Artist and advocate Christopher "Unpezverde" Nunez speaks about the politics of immigration, artistry, gender and disability with moderator Marielys Burgos Melendez. In-person and virtual.
This program will be held in person in the Community Room and livestreamed via Zoom. To access the livestream please register here. (No registration necessary for the in person event)
"Christopher “Unpezverde” Núñez, a choreographer, dramaturg, educator, and disability advocate, speaks about his experience as an undocumented Central American immigrant with moderator Marielys "Lely" Burgos Meléndez, advocate, artistic researcher, somatic educator, writer, and audio describer. The discussion will explore the intersection of the politics of immigration, indigeneity, artistry, gender, and disability. The speakers will also consider the role that disability and heritage play in the development of new aesthetics in art-making. This event is held on the occasion of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
BIOS AND STATEMENTS PROVIDED BY THE ARTISTS
Christopher Unpezverde Núñez (b. Costa Rica, descendant of Mískito people from Nicaragua) Christopher “Unpezverde” Núñez is a Visually Impaired choreographer, dramaturg, educator and Disability advocate based in NYC. Núñez is a Princeton University Arts Fellow 2022-2024, a Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art Fellow and is a two-time recipient of the Emergency Grant by Foundation for Contemporary Arts. His performances have been presented by The Joyce Theater, The Brooklyn Museum-The Immigrant Artist Biennale, The Kitchen, Danspace Project, Movement Research at The Judson Church, The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, CUE Art Foundation, Battery Dance Festival, Performance Mix Festival and Dixon Place, among others. His work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Brooklyn Rail, The Dance Enthusiast and The Archive: The Leslie-Lohman Museum bi-annual journal. He has held residencies at Danspace Project, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), The Kitchen, Movement Research, Center for Performance Research, New Dance Alliance and Battery Dance Studios. As a performer, his most recent collaboration include “Dressing Up for Civil Rights” by William Pope L, presented at MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art. Núñez was invited by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs to share his story as a disabled and formally undocumented immigrant choreographer during Immigrant Heritage Week 2020. Núñez received his green card in 2018 and continues to be an advocate for the rights of undocumented disabled immigrants.
Marielys "Lely" Burgos Meléndez, MA Dance Studies, AfroTaina-Arawak independent artistic researcher, somatic movement educator, embodied writer, dance audio describer, and communicator from Boriké (Puerto Rico). Since 2014, I investigate the narratives, experiences, and poetics of artistic mobility/ migration of dancers & performers from Puerto Rico, the Greater Caribbean, and Latin America. I am a 2021-2023 Artist-in-Residence at Movement Research excavating experimental dance history, body and media, the body as living archive and memoir, contemplative movement, and indigenous somatics. Errática is my first self-published artist book (2019).
While in Lenapehoking, I have danced with Pramila Vasudevan, Antonio Ramos, iele paloumpis, Jill Sigman/ThinkDance, and most recently with zavé martohardjono. As a Dance Administrator/ Communicator I have supported performing arts organizations like Artichoke Dance Company and Buglisi Dance Theatre/ The Table of Silence Project 9/11, among others. Currently, I work as Digital Content Consultant for Yanira Castro -A Canary Torsi-, and as a Media and Communications Manager at Movement Research.
My creative endeavors have been shared at academic and non-academic institutions in México, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Scotland, Dominican Republic, and my native Boriké, among other places. www.marielysbm.com
Generously cosponsored with The Lewis Center for the Arts.
We are pleased to announce that ASL Interpreters will be available.
The program will also be recorded and available on the library's YouTube channel.
The Community Room is wheelchair accessible. The room has an integrated audio induction/hearing loop system compatible with personal T-coil-enabled devices, and compatible headphone units are available for use during programs. English-language subtitles will be turned on for all films when available.
