Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Megan Curet. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Megan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I have worked on has been my practice led PhD research. En Ritmo: Praxis in Decolonizing Traditional Dance Spaces offers a practice-based framework for decolonizing the body in culturally hegemonic dance spaces. This PhD research focuses on the cultural syncretism of bomba and North American contemporary dance. Bomba is a Black and Indigenous movement practice that emerged in Puerto Rico with European influence. As a foundation for movement investigation, bomba becomes an approach for gathering, communing inside and outside of dance spaces. En Ritmo centers bomba as a movement approach for training the professional and non professional dance body. In an attempt to decentralize classical Western approaches such as ballet and American modern dance, En Ritmo borrows elements from bomba. These elements include equal exchange, communal participation and embodiment that are born from the three distinct parts of bomba; music, song and dance. My research has taken me to Loiza, Puerto Rico to work with youth bomba dancers and the Ricky Martin Foundation. A project that truly feels like it was born in and from community.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Megan Curet I am a Bronx Native Nuyorican dancer, choreographer and educator. Currently serving as Coordinator to the Artist of Color Council at Movement Research while completing a practice led research PhD in decolonial methodology within dance at Plymouth University in the UK. Curet’s practice expands upon the elements of bomba through cultural syncretism of contemporary dance through her public En Ritmo workshops. Other public community programming efforts include the annual youth dance Symposium, Bronx Grows dance which takes place at BAAD and made possible through Pepatian South Bronx. Former founder and artistic director of Curet Performance Project a contemporary dance company and founder/editor of online dance magazines TiLLT Magazine. Currently based in San Diego, My work, choreography and practice has toured South America, The Middle East, The Caribbean, North America and Europe.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I am eager to be a part of the Puerto Rican diaspora that is eager is keeping our culture and history both relevant and alive. In this age of neo colonialism from the USA upon to Puerto Rico, the pushing out of people from the island through new age crypto gentrification documenting and retaining our identity in any capacity is so important and so critical.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is knowing that you are playing a critical role in awakening the individual, awakening the collective and awakening the self.

Contact Info:

• Website: megancuret@gmail.com
• Instagram: megancuret
• Facebook: Curet Performance Project
• Linkedin: Megan Curet
• Youtube: Megan Curet

Image Credits
Jonathan Maier