The Fifth World, 2021
Premiered at Coaxial Arts Foundation in 2021. Made possible by a generous grant from the Mike Kelley Foundation.
Bespoke costumes designed and constructed by Jac de Vaca for all performers using secondhand, pre-existing, and deadstock material, accounting for all fabric waste within the project.
The 5th World, a Southwest Indigenous American belief referring to the rebirth of a better planet as the fifth iteration, traverses a breadth of human emotions, societal restrictions, and deep subconscious yearnings as corporeal expressions. The piece follows the root structure of ancient African cypher practices while also honoring worldwide indigenous traditions of sharing prayers, testaments, and stories in circles. The 5th World is also deeply influenced by House and Hip Hop street dance culture, incorporating classic cypher games and social dance practices.
Sung through an eclectic soundtrack pulling from the artist’s personal taste and vinyl collection, The 5th World unearths the freedom of bliss that remains an underlying current in life, unveiling harmonious surroundings and a true feeling of belonging and purpose. In the artist’s view, tomorrow’s eyes are wide open today.
Photos captured during a tech run through before the premiere on 24 September 2021. Jac de Vaca, Koren Porras and Aziza Barnes pictured. Images by Noah Hoffman
Listen to the canvas mix pulled from her collection of vinyl below. Tracklist available.
Ascot Hills, 2021
Images by Alex Floyd
Butoh, 2020
Created in October 2020 under the stay-at-home order issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Butoh has added dimension and shadow exploration to Jac’s style, and she find profound inspiration behind the philosophies and perspectives of the practice. Solo performance piece.
Images by Edward Cushenberry
yellow roll, 2021
yellow roll was created in 2021 under the stay-at-home order issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a number of dance studios closed, it was important for Jac to create and practice in the same space in her house day in and out. As the world paused to confront this worldwide catastrophe, it was essential for art to continue.
The self-taped video features dancing to the song at different intervals, all pulled from a single-take recording. The rhythmic body frolics along the music, causing limb and hair to bump and fly to the grooves.
yellow roll celebrates the willingness to create through all odds, nurtures an optimistic fire for healing, and offers total freedom of expression.
Song: Roll The Bones
Artist: Shakey Graves
Club Something, 2019
Amy O’Neal and Ani Taj’s signature immersive club dance performance piece featuring an eclectic cast of dancers and performance by Wajatta. The multidisciplinary work included choreographed and improvised movement, spoken word, rap, electronic music performance, and most importantly: audience activation.
Runnin’, 2019
Made in collaboration with Intel Studio’s 360° volumetric capture stage and the Sundance New Frontiers program, Wajatta (Reggie Watts x John Tejada) along with choreographers Amy O’Neal and Ani Taj fused to reconfigure an interactive VR experience inside a music video directed by Kiira Benzing. This video segment talks about inspiration straight from the creators, sheds further insight into the program at Sundance Institute where the piece premiered, as well as some of the world-creating technology using Unity. Runnin’ also took home Best Interactive at SXSW 2019.