Flying Fish Over Mexico

(2004-2005, Spain/Mexico, 60min) visual theater-dance

SYNOPSIS Flying Fish Over Mexico visual theater-dance exploring the origins of humans and the Mexican identity. The story follows two parallel plots. The love of Gondwana and Laurasia, the two continents in which the original megacontinent Pangea split up, and views of Mexican cultures. As a physical and emotional mirror of both: Butoh, Japanese avant-garde dance, shows inner meanings: the search of love inside humans and the search of a common identity in a nation soul.

Flying Fish Over Mexico is a production by Flying Fish Work with the support of the National Center for the Arts through the National Theater School and Salvador Novo Theater in Mexico City in 2005, and Tecnológico de Monterrey in 2004. I Behance

Photo: Megacontinent Pangea splits in continents Gondwana and Laurasia, featured on digital practice as Mountain Woman Behance

CAST Endless Lovers: Leopoldo Rivera, María Sandoval I White Dancers: Denise Barber, Rolando Martínez, Nadia Zúñiga, Adrián Hernández, Rodrigo Leal, César Rodríguez, Francia Castañeda, Sergio Solís I Wise Children: Roberto Castelló Lima, Tamara Henaine I Original Souls: Rafael Furlong, Rosario Dávila

CREW Director/writer/producer: Pedro Valiente I Choreographer: Evelia Kochen I Producer: Guadalupe Lima I Assistant director: Leopoldo Rivera I Assistant choreographer: Adrián Ladrón I Stage coordinators: Óscar Pérez, Griselda Pérez I Stage assistant: Aaroon Buendía I Costume/Make up: Flying Fish Work I Technical director: Jesús Treviño I Technical coordinator: Sue Ellen Bernal I Camera operators: Juan Carlos Bonilla, I Víctor Manuel Vega, Liliana Cortés I Lighting: Miguel Ángel Tavera I Visual coordinator: Rodrigo del Campo I Video: Bruno Schauwecker I Sound coordinator/public relations: Luís García TECH INFO Running time: 60min I Year: 2004-2005 I Language: Spanish I Genre: Visual theater-dance I Country: Spain/Mexico I © 2004-2005 Flying Fish Work

TRAILER

Trailer (3:46) by Bruno Schauwecker at Tecnológico de Monterrey

“What is the connection between Pangea, Mexico, and Asia? Early history of continents and their migrations lays that settlers of America arrived through the Bering Strait from Asia. We imagine a fantastic world where American pueblos meet their Oriental essence. And we set freely that all these events happen in a very specific moment in the Universe’s history —in times before eagles and snakes (Mexican flag images). Magical times where flying fish glided over Mexico. Founding times where Mexican people started to look at themselves dreaming of the future. Endless Lovers, Gondwana and Laurasia, rebirth through time and space into men and women who cannot stop loving each other. Wise Children, maybe Indigo, light from their blazing blue their never-ending flow of encounters and separations. White Dancers portray the cycle of birth/life/death through Butoh dance on its radical expression of the intimate self. Original Souls, senior narrators, represent pre-Hispanic visions of the genesis of Mexico and human life. Flying Fish Over Mexico.” —PV

REFERENCE I Writing in New York a PhD dissertation on director/artist Robert Wilson, Pedro Valiente volunteered for The Hairy Ape by the Wooster Group at Selwyn Theatre, New York I VIDEO © Hamlet I the Wooster Group

VISUAL THEATER

REFERENCE I “Butoh (舞踏, Butō) is a form of Japanese dance theater that arose in 1959 through founders Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno.“ [Butoh] I VIDEO © Umusuna I Sankai Juku

BUTOH DANCE

VISUALS: Premiere at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico State

Pedro Valiente shifted from working as director of International Relations at New York Film Academy to start teaching for the first time ever as PhD visiting lecturer at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico City. Besides covering courses on Filmmaking, Television, and Visual Narratives, Pedro directed Flying Fish Over Mexico at Culture Program (Área de Cultura), visual theater that premiered in November 2004 at the Auditorium of Mexico State campus.

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Pedro Valiente contributed to a joint program for the first time in their history the National Center for the Arts (CNA) and Tecnológico de Monterrey. BA Communication senior students took production and leading characters as National Theater School senior students did the dance segments. The play was staged on February 2005 at Salvador Novo Theater, Mexico City. [Centro Nacional de las Artes, Escuela Nacional de Teatro, Teatro Salvador Novo] I Photo: Behance Booklet I Flyer I Tec I CNA

National Center for the Arts

“Choreographer Evelia Kochen did an extraordinary work bringing dance to students in the National Theater School at CNA. Later, cast members created theater companies such as Nadia Zúñiga (El Ensamble, Teatro Playback Barcelona), Francia Castañeda (Teatro Entre2), and Adrián Hernández (Teatro Al Vacío). Sue Ellen Bernal became a state congresswoman. Luís Garcia, Bruno Schauwecker, and Víctor Vega are developing interesting careers in communications. Leopoldo Rivera became CEO, and health master. Flying Fish Over Mexico was the start of a path that took us to work together at Televisa, and Cancun Riviera Maya International Film Festival. They’re close friends and partners in life. Guadalupe Lima was an essential creative/producing force in all these projects in Mexico. Thank you all.” —PV I Behance