic collaboration between the Lenora Lee Dance (USA) and director, dancer, choreographer Moyra Silva (Peru). Developed in a hybrid format, combining remote and in-person work across different cities and countries, the project employs an interdisciplinary approach that includes dance, audiovisuals, and storytelling.
The project focuses on the migration of Chinese communities in the Americas, both in the North and South, gathering oral narratives and exploring connections between Chinese descendants in Peru and the United States. Through these stories, it seeks to build a “bridge” that connects the past with the present, promoting understanding and empathy among diverse communities, languages, and life experiences.

The 2025 U.S Premiere of “A Bridge to Now” is supported in part by Asian Improv aRts, Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, California Arts Council, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Zellerbach Family Foundation, and by Generous Individuals. The 2024 World Premiere of “A Bridge to Now” / “Un Puente hacia el Presente” in Lima, Peru was awarded the 2023 Culture Stimulus in Peru, and was supported in part by Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, and Mid Atlantic Arts through USArtists International, a program in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Trust for Mutual Understanding.

http://www.lenoraleedance.com/2024/11/a-bridge-to-now-in-sf-3-28-3-30-25/

From sound score of A Bridge to Now / Un Puente hacia el Presente:

“Many of the Chinese when they arrived in Peru were quite stigmatized, racialized, as well as objectified, treated as pack animals, as objects. They were sold and transferred from one owner to another, regardless of their humanity.”  – Marco Loo, Art historian and designer, Lima, Peru

“Unlike anti-miscegenation laws in the U.S. which criminalized inter-racial marriage until 1967, Peru had no anti-miscegenation laws. Children born of marriages between Chinese and Peruvians become important factors in assimilation of the Chinese. Approximately 10% of Peruvians have some Chinese ancestry.” – Lenora Lee, Co-artistic director, SF

“I think Chinese have everything. They have courage first. They have tenacity and they have the fight for life.” – Jorge Black Tam, performing artist and poet, Lima, Peru

ABOUT LENORA LEE DANCE
For the last 17 years Lenora Lee Dance (LLD) has pushed the envelope of intimate and large-scale multimedia, immersive dance performance connecting various styles of movement/dance, film, text, research and music to culture, history, and human rights issues. LLD’s works are set in both public and private spaces, inspired by individual stories as well as community strength. From the proscenium, to even underwater, the company’s pieces are site-responsive and immersive calling audiences into deep engagement with the work and environment. Through partnerships, LLD’s work has grown to encompass the creation, presentation and screening of films, museum and gallery installations, civic engagement, and educational programming signifying the power of art as a movement for change. http://www.LenoraLeeDance.com, IG: @LenoraLeeDance