Many have seen the newest mural on campus, Danza a la Rebeldía (Dance as Rebellion), but now is the chance to learn more about it. On April 15 alumni muralists Irene Juarez-O’Connell and Victor Cervantes will join John Jota Leaños, a professor of Film and Digital Media and the assistant dean of Diversity Equity and Inclusion for the Arts Division, for a discussion about the work.
On display at the Baskin Visual Arts Center, Danza a la Rebeldía came about as part of Art 139: Murals and Movements, taught by Leaños. Students learned to embrace art as a form of resistance, by collaboratively working on this mural. Cervantes and Juarez-O’Connell, the latter of whom is the co-executive director of programs at Food What, an on-campus non-profit helping provide fresh food, came in as guest artists to assist students in designing the mural and offer invaluable advice on combining art and resistance.
Danza a la Rebeldía features Latinx, Palestinian, Indigenous and African dance styles and acts as an homage to undocumented communities by honoring student activism and celebrating marginalized communities. “The creation of this mural was really special and sometimes magical,” says Leaños. “Cultural dance is a physical expression of joy, music and story, passed down through generations.”
The mural was created in partnership with El Centro, the Chicanx Latinx Resource Center, established as a response to the educational needs of Chicanx Latinx students at UC Santa Cruz, with special thanks to its director, Xiomara López.
The talk on April 15 will explore how muralism serves as a form of resistance, identity and cultural preservation. Along with learning about the mural, attendees will learn more about the depicted dances including Danza Azteca, Son Jarocho and Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba.
Not only will there be discussions of art and dance, the event will also have free Empanadas provided by Fonda Felix, and a live performance by Los Mejicas, a student dance organization on campus. “It’s really important to recognize that these forms are not just colorful, beautifying paintings on a wall,” says Leaños. “They are meaningful, deep-set forms of cultural agency that carry stories and histories.”
April 15, 2025 – 5:00 PM
Digital Arts Research Center (DARC)
Room 146
453 Kerr Road
Santa Cruz, California 95064
Free and open to the public
