MuseMe, El Bosque Encantado

Release all your senses into a joyful evening of fantastic creatures immersed in the sensuous touch of nature’s exoticism...

"MuseMe" is tailored as an entertainment arts production exquisitely blending theater and performance numbers including fine movers, actors, live musicians, contortionist and surprising circus acts. All together keeping a cinematic texture merging vignettes of homogenous upbeat dynamics and out of breath risky moments of spectacular beauty.

MuseMe will amuse you with glamour, physically extravagant surprises, and a Tropical immersion including ancient character appearances. A sublimely surrealist world of its own manifesting its fairytale essence leaving you with the thrilling naivete excitement of the "first love" experience.

"MuseMe" is the artistic name of Cuban-Chinese transvestite, drag artist Musmé (Julio Chang), from whom barely there is any tangible documentation left from this distinctive and elegant cabaret and theater soprano trained artist of the Cuba of the 50's. "MuseMe's" context evokes 40's and 50's aesthetic, design, music, behavior and flavors depicting the cabaret life of the time from Cuba to an international scope and vision of newly conceived futuristic presentation.

** Event will be held in a huge natural outdoor space

** MASKS are welcomed for all to be safe!

MuseMe (2021 promo video)
Direction/Creation: Lazaro Godoy, GoPra Performance Company
Performers: Flavie Audibert, Michelle Stone and Jennifer Veltre
Music composition: Federico Bonacossa
Film and edits: Jesse Sánchez (Gloss RX) www.glossrx.com Instagram: @gloss_rx

The main character, Lazaro Godoy himself, is the center piece that moves all puzzle pieces around while interacting and dancing with them crafting eclectic and surreal scenarios that rapture your attention utterly unexpectedly. Lazaro is the ringmaster to your "MuseMe" night of enchanting connected scenes empowered by theatricality and high caliber choreographic movement invention and dexterity.

Scenes unfold through Lazaro's character impersonations while he playfully interacts with other characters and the audience using evoking visuals combined with the characters-women/motherhood empowerment-and sound that encompass the "musas" while Cuban traditions resonate across.

Artist Bio's:

Lazaro Godoy

Lazaro studied at the National Arts School (ENA) in Cuba; graduated from New World School of the Arts, Miami (1996) and the Juilliard School, NYC (2000). Godoy received the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (YoungArts) first place award for his choreography (1996). Godoy has danced in works by Hans van Manen, Nils Christie, Jiri Kylian, David Parsons, Stijn Celis, Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company while touring across Europe and later in Israel.

In 2007, Godoy was selected to participate at The Swiss International Coaching Project under Susanne Linke's Artistic Direction. Godoy performed Jugo de Limón in Festivals across Europe, Russia and Israel from 2007-2009. In 2008, he developed a humanitarian project titled: StreetStage by merging encounters among art colleagues with local Sudanese immigrants living in extreme poverty in Tel Aviv.

As the Artistic Director and Head Choreographer of GoPra Performance Company- an interdisciplinary arts platform for international research and creation, Godoy has produced Bare Bones, Harmonicum Accordion | Act l, MEDAKA, BrookDale, ArMOUR and solo 刀 | Katana with support from: Inkub8, Miami Theater Center, Tigertail Productions, Miami Light Project, Bistoury Physical Theatre & Film, The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, and private donors.

Notably, Godoy has led movement workshops in Europe (Bern Ballet), Israel (Tel Aviv) and in the United States. In 2015, GoPra performed Bare Bones at "Movement Research at The Judson Church", NYC. In 2019 and 2020, Godoy received the Miami Choreographers’ Awards from the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. During this lengthy COVID-19 quarantine, Godoy is developing home projects and solo works such as: AWAKE SLEEPING, which documents his daily movement explorations through live videos and images. In addition, he is currently involved in the creation, production and touring of MuseMe while officially forming GoPra Performance Company's vision, structure and programming.

Federico Bonacossa

Federico is a composer and guitarist based in Miami. His recent work explores various forms of interaction between live performers and the computer, the relationship between pitch and rhythm, and the transcription of spontaneous vocal gestures with the aid of the computer. His creative interests range from electronic and computer-assisted composition to purely acoustic and improvisational works. As a performer he is involved in promoting new music for guitar and especially works that feature live electronics and alternative tunings. He is a faculty member of the Florida International University’s School of Music.

federicobonacossa.com

federicobonacossa.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/federico.bonacossa

Carlota Pradera

Carlota was born and raised in Catalonia, Spain (1979). Holds a BA in performance and choreography from Florida International University (2009). In Spain, she studied under Carmen Roche (ballet techniques) and attended Carmen Senra School (modern-dance techniques, contemporary and improvisation practices). In Europe, she attended choreographic workshops with Rui Horta, Ramon Oller, and others. She moved to Miami in 2001. In 2011, she organized “Pradera and Collaborators” to create ongoing interdisciplinary projects which presented Think Like a Guy and Looking Back. In 2012, Aquarius Juice premiered at Here & Now, Miami Light Project. In 2014, in collaboration with Lazaro Godoy, Bare Bones was created and GodoyPradera Projects & Programs was born. In 2016, Carlota created and performed Sketches of Spain with creative assistance by dance artist Juan Carlos Lérida, MicroTeatro, CCEMiami; in 2017, VOLCANIC was performed at Miami Theater Center. Carlota is a collaborating performer, assistant and coordinator at GoPra Performance Company.

Jennifer Veltre

Jennifer has been creating since a very young age. Her first love for dance began at 11 years old. Jennifer graduated from the New World School of the Arts and The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Jennifer danced with several companies, including Rennie Harris Pure Movement and decided to take her talent back to Miami in the early 2000’s. Beyond dance, Jennifer has a degree in Graphic Design, Anthropology, Sociology and a Masters in Occupational Therapy. Jennifer brings her love for dance, movement and the visual arts to her position as a pediatric therapist where she works with children and families with special needs. Growing up in Miami has provided a landscape of varied cultures which has colored her personality. Jennifer’s spiritual growth as a person and as a mother has been the most magnificent and expansive experience. You will see this evolution of Jennifer through her character. Jennifer combines aspects of nature, sensuality, afro-undulations, rumba spirit and the feminine warrior to her movement expression.

Catalina Arenas Tovar

Catalina is a Colombian actress, writer and entertainer. She holds a Dramatic Arts BFA from the UNIVERSITY OF ANTIOQUIA, Colombia. Co-founder of the group ONYVA TEATRO (Medellín 2012-2016) and Founder of the company CREATIVE STAGE PRODUCTIONS (Miami - 2017), with which she has brought to the stage the theater plays: "Santa Cecilia", "Entrepierna2 “, "Casados“, “A Fuego Lento”, “El Capullo Embrujao”, and “The Blue Circus”. At the same time it has stood out for developing educational and corporate campaigns with emphasis on the performing arts.

As an actress, she has been part of recognized theater groups in the cities of Medellin and Miami. Author of the theatrical plays: Sexo Especial, Casados, El último suspiro de la ballena, A Fuego Lento, among others, and the chapbooks: De puertas para adentro, Murmullos del Camino, and Vulvatorio.

Flavie Audibert

Flavie is a French-japanese Esperanto speaker (universal peace language), grown up in France. Since 2018 I'm living in Miami, Florida, USA. Long time ago, she learned how to dance ballet and to play flute. Her performing background is multidisciplinary in theater, mime, contemporary dance and singing. Her passion for movement and sharing with others has brought her to become a movement educator in contemporary dance and Pilates. She is curious about life and its pleasures, which is why she feels most intensely when sharing with others. She had the chance to work with Miami based artists Emily Ricca, Aeon Delacruz, Dale Andree, Ivonne Batanero, and Lazaro Godoy with much joy.

Paunika Jones

Ms. Jones was born and raised in Miami, FL. and is an alumnus of New World School of the Arts. After graduating, she began her dance career at Dance Theatre of Harlem under Direction of the late Arthur Mitchell, where she ascended the ranks from Dancing through Barriers Ensemble®️training program to Principal Dancer. From there, she worked in various ballet, contemporary and dance theatre companies nationally and internationally. Such as Dance Theatre of Harlem, Collage Dance Collective,Oakland Ballet,Complexions Contemporary Ballet,Ballet Noir,DEMA,Urban Jazz Dance Company,Brooklyn Ballet, Sign Dance Collective and Columbia City Ballet.

During her ever expanding career, she's had the opportunity to work closely with her mentor: The Late Arthur Mitchell on investigations of ballet schools within the US, ballet technique, dance education and personal assist in/outside of the studio, while further developing a deeper love and understanding for ballet/dance instruction, Yoga, GYROKINESIS® and overall well being. She has a desire to further her studies within these areas and to continue blooming artistically. Which include continuing to cultivate her own Dance/Performance Art Company.

Niurca Márquez

Niurca is an artist/researcher with a wide range as a creator and performer in film, site-specific work, and staged performance, and a published author. She is a trained somatic educator and uses her body-centered work to service communities undergoing processes of healing and self-realization. As a Latinx artist and activist on the margins advocating for silenced voices, she is particularly interested in notions of identity, cultural memory and ritual within a contemporary framework, as well as the multiple layers of communication and understanding in movement practices that lead to liaisons with political and social discourse. Her work has been commissioned by and presented on various curatorial platforms in Europe and the US.

She is part of the Rising Leaders of Color Initiative of Theater Communications Group, Cohort #4 (TCG, NY) and a 2019 graduate of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Leadership Institute (NALAC, San Antonio, TX). She directs Cultural Arts Exchange, an organization dedicated to expanding the conversation and offerings of the arts community in South Florida and the Caribbean, through artist services and programs centered on social accountability. She is also a founding member of FARO, a collaborative whose vision it is to create a space for rigorous creative/research that gives voice to thinkers and doers independently of institutional representation and recognition; work that is of and for the margin, and that recognizes the margin as a source of understanding and shifting perspectives.

Michelle Stone

Michelle connects and combines the lines of healing through movement, energy medicine, and performance art. She utilizes performance to express the beauty, resilience, wisdom, and pains of embodiment. She is the creator of Movement Healing, a movement technique to heal, trauma, pains, and limiting beliefs through the body. She received her Healing Science Practitioner degree from Brennan Healing School of Science and has studied dance and movement In the US & Europe focusing on contemporary dance and various forms of movement expression, body-mind centering, inner exploration & relationships to access the body's deep wisdom and bring forth joy and embodiment to life. She was born in Lima, Peru, and has a B.B.A, in Design Management from Parsons School of Design. She lives with her family in Miami.

For more information on Michelle’s healing practice please visit MichelleStoneHealing.com

Afrobeta (Guest Artist)

Cristina Garcia is a fiery sprite of a woman who wants to meet you on the dance floor, a truth seeker and a proud ambassador of all things Miami. She is a Cuban-American singer/songwriter and one half of the duo, Afrobeta as well as an actor and film/tv producer.

This performance is brought to you with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.