In Conversation with Melecio Estrella

By Andréa Spearman

April 13, 2022, PUBLISHED BY IN DANCE

In Conversation, a series of interviews exploring exchanges about dance and different folks’ relationship to dance.

As we examine home and place and what community means, these questions presented themselves. “How is the dance community a home?”, “How does one bring their personal history to this larger ecosystem?”, “How do we sustain the community connections so that home never disappears?”

In this edition of In Conversation I was able to speak with Melecio Estrella, the dynamic Artistic Director of BANDALOOP and Co-Director of Fog Beast, about his journey to making a home for dance making in San Francisco.

Melecio Estrella Photo by Jessica Swanson. [ID: Melecio, a brown skinned Filipino man, in midair, seemingly dancing between the sand and ocean on Rodeo Beach. He wears a tan dress shirt and linen pants. Ocean waves in the background.]

Melecio Estrella is a director, choreographer, educator and facilitator based in unceded Chechenyo Ohlone territory.  He is artistic director of BANDALOOP, co-director of Fog Beast and longtime member of the Joe Goode Performance Group.

He has had three premiers of full length work in 2021: LOOM:FIELD in Atlanta, GA, Transpire in Boise, ID, and Time of Change in San Francisco.

Upcoming 2022 engagements include BANDALOOP’s 30th Anniversary Home Season in Oakland, new work at The Virginia Arts Festival in Norfolk VA, LAPublicCanvas at the Ford Theater in Los Angeles, and These Lines are Living at the Animate Dance Festival in Alameda.
IG: @bandalooping @fogbeast

 

Mentioned in the recording:

Learn more about BANDALOOP

Website: www.bandaloop.org
Instagram: @bandalooping
Facebook: BANDALOOP
YouTube: BANDALOOP Channel

All Audio Recorded and Edited by Andréa Spearman

For more In Conversation content, read and listen here.


This conversation appeared in the Spring 2022 issue of In Dance.


Bay Area native, Andréa Spearman is an administrator, choreographer, performer, teacher, and student of a variety of modern-based movement with over 20 years of experience. Director of her own dance company, A. Spearman & Co. and also currently produces and hosts, The Black Landscape podcast, a series of conversations that spotlight Black leaders in the SF Bay Area communities in various industries. Listen on Apple Music, BuzzSprout, Google Podcasts, and more. https://theblacklandscape.buzzsprout.com

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