At the heart of “Color the Mural” is a photo of two young boys on a playground with large smiles and laughing eyes. It is fitting that these boys are in the center of a mural depicting the history of the House of Neighborly Service. Fondly referred to as “La Escuelita” by long-time South Tucson residents, HNS is perhaps best remembered for its now defunct preschool program, which was one of the first Head Start programs in the Tuscon area. When Los Angeles-based choreographer Hugo Diaz first saw the mural, the image of the laughing young children immediately inspired him.
“There’s nothing like playing outside with your neighborhood friends,” Hugo states. “The image of the two boys took me back to a time when all I wanted to do was be with my friends outside in the sun creating new games to play.” Hugo says that to him, the image of the boys represents “the beginnings of new things and great changes.”
Hugo will perform a duet inspired by the image of the two boys along with L.A.-based dancer Andrew Palomares. The dance will also feature two elementary school age youth performers from the John Valenzuela Youth Center. Hugo says “because this is for the community, I felt it would be a wonderful idea to invite the youth from within South Tucson to celebrate with me onstage by being a part of my piece.” He adds, “Thank you Safos Dance Theatre for this exciting opportunity to be able to showcase my first out-of-state work.”
Come check out this dance March 27+28th at Dancing the Mural!
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