Olongapo Disco: Dreaming Joy Across the Diaspora

Olongapo Disco: Dreaming Joy Across the Diaspora - June 2, 2024 by Babay L. Angles / Angelica Janabajal Tolentino / Ifadoja Oyajokun This year, through a series of public workshops, local artists/activists/community members created a community sculpture/creature that transmutes intergenerational grief into healing and joy. We explored the archive of BIPOC ancestral joy/grief technologies including rhythms, myths, processions, garments, dance, ritual, and environmental/political/social activism and more to inform and design individual creatures and a large collective creature. Artists and community collaboratively designed an artistic joy centered creature to address a community problem within South East San Diego and beyond, answering the question: “What are the diasporic ancestral joy technologies within San Diego that we need to remember and create to survive and thrive?”. This project will help heal intergenerational trauma as families will visually, sonically, and kinesthetically integrate historical experiences of joy and struggle. Despite centuries of systemic oppression our community has endured, our work will build a mobile altar of resilience. Why are we here? What are we offering? As Olongapo Disco, we offer ritual, healing, and embodiment. We are in solidarity with the global struggles across the globe. With our work, we are asking questions about how to be in solidarity? How do we dream it? How do we build it as a creature, a physical manifestation of freedom? How do we bring our gifts sustainably to the movement and move alongside it? How do we teach and help community remember how to pray, move, and dream? Community had the opportunity to greet our community sculpture and collective dream. Community was be able to give offerings to our mobile altar and learn movement to dance with us! Ritualists/Movement: Alicia Arellano Samuel Briseno-Jimenez Esther Choi Corinne Canavarro (Lead Choreogaphy Assistant) Patricia Miranda Sime Samantha Ortega Khue Tran Alex Vo Fabrication: Antonia Davis Dreamers and Builders: Esther Choi Aubrielle Duncan Jules de Guzman Allize Jimenez Haven Ongoco-Rittershofer Magdalena Ramirez Oren Robinson Khue Tran Tara Alex Vo Community Culture Bearers and Musicians: Daunté Fyall Omo Aché Camilo Zamudio Olongapo Disco Team: Jackie Taylor (Community Resouces & Communication Manager) Aurerose Piaña (Ancestral Connection & Rest Consultant) Leeza Jackson (Communications Strategist) Jules de Guzman (Graphic Design / Altar Construction / Community Connection Consultant) Allize Jimenez (Altar Creation / Community Connection / Gender Justice and Distability Access Consultant) Angela C. Bajet (Costume Design & Photography) Haven Ongoco-Rittershofer (Land Researcher) Miko Aguilar (Marketing Coordinator) Fiscal Sponsors: Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation Supported by: Arts and Culture Commission of San Diego Far South / Border North Collaborative A Reason To Survive Videography by In Sage Production