{"id":404,"date":"2026-05-08T17:46:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T17:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/troublemaker.nyc\/?page_id=404"},"modified":"2026-06-17T20:02:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T00:02:49","slug":"we-are-here-case-study","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/troublemaker.nyc\/es\/we-are-here-case-study\/","title":{"rendered":"We Are Here Case Study"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We Are Here<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A coming-of-age dance theater production<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ROLE<\/strong>: Hiland Artistic Director, National Dance Institute New Mexico<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LOCATION<\/strong>: New Mexico<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PROGRAM TYPE<\/strong>: Dance Theater Production, Multimedia Installation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Friction<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, a period of national unrest forced arts organizations to reconsider how their work reflected the communities they served. Many programs were built on models where material was created outside the community and delivered to participants rather than created by them. These organizations were often led and staffed by individuals outside the communities they aimed to represent, so the work presented did not reflect the lived experiences of the students performing it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Method<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A new creative process shifted the source of material from instructor-led choreography to participant-generated work. Students were asked a series of questions about how they identify themselves and how they are misrepresented. They responded through writings and recorded dialogues. Students then created choreography based on phrases, ideas, and emotions that emerged from their own responses, grounded in their lived experience and their reactions to a rapidly shifting cultural landscape.

The final dance theater installation included music, spoken text, visual art, and choreography, all developed by the participants themselves moving from top-down creation to participant-driven authorship.
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  • \u201cWe didn\u2019t realize how expressive he was, if he hadn\u2019t been in the program, we wouldn\u2019t ever have known that about him.\u201d<\/em>
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    Angel Perraglio-Garcia.<\/em><\/div><\/div>
    Parent<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Infrastructure<\/strong>
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    • Participant-generated process<\/strong>
      A repeatable creative practice that generates source material from within a group through writing, dialogue, and collaborative creation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Mission alignment<\/strong>
      Increased staff and faculty engagement with the organization\u2019s mission, supported by a process that produces the kind of transformational experience the organization is meant to deliver.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Community trust and ownership<\/strong>
      Stronger relationships with students and families, resulting in a more connected student community and engagement that extends beyond the program.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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      Legacy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      The installation set a new standard for production quality and professionalism within the organization, driven by a process that engaged participants and staff more deeply in the material.

      Students became more connected to one another, forming lasting relationships through a shared and deeply personal creative process.

      The project proved that community-engaged creative practice can strengthen both the art and the community making it.
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